A huge thank you to Ann Lee, one of our lunch club clients, who recently turned 90 and was thrown a party by her family. Instead of gifts she asked for donations to our charity. I’m pleased to say that her generous friends and family raised £341 for us! We rely on donations and legacies to run all of our services so this thoughtfulness was very much appreciated.

The Silver Charity donated 60 fabulous gift bags to us which we handed out to our lunch club members. They were delighted to receive them. Inside were puzzles, crafts, a notepad and pencils, and some sweet treats. It really brightened up everyone’s day.

Our Body Positive class has been so popular that we have created a second class. Led by Bobbie, the class uses a chair as a prop to strengthen every muscle in the body. They have a good laugh and many go to the Winton’s Cafe afterwards which has been an unexpected bonus of holding the classes at Winton House. Some of our attendees have also roped their husbands into coming along. We run the classes in blocks of 6 weeks on a Friday morning for £30. Do let us know if you would like to join the next group.

The new Men’s Cookery classes are a joint venture with Age Concern, the Men’s Shed and Winton House. At the pilot class in January six men came together to make spaghetti bolognese from scratch and enjoyed a glass of red wine afterwards as they ate together. The next class focused on making a chicken curry. We will be running more of these in the future so let us know if you would like to learn how to prep and cook tasty meals and impress your loved ones and friends!

Got a new device and need to gain confidence in using it? Our next IT coaching course starts on 18th January. Book to have 6 weeks of one to one tuition. Bring your devices and learn what you want to learn at your own pace. Contact us for more details.

Another shout out, this time to Tesco who provided this gorgeous Christmas hamper and the Lions who provided funding towards our Christmas party. We really appreciate all of this support from the local community to help make this time of the year special.

Congratulations to Marian, our cook, who prepared a delicious Christmas lunch for 60 of our lunch club members, and for the recorder trio for their entertainment. It was a massive achievement to cook for so many, helped by our wonderful team of volunteers. As you can see our clients also got into the Christmas spirit! A big thank you also to Waitrose who paid for everyone’s meal.

We are seeking volunteers for our new Link Up service to visit people at home that are in need of some social contact. If you have some spare time, and a friendly disposition please contact Sheridan for more information.

Our first Christmas Party since Covid hit will be held at the Community Centre, Love Lane, on Friday 15th December, 2-4pm. With live music and an afternoon Christmas tea we hope you can join us. This is a free event and all are welcome. Contact Sheridan to book a place.

Can you spare a Wednesday morning once a month to drive our minibus? This is to take people into town so they can do their shopping. It’s a lovely group of people, and a very rewarding role. Induction training given, and the option to do MiDAS training. Contact Sheridan to have an initial chat.