NEWSLETTER #15
Birthday Edition
10th October 2024
Come as you are, bring what you can and take what you need
The Keepers is 4!
The Keepers will soon be 4 years old which is really quite hard to believe. We have survived and prospered because of the continued support of you, the local community, so a big, big thank you!
We will be holding an Open Day on Thursday October 17th 12:30-3:30 and it's a great opportunity to drop in, get shown around and find out more about what we do here - people are always surprised at the breadth of activities and services.
Even if you think you know us really well please do pop in or spread the word to someone else - we are always looking for visitors, volunteers and supporters so we would love to see you here.
We are celebrating 4 years since we registered as a charity in 2020
And... The Keepers in Kingswood is 1!
Time has flown and Keepers in Kingswood has been open for 1 year!
Thank you to The Keepers - Wotton Area Community Hub, our wonderful management committee, our fabulous volunteers, our excellent visiting professionals and our fantastic visitors and supporters!
We have so much more planned for the upcoming year so watch this space.
Tortworth Lake Fundraiser - a massive success!
Wow what a fabulous day down at Tortworth Lake we had on 4th August. We were so lucky with the weather in that we got some sunshine but it was never too hot and most importantly it never rained. It never rained but we did pour ...... lots (of teas and coffees)! It felt like a constant throng of people all day and we were still serving cake as we were packing up at the end of the day. If you came along to support us on the day, thank you ever so much as it was a brilliant fundraising event.
A massive thank you to our army of volunteers that helped on the day and some in particular that worked for weeks in advance organising things, buying food and baking cakes. Special thanks needs to go to Rotary who let us borrow loads of kit and helped in setting things up and packing away.
Also a big thank you to Tortworth Estate for allowing us to be there - your lake is simply beautiful.
For all of you that took part in the raffle, we made the draw on August 14th as planned. We had two lucky winners - one for the dinner, bed and breakfast for two at De Vere Tortworth Court , and one for the two-night stay in a beautiful holiday home in Cornwall. Remarkably both winners were from Bristol which just shows the pull of the beautiful Tortworth Lake (and we'd like to think The Keepers too!).
The raffle raised a significant amount of money so we would like to thank everyone that took part and the very kind donors of the fabulous prizes.
Some photos from the day
Response to wave of violence across UK
This quarter, the UK was shaken by a wave of violent, racist and Islamophobic extremism triggered by the tragic murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar from Southport. We remember them as their families, friends and communities grieve.
We also stand in solidarity with those communities directly and indirectly targeted in the appalling events that followed. We are thinking of those of you in our communities struggling with these events and are there for you as and when you need us.
We see and hear you
CEO Update
Chris, The Keepers' CEO
The past quarter was one where our volunteers and staff pulled together to produce some amazing fundraising results.
On top of the fantastic day at Tortworth Lake (see above), another successful fundraising event took place in Westend (Wickwar) at the Summer Fete organised and hosted by Dr Fui Mee Quek. As with Tortworth Lake we were also very lucky with the weather but again much thanks to our hosts but also to our volunteer team who manned the raffle tickets table.
A few of us also spent a day at Tesco Cam - it was a chance to raise some funds but also a great way of engaging with members of the public away from The Keepers.
We have a number of fundraising activities to look forward to in the coming quarter - another quiz night and a follow-up meal at Tortworth Court as examples.
Of course it's not the money we raise but the things we can do with it! Something that has just started is our Befriending Pilot programme where trained volunteer Befrienders can spend some time in a person's home providing some much needed company. It's early days but it's initiatives like this that are a great demonstration of why we do what we do - thank you to all of our supporters for helping to make it a reality!
Westend Summer Festival raised money for The Keepers
Volunteering Opportunities
Sara - Volunteer Coordinator
We held our volunteer summer social a few weeks ago which was enjoyed by all. The venue was stunning - hosted by Rio Pools - and the late summer evening weather certainly helped to make it a special event. Let's hope we can do it again next year!
During the evening, we held some volunteer group evaluation sessions. Here are just a few of the wonderful words you said about volunteering at The Keepers:
- "Meeting new people, friendly atmosphere"
- "Being part of team supported by lovely staff"
- "Impressed with training for my role"
- "Feeling welcomed and valued"
- "Making people's day a little brighter"
- "Gets me out of house, continues my passion"
- "Peaceful environment, friendly nice people and sense of belonging"
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Know anyone interested in volunteering? Our volunteer team at The Keepers needs new recruits. At the moment, we are particularly looking for more volunteers for our reception desk and in the Keepers' Kitchen but all enquiries welcome!
- Reception volunteers are the welcoming face of the Hub, supporting our visitors, signposting to the services we provide, doing admin and much much more!
- Kitchen volunteers prepare our delicious Tuesday lunches - no professional experience necessary just a love of cooking!
- Washing-up volunteers to lend a hand (and maybe a sponge!) washing dishes during our Tuesday lunches! Every Tuesday, we cook and serve up to 40 home-cooked lunches for our community, along with meals for our community freezer. We are looking for someone to join our team and help with a two-hour shift.
- Drivers help people with limited mobility or no access to transport attend lunch at The Keepers on Tuesdays or visit the café on Wednesdays. Your role is crucial in enabling people to socialise, connect with others, and enjoy something to eat. This volunteering opportunity is very flexible. It can take just an hour of your time. You can choose to drive weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, depending on what works best for you. You will need to complete some paperwork for you and your car - but don't let that put you off.
For more information and to express your interest in any of the above volunteering opportunities, please contact me either in person, by phone (07585 466418) or email or visit our website: https://www.thekeepers.org.uk/
Sara Musty
Volunteer Coordinator: thekeepersvc@gmail.com
New Team Members
This quarter, we are delighted to welcome Marion to The Keepers' team, our new Duty Manager at The Keepers in Kingswood.
Marion - our new KIK Duty Manager
Here are a few words from Marion herself:
I'm thrilled to have been appointed as the new Duty Manager at The Keepers in Kingswood (KIK). My role is to be responsible for the overall running and development of services and activities offered and to work with colleagues, volunteers and visitors to grow and expand the already excellent hub, into a buzzing, vibrant community hub for everyone in the village and surrounding areas to enjoy.
I promise to listen to people's ideas and value opinions. I can't wait to work with the amazing volunteers in Kingswood and look forward to recruiting and welcoming new volunteers - please get in contact if you would like to be a part of this exciting phase of development and watch this space for new activities being offered in the near future! I love welcoming visitors to the hub; some of whom are familiar faces and some new! Come along and see what we offer! As part of the Keepers' Outreach Team, I will also be forming links with surrounding villages and very much look forward to strengthening relationships in our hub's wider community.
I grew up in lovely Kingswood and after an 18 year career as a Secondary School Art teacher in Essex, I had my son and returned to the village with my family in 2018. The role as Duty Manager at KIK will enable me to give something back to the community and village I love and still call home. It will be an absolute privilege to do so."
Outreach Update
Simone - our Community Outreach Manager
Wotton-under-Edge
We have restarted our fortnightly drop-in sessions at The Kindergarten and The British School will restart after half-term.
North Nibley
Weekly drop-in sessions continue at the Craft and Chat session at North Nibley Chapel every Wednesday 10am - 12pm. Monthly professional service/organisation drop-ins also continue. The cover photo of this newsletter is a photo from when Gloucestershire Carers Hub dropped in.
Kingswood
Marion is now in post and will take the lead on Keepers in Kingswood and outreach in the village.
Charfield
Weekly Creative Wellbeing sessions (partnering with Creative Shift) have restarted at the Village Hall. This is the 2nd block of 6 sessions. Some of the work from these sessions will be included in an exhibition at The Beacon in October. We are also looking into options for when the course finishes in December and providing a suitable space for participants to continue socialising and enjoying creative activities.
We are working on establishing an active community pantry ready for the winter. We are also in discussions with North Bristol and South Glos Foodbank to bring a better offering to Charfield.
Hillesley
We will be starting to explore and make connections in the village during Autumn/Winter 2024.
Hawkesbury Upton
We will continue to connect with the village through the Village Agent scheme which also works towards bringing community provision.
Patchwork Quilt Auction
KIK attended the Kingswood Village Association Show Day to showcase ourselves. We auctioned off the fantastic patchwork quilt made by our Friday crafters. We are very proud of everyone who has been involved in this community project. Proceeds from the auction will go towards KIK continuing to deliver activities, services and support to the community of Kingswood and the surrounding areas.
Created, crafted and cared for by Keepers in Kingswood!
KIK stand on the day
New KiK flyer
One of our fantastic volunteers designed this flyer for KiK in order to help us recruit more volunteers. Please help us to spread the word!
The new Keepers in Kingswood flyer
Garden Corner
We welcomed Jen last quarter to the garden while Amy is on maternity leave. The garden team have been working hard and enjoying a summer of beautiful blooms, plenty of edibles and thriving wildlife. We have been particularly pleased with the bumper crop of juicy sweetcorn that the kitchen team served for lunch to the café guests.
The garden is being transformed into a more accessible space to grow with the completion of an additional tier, all designed and grafted by our volunteers.
As the growing season winds down, we are preparing our beds for next year, collecting seeds, taking cuttings and planting bulbs. If anyone has any spare bulbs or green manure seeds they could donate they would be very gratefully received.
We are happy to welcome new volunteers, so if you want to join in, we have sessions every Tuesday and Friday 10am-12pm. Come along for a chat and see what we get up to!
Stunning passion flowers in bloom
Our hot composting bin producing "black gold"
One of our garden volunteers showing off our delicious sweetcorn
News
Food bag update
We were able to offer a one-off Summer food bag to anyone finding it hard to make ends meet over the summer period. Thank you to all our donors and volunteers who made this military operation run smoothly again! And while we're on food bags...
After 4 years and 4 months, we’ve decided it’s time to conclude our food bag initiative. The need is still there, but our approach has changed over time.
It all started during Wotton Area Mutual Aid (WAMA), with just two people in the building at any one time and we delivered the food bags then. Over time, it grew into something more, with people coming to collect their bags and witnessing the growing, wide-ranging support available at The Keepers. How times have changed!
Today, we continue to support our community with the Food Bank coming to The Keepers every week, ensuring that everyone can access what they need when they need it. Alongside that, we have our Pay As You Feel freezer meals, crop share table, refreshments at the café, lunches, and a dry food store. There are professionals available here to speak to as well.
We want to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of volunteers who made this possible. These food bags were always a small token of hope, built on the dedication of these incredible individuals, many of whom gave their time during some very tough times. We also thank those who donated food, money and resources.
As we close this chapter, let’s take a moment to celebrate the power of community, the impact of time given generously, and the spirit of togetherness that has carried us through.
The end of a Food Bag era - thank you!
Au revoir... y ¡Hola!
Almost a year of French classes and 6 months of Spanish classes running at The Keepers have come to an end. We celebrated with a fiesta and a fête with food, drink, games, music and the macarena!
Thanks to all those who have taken part in the classes over the weeks and months and the volunteers that have made it happen. It's been great to see such interest in language from our community. And while we're on that...
EXCITING NEWS!
Thanks to our generous volunteers, the Spanish for Beginners/The Terrified class restarted in September!
We say au revoir to our French classes at The Keepers
Our volunteer Jeanette getting into the macarena moves!
Managing Memory Drop-ins
Thank you to Managing Memory - Information & Education Service (IES) for coming along to The Keepers in Wotton and Keepers in Kingswood to share your insight and expertise at our drop-in cafés!
There were some good conversations around dementia and diagnosis and some lovely tea and cake too. The Welcoming Café is open every Friday from 10am - 1pm in Kingswood.
Trustee Corner
This quarter's Trustee update comes from Dave Lewis, our newest addition to the Trustee Board:
Hi, I’m Dave. I joined the team in March 2024 and, because of my background (I was a police Detective for most of the last 30 years), I was asked to take on the ‘Safeguarding’ Trustee role. Of course, I said yes, but then I asked myself; “Just what does that mean and how can I apply it here at The Keepers?”
There is lots of official policy and legislation around safeguarding and how it is implemented and it is this that I relied upon in my working life. This refers to ‘Protecting a person's right to live safely, free from abuse or neglect’ (source: www.nhs.net).
However, safeguarding is a really subjective topic, what might be seen as an
acceptable situation to one person, may be seen as really risky to another. At The Keepers, we are not here to judge how people choose to live their lives. But we are here to; ‘provide support, meet people's basic needs and enable strong community connections.’
Part of the Trustees' role is to ‘set the direction of the community hub’. I do this by regularly meeting with our CEO; Chris and also the other Trustees. Here we discuss anything that has come to light that we might feel needs viewing through the lens of safeguarding. We then decide whether we can address this ourselves, or if we need to let other agencies and partners know, so that, together we can take action. By working collaboratively, we allow all voices to be heard and agree on what action (if any) we are going to take. BUT, we cannot do this alone.The Trustees and CEO only see a fraction of the fantastic work that goes on at The Keepers, in the other hubs and our wider communities. So, I am appealing to you all, whether you use the hubs, or other facilities and activities we run, either as a member of our communities, volunteer, staff or visiting professional, ultimately, safeguarding is all about looking out for one another and is everyone's responsibility.
If you see something, or know someone who is suffering and you think it may be a safeguarding matter, please discuss it with someone. The British
Transport Police have a slogan; “See it. Say it. Sorted”.
Let’s try to be a bit like that. It is only by having these conversations and then working together that we can address these thorny issues and truly live Our Ultimate Goal; “We want our communities to be resilient, connected and supported”.
What’s New at The Keepers?
Spanish for Beginners/The Terrified
Thanks to our generous volunteers, the Spanish for Beginners/The Terrified class restarted in September - 7:30-8:30pm on Thursday evenings. If you would like to be added to the e-mail list, then please contact The Keepers.
Rethink (Mental Health charity) are back!
We are delighted to welcome back Rethink to The Keepers. Previously they coordinated "Welcome Space" which was a group based activity aimed at helping adults through peer to peer support. We now offer a Drop-In session for individuals from 1-3pm every Thursday starting October 3rd. They can help individuals on a path to increased resilience and improved well-being. You don't need to book but if you would like to find out more you can call 07301 006000 or email: glossupportandadvice@rethink.org
Crafty Corner @ Keepers In Kingswood
A new group running alongside our café on Fridays 10:30 - 12:30 at Keepers in Kingswood. Bring your own craft project or join in with one of our craft activities. A chance to have fun being creative and connecting with others over tea and cake!
PEEP Learning Together Parents' Course
We are excited to announce a new course for parents and their babies that will be running at The Keepers. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and babies to explore learning through play. PEEP is a four week course and is for babies who are not yet walking!
Running on Thursdays for 4 weeks from 3rd October, 1:30 - 2:30pm. *The course is now full but we will be running it again in due course.
First Aid Course
The Keepers are hosting a First Aid Course on two weekday afternoons on 16th and 23rd October, 1.00-3.30pm.
The course is run by Adult Education and is FREE if you meet the eligibility criteria. Please call us for further details. Course numbers may be limited.
Creative Writing Workshops
We're thrilled to announce the return of Creative Writing Workshops, led by the talented local author and playwright Mark Seaman. N.B. His latest book "An Oath Betrayed" is published September 28th!
- Dates: 4 weeks starting October 10th
- Times: 11.30am - 1.00pm
To see what's on at The Keepers each week, just click below:
Get Involved...
There are lots of ways to get involved and/or to support The Keepers:
* Volunteer - there are a number of different roles/jobs.
* Fundraise - running a small event, or making a regular or one-off donation on our website. We are also looking for volunteers to join our fundraising committee. You can also take part in the Lucky Severn Lottery that takes place each week. Click here for more info. If you decide to join in, remember to choose The Keepers as your charity to support!
* Share info with neighbours, friends and colleagues who may not receive our newsletter.
* Follow us and like our posts on Social Media to ensure the information gets to as many people as possible.
* Easyfundraising - We are registered with Easyfundraising, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 7,000 shops will donate to us when you use Easyfundraising to shop with them online – at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is sign up and remember to use Easyfundraising whenever you shop online. These donations really mount up, so please sign up to support us by clicking the button below. By signing up, you aren't agreeing to do anything - just that you'll try to go through Easyfundraising when you shop online.
We have produced some easy-to-follow instructions which you can find here
If you would like to made a donation to us directly, you can do so by clicking the button below or through our website. Many thanks for your support!
