YO U R T W ICE Y E A R LY M AG A Z IN E F RO M FA MILY MOSA IC
AU T U M N 2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
OLLIE: THERAPY DOG y4,5 Upsides of walking the dog
HOLIDAY SEASON y6,7 Great times: home and abroad
SPORTING GREATS y8 Next stop: the Paralympics
WORTH CELEBRATING y11 Michael’s 64th birthday party
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editorial
contacts ESSEX REGION
KIND HEARTS Welcome to this edition of Reachout magazine, bringing you the latest news, events and projects that have taken place over the last six months in London, Essex and the south east. It’s great to read another issue of the magazine that’s full of your inspiring stories, events and activities – it certainly has been an eventful summer for customers and staff across all our services. As winter approaches it’s useful to take a little time to think about how we can all stay healthy and fit during the cold weather, so it’s great to see some top tips for keeping warm and well dotted throughout this edition. Reading through these ideas, I was struck by how much difference just small changes can make to how we feel. I was also so pleased to read all the articles where people have been helping others. Whether it’s the amazing donation of free chicken that’s feeding our homeless customers in Southampton, the therapy dog visiting Pathways in Bexhill, or Kirstin’s sponsored swim for Riding for the Disabled in Braintree, it’s all about the selflessness of those of you helping other people in your local communities. Essentially our work is all about helping you all to stay independent, safe and well and this edition really highlights the many and varied ways this is happening right across the organisation. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. And don’t forget to keep warm this winter! Best wishes MOIRA GRIFFITHS, GROUP CARE AND SUPPORT DIRECTOR
MONEY FOR GOOD WORKS Each year the Family Mosaic Community Foundation sets aside a pot of money to pay for activities and events that it agrees will do good for you and our other customers. If you have an idea for an activity or event like this and would like to apply for some money to help pay for it, please talk to your support worker. Many of the activities covered in this issue of Reachout were very kindly paid for by the foundation.
General enquiries q01268 498 500 Visiting support services Thurrock, Basildon, Castle Point, Rochford, and Rayleigh q0800 288 8883 Southend q01702 445 870 Havering q01708 776 770 LONDON REGION General enquiries q020 7089 1000 Visiting support services Hackney, Islington q020 7241 7940 Hammersmith & Fulham q0800 123 1991 Redbridge q0800 970 8401 Kensington & Chelsea q020 7351 2522 SOUTH REGION General enquiries q01273 468 010 talktous@familymosaic.co.uk www.fmcareandsupport.co.uk
HOW TO STAY WELL IN WINTER Winter can be seriously bad for your health, especially if you are 65 or older or have a long-term health problem. On every page of this issue of Reachout you’ll find a useful tip or some advice for protecting your health, and that of those you care for. Find out more at: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/ winterhealth/Pages/ Healthywinter.aspx
latest news
NO FOWL PLAY: IT’S A FREE CHICKEN LUNCH Homeless clients of our floating support service in Southampton are tucking into a free chicken dinner every week, thanks to an incredibly generous donation from a local chicken restaurant Turnout at our Tasty Tuesdays at Two Saints Day Centre has been huge, with 700 meals served in the first three months. The free hot meals are partly down to hard work by our social inclusion team but they really became special thanks to the big-hearted restaurant chain, which has asked to stay unnamed. Every week staff pick up a massive donation of chicken from its local restaurant. Our organisers say they’ve been blown away by its generosity. ‘It’s massively heartwarming that a restaurant chain is making these hot meals possible,’ said health and wellbeing officer Craig Lynch and support worker Chantelle Fitter.
Serving dinner at the Two Saints Day Centre
The menu changes weekly, with staff serving chicken in a lemon and herb gravy on sticky rice last week. This week it’s chicken wraps with salad and potato wedges. Feedback from customers has also been fantastic, with one saying: ‘That was the biggest meal I’ve had for months, and it was delicious. I can’t believe it was free!’ Now that word has got out the team is expecting Tasty Tuesdays to get even busier in the future. The team is hoping to carry on with the meals indefinitely. It is also looking to bring in Family Mosaic’s employment team to add training and finding a job and a home to the tasty lunch menu.
Finger-licking : tucking into
chicken
PAUL’S LUCKY RAFFLE DRAW WINS A DAY OUT FOR EVERYONE A lucky win on the raffle in his local, the Griffin, led to a day out at the Essex air ambulance base for Paul, from Elm Tree Court in Essex.
As a big helicopter fan, Paul was very excited. But when support worker Hazel McLaughlin called the base to book his trip she found they could take a group of up to 20. Paul agreed that the other residents could go with him. Paul and his neighbours had a great day out. They met the duty staff - a pilot and two paramedics - then looked inside the helicopter. In the base they watched a short video, learnt some interesting facts and bought some souvenirs, sold to raise money to keep the air ambulance running. Paul bought a replica helicopter, like the one they inspected. ‘I really liked seeing the yellow helicopter,’ Paul said. ‘I bought one home and it is on my shelf. True fact: it costs over £2000 for each flight of the helicopter
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feeling better
feeling better
PAWS FOR A CAUSE
THAT’S ONE SMART DOG!
Ollie the therapy dog, owned by manager Kate, is offering a friendly helping paw to residents of a scheme for people with mental ill health Therapy dog Ollie has been trained to pick up signs that someone is autistic and to play therapy games to help them with vital social skills like eye contact or touching.
strange smells and other unexpected situations. Kate thought other Pathways residents might also benefit from having Ollie around. To encourage residents to take exercise a walking group has been set up. Some residents had earlier said they wanted a dog to walk so Kate now brings Ollie along for the walks.
Ollie: one dog and his ball
Walk with a purpose Beachcombers: Ollie and two of Pathways’ dog walking group
Ollie recently came to live with manager Kate Poyser because her son is autistic and finds it hard to cope in crowds, queues or loud noisy places, or with
On a recent outing to the beach at Bexhill, the group had a splendid time throwing the ball for Ollie and walking him on the lead. One or two were busy catching Pokemon but the rest were happy to take questions about Ollie from passers-by. Residents also drop into Kate’s office to greet and play with Ollie, including one who usually keeps himself to himself. The result? We often have several happy residents and one tired dog!
JENNY
Good cause: Commando Fitness after the sponsored run
Eat well – food gives you energy, which helps to keep you warm. Try to have regular hot meals and drinks throughout the day.
A good team: Ollie and Kate
Training a therapy dog isn’t cheap so a huge thank you to the Hastings locals who helped raise the cash to pay for Ollie. ‘So many local businesses fundraised, including Jenny Fuller at STEPS. Her fitness group, Commando Fitness, got sponsored to run the Hastings half-marathon,’ said Kate. ‘I am so grateful to all the Family Mosaic staff who sponsored Jenny.’
Ollie is trained to sense if someone is starting to feel overwhelmed and to distract them from the cause of their stress. Ollie also wakes Kate at night if her son wanders, and on outings stops him running off. He’s a big help with road safety, trained to sit at the kerb and wait for the command to cross. ‘The biggest benefit,’ Kate says, ‘is encouraging my son to make contact with people. When we are out with Ollie everyone has a question and my son likes telling people about Ollie so it’s improving his social skills. ‘He’s now made his first friend ever, a boy who likes walking the dog with us. It’s amazing what animals can do!’
MY EXPERIENCE OF THERAPY WALKS AT PATHWAYS The therapy walks with Pathways and Olllie the therapy dog relieve my daily tension and stress, writes customer Carly Lavigna If the sound of sea swooshing on pebbles doesn’t calm and soothe, Ollie’s willingness to play and retrieve his ball makes it relaxing and uplifting. Ollie is friendly, alert and attentive and he has no trouble diving into waves or searching for 10 minutes through bushes to retrieve his ball for you. It makes him great entertainment as well as a loyal and soothing companion. All the residents benefit. We are encouraged to get out of the house with a trusting companion and we get physical exercise. We walk anywhere, from 30 minutes to an hour
depending on the conditions. We stop for refreshments and sit for 10 minutes on the beach to clear our thoughts. And everyone gets to play, treat or pet Ollie. I believe the walks will encourage more residents to get involved and hopefully explore other healthier ways to lift their mood and their physical and mental health. I personally appreciate the walks and my experience with a trained therapy dog. If fresh air and a daily motivated walk isn't enough then spending time with a fun, forgiving, furry companion is.
Therapy walks with Ollie: physical exercise and a fun, forgiving, furry companion
Get a flu jab – it is free to people at special risk and to pregnant women, carers and some young children to protect against flu and its more serious complications.
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holidays
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BALLROOM BREAK
ON THE GEM STONE TRAIL
Visiting Ed’s
A welcome fr om Portland’s
fire crew
It has been my life-long dream to visit Portland, Oregon, in America, writes customer Robert Miller. I am fascinated by gem stones and Oregon is well known for the gems that can be found in its caves and mountains I asked my support workers, Gemma Hancock and Annate Wright, to help me plan my trip and support me out there.
First class flight
We flew first class on Virgin Atlantic. The journey was very long but the most wonderful experience. All of the staff were very friendly and we even got breakfast in the VIP lounge at Heathrow! I took a particular shine to one air stewardess and managed to get a kiss! We stayed at the Benson Hotel on Broadway, which was very grand. It had chandeliers and a restaurant which served delicious food. On the second day we shopped in some of the most famous stores, including Macy’s, then headed to a gorgeous little chocolate café run by a
lady from the Netherlands. She taught me a little German before we headed off. On the third day we visited Ed’s House of Gems, one of my main reasons for visiting Portland. I am an amateur jeweller so made my own set of earrings at Ed’s. The gem stones used were found in Oregon and were beautiful. In the evening we went out for dinner and live music. On the fourth day we went on a jet boat cruise to see the famous 11 bridges of Portland including the Hawthorne. Each bridge is very different and some are the only one of their kind in the world. We also saw the salmon spring fountain before heading to Chinatown for dinner. On the fifth day we got a tour of the Portland Fire and Rescue
team. There had been several wild fires in the area so the station was very busy but Tyler, Jeff and the team made us very welcome and even gave me a T-shirt, mug and sew-on badge. This was my favourite part of the holiday. Later that day we visited the Japanese gardens. These were very interesting. On day six we went on a tour of Mt Hood. We had stunning views of waterfalls and saw the two main volcanos – Mt Hood and St Helens – one of which was overdue for an eruption! I was sad to leave Portland. I found the locals very friendly and the area was beautiful. I would love to go back next year. Thank you to Gemma and Annate for supporting me on the best holiday ever.
Sleep well – in winter we naturally sleep more because of the longer nights.
House of Gem s
Maureen and Darryl enjoyed a weekend at Gunton Hall in Lowestoft earlier this year, with a helping hand from their support workers in the Braintree visiting support team. Team member Wendy Barber reports Maureen, who celebrated her 70th birthday earlier this year, told me she would like a holiday and asked would I take her as I did last year. After talking about the things she enjoys and the type of break she would like, we booked a long weekend break at Gunton Hall in Suffolk.
Evening entertainment
Every evening Maureen enjoyed dancing and singing along to the live bands in the ballroom. During the day we visited Great Yarmouth and Oulton Broads, and Maureen lunched out and did some shopping. Darryl Abrams also stayed at Gunton Hall, supported by June Felstead, who manages the Braintree visiting support team. This is the third year running that Maureen and Darryl have spent holidays together. Darryl likes to watch everything going on and just loves spending time away from home. On our return home, Maureen thanked me for a lovely weekend away. Both June and I got so much pleasure and satisfaction from supporting Maureen and Darryl. It’s great to see them both enjoying themselves so much. Wendy adds: I have supported Maureen Brown as part of my rota for over eight years. Maureen lives independently with daily visits to help with meals, housework, and shopping. Drink more milk – you are 80% more likely to get a cold in winter. Milk and dairy products like cheese and yoghurt are great sources of vitamins that boost your immune system.
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volunteering
NEXT STOP: THE 2020 PARALYMPICS Arne Court resident Daniel Wilson has won a silver medal for his skill at shooting at a flagship sporting event. He has also landed a place on a special training programme that may lead to him joining Britain’s next Paralympic team.
Spine injury
Daniel displays his silver medal, won for his shooting prowess at the Inter Spinal Unit Games
Daniel’s spine was damaged in an accident several years ago. Despite lots of operations he is now paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. Early this year Daniel was discharged from Stanmore Hospital and moved to Arne Court, a temporary home for people having their bid for a settled home investigated by Basildon Council.
Daniel has since his school days been passionate about sport and was determined to stay involved. To encourage him he was taken to the Inter Spinal Unit Games, the flagship sporting event for newly injured patients held each year at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The stadium is the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, and was the first port of call after hospital for many of our top Paralympic athletes when they began rehabilitation. With help from Stanmore’s staff, Dan won silver in the shooting. But it isn’t the only skill Dan has mastered. He recently won all four of the yachting races he entered in the Hanningfield Sailability project, at a reservoir in Essex. Dan knows that sport helps his rehabilitation physically and it is building up his confidence. He hopes soon to be living independently in his own home.
COFFEE AND CAKES Carol has, with a little support, found voluntary work helping homeless people – and she’s taken the job to another level all through her own efforts. Report by Carol Lowrey and Linda Bradshaw We had been encouraging Carol to look for voluntary work but while several Clacton charity shops took her number none called. Carol kept trying. One morning she went with support worker Jan Levy to a church coffee morning for people who are homeless, or hungry and lonely. Carol and Jan chatted to the people who run the coffee morning and Carol was really pleased when they offered her a job. She now helps by serving tea and coffee every Wednesday. Carol is very happy helping people in need and says the job has given her a sense of
BOOST FOR DISABLED RIDERS FROM KIRSTIN’S SPONSORED SWIM Keen horse-rider Kirstin Cope, who has a complex disability, has raised £500 for Riding for the Disabled with a sponsored swim. Support worker Cheryl Whitnell takes up the story Kirstin, also a member of Riding for the Disabled and a keen rider, also loves swimming. Last year I suggested setting the goal of a sponsored swim to Kirstin’s parents to raise funds for Riding for the Disabled. With their help we got it organised and this year Kirstin and I swam 30 lengths at Braintree pool. A few weeks later Kirstin gave a cheque for £500 to Rayne Riding School for Riding for the
Disabled, who gave her a trophy as thanks for her efforts. I am immensely proud of Kirstin. She has proved that our ‘We can’ motto is not just a slogan but a fact!
Kirstin prese nts her chequ e
Wendy Barber, Jeanette Hadley and I from Braintree visiting support team have supported Kirstin for a number of years. She needs high levels of support but leads a very active life.
Eat more fruit and veg – when it’s cold and dark outside, it can be tempting to fill up on unhealthy comfort food. It’s still important to eat your five a day.
and Carol: proud,
be! so she should
achievement. It has given her self-esteem a big boost and she’s meeting new people. In the new year, the church plans to hold the coffee mornings five days a week. Carol has taken it on herself to raise funds, using a collection tin to ask for donations, no matter how small. As Carol says ‘every little helps’. Carol has also asked that any unwanted clothing, toiletries and gifts be donated to the church and has suggested making cakes to sell, which she is very excited about. Carol is very proud of herself and so she should be.
NEW TALENT: FRESH VEG AND HERBS DIRECT FROM ADOPTED ALLOTMENT Green-fingered Cristiano has been growing herbs and veg for his mum in an allotment he has adopted at a local garden centre. Visiting support worker, Tarik Yildizhan, tells the story.
‘I have supported Cristiano for seven years. He attends Roundwoods garden centre and, to make the most of his time working there, Cristiano decided to take over one of the empty allotments and plant his own vegetables and herbs. His idea was put to the Roundwoods team, who were delighted to let Cristiano start his own little patch. He planted green beans, tomatoes, courgettes, basil, parsley and chilli peppers. After a lot of support and prompting the results are outstanding! Cristiano has sent plenty of courgettes to his mum along with plum tomatoes, basil, green beans and chillies. There are lots more still be harvested. His results were so good that next year Cristiano and I will be taking on more of the garden centre’s empty allotments.’
Don’t use the cold weather as an excuse to stay inside. Regular activity and exercise helps control your weight, boosts your immune system and helps to make you feel good.
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creative
celebrating
UNEXPECTED BENEFITS
WHEN I’M 64
Members of the arts groups run by our Here to Help service in West Sussex have found the sessions help in unexpected ways. Tutor Bindy Vinall reports
Michael, who lives in the Avalon nursing home in Essex, recently celebrated his 64th birthday with a great party. Sarah Foltmar, who works with Michael, reports back after the event
Our Here to Help art and craft groups are letting clients demonstrate just how creative they are but they are also a place where they can socialise and share what they accomplish with others.
All abilities welcome
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Art has made me feel so much more confident with all parts of my life. Terry Babbage, Misfits art group, Barnham
Once I have funding for a group, I put up a poster inviting anyone interested to come along – all abilities welcome. At a first informal meeting we discuss where and when to hold the sessions and how long it will be. I appoint a treasurer because we charge £1 a week to keep the group running. I also buy materials and plastic covers for tables.
I encourage people to bring a picture they want to paint. We then move on to some life drawing and pencil sketching. I now have four art and craft groups and we have held two exhibitions. Two groups are now totally independent, one led by a customer and one by a volunteer. I am about to set up two more groups in Arun.
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Art classes have helped me appreciate shadows and depth and I love the chat that goes with it.
how to make the colours come out more while painting. I’d love to do more mosaics and I can use the experience of DIY for my own lifestyle.’ When complete, the garden will be unrecognisable. Flowers, stars, numbers, animals and nursery rhyme characters will nicely complement a new layout. It has been a pleasure working with our young volunteers and partners Creative Sparkworks. To find out more about social inclusion please contact get. involved@familymosaic.co.uk
Keep warm – this may help prevent colds, flu or more serious illnesses like heart attack, stroke or pneumonia.
All hands on deck
Pam Shiels, Misfits art group, Barnham
CREATIVE YOUNG VOLUNTEERS TRANSFORM UNLOVED GARDEN A year ago our social inclusion team signed up some young volunteers to liven up the unloved communal garden at Ambedkar House in Greenwich. Stage two began in summer. Our goal is turning this into an inspiring, attractive and safe learning space for the young families who will live there for years to come. Good weather was a great motivator and, under the guidance of community artists, the creative sparks were flying. ‘I learnt how to do mosaics and it was really fun,’ Golda-lee, from Lambeth said. ‘I learnt
When Michael turned 64, we agreed to celebrate it with a garden party as Michael loves to be outdoors. Early on a grey Sunday we began decorating one of the front rooms with banners and balloons. Michael knew just what was going on. He couldn’t stop smiling.
Making mosa ics
for the garde n
Michael needs 24/7 support for his learning and physical disabilities and mental health. He likes music and has a passion for cars. He is a twin but had not seen his twin sister for over four years because she lives a fair way off. He was delighted that she was able to make it to his party. Michael has lived at Avalon since it opened in April 1993. Avalon is an eightbedded bungalow in Chadwell St Mary, Grays, Essex. The customers have varied learning and physical disabilities. All eight use wheelchairs for mobility indoors and out.
The party tent needed to be set up and even our manager, Michelle, was here early. Everybody helped prepare the food for Michael’s party and Michelle took her place in the kitchen, in full control of her homemade curry. At 11 o’clock the band began setting up. I’m not from England and to me a band has a keyboard, a guitar, a bass and drums but Aveley and Newham was a whole orchestra, playing tuba, trombone, trumpets, saxhorn and cornets. Our customers gathered around the band as the guests
started to arrive. Michael was busy saying hello and hugging family and relatives who had come a long way to celebrate with him. It was really nice to see Michael’s brother, who was in the band but skipped playing just for today. The band played many good tunes and of course they played Happy Birthday for Michael in time for the cake. Then it was time to dig in. It didn’t take long to get to Michelle’s curry – one of the best I have ever tasted. Hats off to Michelle. Both the curry and the other food were rapidly finished. In the afternoon we enjoyed more tunes from the band. The rain kept away, the music was lovely, the food amazing and all the customers, Michael especially, had a good afternoon. Michael was exhausted afterwards and fell asleep with a big smile on his face, ready to start his 65th year.
Try porridge for breakfast. It has starch and fibre, gives you energy and you feel full for longer. Make it with semi-skimmed milk and add dried fruit or banana instead of sugar.
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PHIL: COMMUNITY CHAMPION When Philip Skeels visited Exbury Gardens five years ago he enjoyed it so much he wanted others to have a chance to enjoy a great day out
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Setting off: day trip for eight
Phil uses our Southampton disability service and thought a trip to the gardens would be a lovely treat for other customers we support. Organising the trip was a first for Phil. To get the ball rolling, he applied to Family Mosaic for a Community Champions grant to pay for the transport. His application succeeded. He then sat down with activities and wellbeing coordinator Josie Torpey to write a letter to every one of our customers asking if they were interested. Phil had a great response – eight wanted to go on the trip. After arriving at Exbury Gardens on the big day everyone took the time to walk around the lovely gardens on
COLOURS OF A RAINBOW
WHAT A SHOWER
Written by John Presley of Haselrigge Road, Clapham
Written by Mrs Butler from East Sussex
Blue is blue White is white Red is red
Once I was afraid I was almost petrified Wondering how I’d ever manage a shower To clean my dirty hide Then you all came along
As I have seen And said and read And vermillion to finish (as said) The rainbow as seen as said
And helped me with my plight Showing me the way And not to give up the fight To show my appreciation I’ve written this silly little verse Thanking the very good people Who made my dreams came true In providing me with a perfectly formed new loo
their own. Just in case they took with them the mobile phone numbers of our staff. Meeting back in the café for lunch, they all had a lovely cooked meal, then went back into the gardens for a last look. ‘We all had fun and enjoyed being with other Family Mosaic customers,’ Phil said. ‘It was perfect as the weather was just right. Many thanks to the Community Champions fund which let us hire a bus from the town centre.’ To qualify for funding from our Community Champions scheme a project has to benefit other Family Mosaic tenants and the wider community.
They conjured me a wet room To keep me safe and sound Enabling me to keep clean and generously move around Now all I need to do From the bottom of my heart Is thank you once again And go and have a… shower!
Mrs Butler from East Sussex wrote this poem to thank our local Home Improvement Agency for fitting a wet room so she could wash more easily without help and with dignity.