Summer 2017
News & Updates Ativities & Events What’s On Day Trips New! Mums & Tots Group
Hello everyone and welcome to Nephra’s summer newsletter 2017. We have lots to tell you and a wide range of activities and events for you and your family to enjoy, throughout the summer and beyond! Firstly, we must say goodbye and a huge THANK YOU to Bren Fawcett. Bren was one of the original co-founders of Nephra back in 2004, but after 13 years of dedication and hard work, she has now stepped away from the day to day running of things. Bren will remain on board as a committee member and valued mentor, but in her place we now have a management team of three people - Claire Balshaw, Iris Cooper and Joanne Twentyman. All three are already regular and familiar faces at HQ, but if you do need to contact them out of hours, you’ll find plenty of ways outlined on the back of this booklet.
Inside this issue Nephra Holidays.....................................................................................3 A message from Bren Fawcett .............................................................4
NEW! Toddler Group ...........................................................................6 Focus on the Allotment..........................................................................7 York Trip & Things for the Kids ...............................................................8 NGN Garden Party - fun for all...............................................................9 NGN Promotion - your chance to win £25.00.....................................10 What’s On at HQ - your handy �metable............ ..............................11 Keep in touch with Nephra Good Neighbours ....................................12 2
Berlin In January a group of local residents enjoyed a 5 night stay in Berlin. The trip was arranged by Horst Blockholt - one of Nephra’s regular volunteers . Horst did an amazing job as chaperone and tour guide!
Nephra Holidays
The group enjoyed a number of sightseeing tours - they visited the Reichstag, the Berlin Wall and Egyptian museums, Potsdam and Checkpoint Charlie! Eastbourne
In June a group of 19 Nephra clients holidayed on the beautiful Sussex coast, in Eastbourne. They had an enjoyable stay at The Grosvenor Hotel, right on the seafront. They had a couple of days out of course. Firstly to Brighton where they had a great time wandering The Lanes and visiting the Royal Pavilion. Then next to Beachy Head, home of the famous chalk headland and gateway to the South Downs National Park. Would YOU like to join us on holiday Over the last few years we have organised two holidays each year - we’ve been to places like The Cotswolds and Scotland in late Spring or early Summer, and Devon in November, for a traditional Turkey & Tinsel type break. Later this year we are off to the seaside town of Whitby, on the beautiful Yorkshire Coast - limited places may still be available - if you’d like to join us call Claire on 07542233600 3
Looking Back
by Bren Fawcett
It seems just like yesterday when a small group of neighbours came together to clean up the pocket of land behind their homes on Northfield Road. It was the first May Bank Holiday in 2004 and although we didn’t achieve our original goal of turning the derelict land into an allotment – we certainly went on to achieve much, much more! NEPHRA Residents Association was formed - we held an initial consultation event with the community of New Moston. We offered homemade soup and a salsa lesson at the Parkfield Dance Centre in exchange for their views! We were amazed by the response of older residents - they revealed they wanted a lunch club, a physical activity such as yoga and a craft class. At that time, a lunch club was a big ask and it took a couple more years to provide, but with the help of the Zest Project and the now folded New Moston Community Association, we found ourselves able to offer a range of activities at the Parkfield Dance Centre. In April 2006, we opened our first Yoga class, an aromatherapy session, a card craft class and a learn-to-dance class. I’m pleased to say that even today, some of these activities are still in existence and going strong. Each year we have grown and our flyers and magazines are now posted to over 1,200 homes and publicly accessible buildings in New Moston. When we opened the doors to our *Luncheon Club in December 2006, it was clear from the first day it was going to be popular, with 32 residents coming along to enjoy Cottage Pie. For the life of me I can’t remember what we had for desert, I just remember feeling good because everyone loved the food! The following year we started work on our award-winning allotment on Northfield Road. Skilfully run and managed by our Chairperson, Dena Murphy, the allotment now provides the Luncheon Club with a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. 4
In 2011, in recognition of our work in the community, the City Council authorised funds to refurbish a derelict room in the dance centre. In September that year we took hold of the keys to what is now Nephra HQ. The following years passed quickly and the room has kept us busy with 2 sittings at lunch club as well as our growing timetable of activities – see page 11. In addition, in 2013 we introduced our wonderful *Befriending project, managed and co-ordinated by Claire Balshaw. In the last 3 months alone, a total of 11 Nephra volunteers have made 162 individual visits and almost 100 friendly phone calls to 10 clients - making a huge difference to the lives of older people who would otherwise remain isolated in the community. In September2014 we changed our name to Nephra Good Neighbours because it was felt this reflects more of what we do and in April 2015 I’m proud to say we became a charitable organisation - Registered Charity No. 1160433 After 13 years I am now taking a step back from the day to day running of Nephra Good Neighbours. I am delighted to say that moving forward Nephra Good Neighbours has a strong leadership team in place - Claire, Iris and Joanne, who are backed by a dedicated committee of trustees and marvelous *volunteers who want to continue making a real difference to the lives of people in New Moston. With my best wishes for our continued success!
Bren Fawcett
*Luncheon Club We currently have a few spare seats - if you’d like to come along, sample the food and enjoy the friendly relaxed atmosphere each Tuesday, just let us know! *Befriending Feeling lonely or isolated? Do get in touch! Or maybe you know someone else who would benefit from our Befriending project? Each week we can visit or make a friendly phone call. Want to *volunteer at Lunch Club or become a Befriender? << Call Claire on 07542233600 >>
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Starting in September - our NEW Mums & Tots Group! Due to popular demand, Nephra will be reopening the Mums and Tots sessions in September 2017, and we have a new venue too... we look forward to welcoming you to the Eastwood Road Scout Hut! This will be a great chance to meet and network whilst the children enjoy interactive play and explore learning opportunities: « « « « «
Soft Play corner Crafts and activities Stories Singing Sensory activities and much more
The sessions will be running every Friday (during term time only) Starting 8th September - come along and see what we have to offer!
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9.30am - 11.00am The Scout Hut Eastwood Road New Moston Manchester, M40 3TF
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£1.50 per child - siblings or additional children just £1 each... toast and juice included Free tea/coffee for adults
Focus on - The Allotment
Since it began in 2007, Nephra Good Neighbour’s garden allotment on Northfield Road, New Moston, has been developed and tended by our very own Green Goddess - Dena Murphy. The award winning allotment produces an abundance of fruit and vegetables destined for the Lunch Club kitchen, and the delicious jams, chutneys and relishes made by Dena. This year Dena’s harvest will include melons, cucumbers, 3 types of tomatoes, 2 types of onions, beetroots, lettuce, celery, carrots, turnips, runner beans, courgettes, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, rhubarb, red currants, black currants, gooseberries, spinach, peas, leeks, sweetcorn and a variety of herbs! In addition, Dena has already grown enough bedding plants to refill over 300 hanging baskets for people in the local community. The plant sales and the extra income from Dena’s jam and other preserves, help Nephra to continue the work we set out to do. In recognition of her achievements - the allotment has won an RHS Level 5 certificate for the last 9 years in a row, and Dena herself has been named Community Gardener UK (twice) - last year Dena received received a very special award for Exceptional Service from the RHS. Well done, Dena!
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Join us in YORK!
Later this year we are off to the historic city of York! The trip is open to all ages but places will be allocated on a first come first served basis - and a deposit will be required in advance « Tuesday 31st October 2017 « Departing from Nephra HQ at 9.00 am « Return journey/Leaving York at 6.00 pm « Cost per seat is £15.00 « Deposit of £5.00 per person is required asap to reserve a seat « Balance must be paid by Friday 22nd September On arrival in York you’ll be free to go off and do your own thing - take a stroll through The Shambles, visit York Minster Cathedral, enjoy a cruise on the River Ouse, take in The Railway Museum or the Jorvik Viking Museum - the choice is yours! Want to come along ? Just let us know ASAP
Cleveleys 16th August! There’s still time to join us on this trip - grab a seat! Just £15.00 per person. Call Claire NOW on 07542233600
Focus on FUN! We do have a fun-filled program of activities to keep our youngest residents entertained over the coming months. From Multi sports and day trips, to Films at HQ; the emphasis is on FUN!
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We’ll be posting details over on our Facebook Page so if you have kids in the family, don’t miss out - Like or Follow our Facebook Page NOW - and don’t forget to share our page with your friends! You’ll easily find us - search Facebook for @nephranewmoston
NGN Garden Party!
The Summer Garden Party is the highlight of our year - come and join us! There’ll be plenty of stalls, games, refreshments and FUN for everyone:
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Saturday 26th August 2017
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12 noon to 2.00 pm
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NGN Allotment Northfield Road, New Moston, M40 3RL
« Cake stall « Fresh produce inc jams and preserves « Craft tent making masks « Professional photo booth « BBQ « Tombola « Raffle
« Face Painting « Knitting Stall « Bouncy Castle « Petting Corner
Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy the atmosphere whilst the kids are having FUN with hula hoops, soft balls and giant bubble wands! 9
Subscribers! - hands up if YOU want to win £25.00!
Nephra Good Neighbours would love to reach reach more people with electronic copies of the Newsletter and other notifications. Electronic communication cuts down our paper and printing costs, saves waste and is more environmentally friendly. Did you know that for each electronic mail we send, a similar post to Facebook can automatically be triggered? And each Facebook post has the potential to reach another 10 people at least, by being liked or shared with friends - any one of which might become a volunteer. If YOU want to help broaden our audience and enable more people to learn about the important work we do in the community, please subscribe to our mailing list. Not only will you be the first to know what’s going on re Events, Trips and Holidays etc., you’ll also have the chance to win £25.00 worth of Morrisons Vouchers in our Prize Draw! Suscribing to the list is simple - just visit the Welcome page of our website and enter your email address in the box provided. Then look out for an email from us - it contains a link you must click to confirm your subscription. If you don’t have an email address, why not ask a relative or friend to subscribe and keep you informed re what’s going on at Nephra Good Neighbours! All new and existing susbcribers will be entered into the Prize Draw to take place on Sunday 29 October 2017 - the winner will be notified by email on the same day. Thanks and good luck to you all 10
At a Glance - What’s On at NEPHRA HQ Commencing Tuesday 5 September 2017 Day
What’s On
Details
Monday 10.00 – 12.00
Craft Class
Come along and sample a variety of new crafts
Monday 2.00 – 4.00
Singing for FUN!
If you like to sing then this is the class for you!
Tuesday
Luncheon Club 1st sitting 12.00 noon 2nd sitting 1.00 pm
Enjoy a delicious home cooked lunch in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
Wednesday
IPad classes 10.00 – 12.00 12.30 – 2.30
Learn how to get the most from your iPad. You can even try before you buy!
Thursday 10.00 – 12.00
Knit & Natter
Come along and share knitting tips and gossip! We will provide you with nice patterns and wool for our fund raising projects
Thursday 12.30 – 2.30
Card Crafts
Join this popular class run by Gail – come along and learn how to make stunning cards
Brain Teasing Coffee Morning
Meet new people, enjoy a coffee and give your brain a workout with one of our Quiz or Countdown sessions!
Get with IT!
Improve your general computer skills with a variety of practical tasks and activities. Bring your own laptop or use one of ours
Friday 10.00 – 12.00
Friday 1.00 – 3.00
There are places available at Lunceon Club and also in each of our classes. If you are interested, you can call into any session and speak to staff, or if you prefer, you can get a message to us using one of the ways outlined on the back of this newsletter. 11
Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keep in touch!
Drop by anytime we are open - see our timetable on page 11 - and introduce yourself to us, or pop a note in our Post Box on the wall outside: Nephra Good Neighbours, 27 Parkfield Rd North, New Moston, M/cr, M40 3TB email us: info@nephragoodneighbours.org.uk
Like or Follow our Facebook Page Find us on Facebook: @nephranewmoston You can also send us a message via Facebook! Call us on 0161 637 6788 Leave a message on our answerphone and someone will get back to you asap Send us a message directly via our website: Go to nephragoodneighbours.org.uk/contact-us/ Simply type your message in the box provided and include your contact number or your email address (if you have one) Subscribe to our Mailing List Go to nephragoodneighbours.org.uk Enter your email address in the box provided and click Subscribe Please activate your subscription via the link we send to you For more information visit our Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On or Volunteers pages over on nephragoodneighbours.org.uk Nephra Good Neighbours is a Registered Charity No: 1160433 12