For everyone at Voyage Care Autumn 2021
Grea t
rea
tog et
Going Green for
Maidstone Road are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint! Page 12 P lus!
How to join our virtual gardening club
Recycling champion Jason shares his top tips Read more on page 18
exclusive!
Page 15
to
d
her
2
Inside
A letter from the environmental committee 6 Summer Activ8 round-up 8 We’re rooting for you
10
A VEA update
19
6
19
8 s This issue’s helper
Our cover star, Christopher from Maidstone Road
Sheena, Patricia, Mark and Shirley from Theatre Street
Stefano Molteni, Broadview
10
We couldn’t have done it without you!
Welcome
Social
...to our extra-special eco edition of Zest!
Over the past year we ha ve been working hard to reduce the impa ct we have on the environment. This issue of Zest shows just how far we’ve come. I’m so proud of how our teams and the peop le we support are making a difference, even in these challenging times. I hope you enjoy readin g about how our services are reducin g th footprint and making en eir carbon vironmentally friendly choices. Hopefu lly you are inspired too! What coul d you do to be kinder to the planet? Ev ery little helps. We have a big challenge ahead, but we can work together to mak e a carbon-positive organi Voyage Care sation. Thank you to everyone supporting us in our goal. I hope you enjoy readin g this edition of Zest together and are in spired by our services and the people we As always we’d love to kn support. ow what you think and if you’ve had a go at any of the activities in Zest. Get in touch and tell us at communications@vo yagecare.com. Andrew Cannon Chief Executive Officer
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corner
The last few months have been very busy! We’ve celebrated Learning Disability Week, Action for Brain Injury Week and Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month. Nominations for this year’s VEAs were a huge success and we reached our highest total ever. We launched the new Voyage Care podcast and the summer edition of the Activ8 challenge too. So many of you have been taking part and we have loved seeing your photos!
Keep sending your photos and videos to
communications@voyagecare.com Callum at 24 St Marks Road celebrating his birthday
220 likes
Answer s: 1: B 2: C 3: D 4: A
Jos from Roselea baked this amazing England cake for the football
166 likes
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This logo means you can find out more on Hive, so keep a lookout for it while you’re reading!
Why not give us a follow, if you don’t already?
@VoyageCareLtd @VoyageCare Voyage Care Ltd
Get involved and be social!
4
News flash Hot off the press, here are our exciting news stories from the past few months!
Can you find Captain Planet? We’ve hidden Captain Planet on different pages of this issue! Can you spot him? Let us know where you see him by emailing communications@voyagecare.com. Head over to page 26 for some tips on how to find him.
The ladies at Tu Rose with thei dor r milk
A trip to the milk bar The people we support at Tudor Rose took an exciting trip to a local farm with a milk bar. They bought a reusable glass bottle and filled it with flavoured milk. Every week there are new flavours to try. Everyone is excited to try the biscotti and vanilla flavours!
Pond pals As part of the summer Activ8 challenge, Towngate East made a pond to bring wildlife into their garden. To their delight, a frog has made the pond their home. A team member named the frog Freddie, and everyone loves watching him hopping around the garden.
F
e frog reddie th
in his new
home
5
Fundraising for Mind Lots of you have been fundraising for Mind, our Charity of the Year...
Anmol Athwal, Operations Manager for Berkshire, did a charity skydive for Mind. The skydive had to be moved from June 2020 because of lockdowns and bad weather. In July, she finally did it! Anmol went up in the plane and jumped 10,000ft. She did a great job and raised £1,190 for Mind. Mimosa Lodge has been busy setting up a shop to help raise money for Mind. They held a raffle, played loads of games, sold tickets, won prizes and had a great time. All together, they managed to raise £157.
DIY compost
ompost e her own c d a m rs e iv Jill at R ek (15-23 ompost We C te ra b le e egetable to c eggshells, v d e s u e h S ake March). nd soil to m a ls e e p e g waste, oran r. hanging her fertilise post in the m o c r e h d and she’s Jill has use rawberries st r e h r fo y! baskets be extra juic l il w y e th t hoping tha
hive
Read more about Anmol’s skydive on Hive
Keeping Ashby Road tidy
Ashby Road Nathan from ning up the has been clea litter picking. community by to four times He goes three s been doing a week and ha Nathan is ars. it for three ye ssador for now an amba idy. Keep Britain T
Nathan ready to go out litter picking
hive
Head to Hive to read more about Nathan’s litter picking
Jill adding bles leftover vegeta st po m co r he to
Get in touch
We love to hear all about what you’ve been up to! Send your stories with photos and videos to communications@voyagecare.com
6
A letter from the What does ‘carbon footprint’ mean? d by all your efforts to ire sp in en be ve e’ w , ar This ye have on our planet. improve the impact we working hard behind en be ve ha e w ee itt m m As a co rbon footprint and how ca r ou at g in ok lo , es en the sc working with suppliers en be ve e’ W it. ce du re n we ca entally friendly options, m on vir en e or m to ap to sw to electric vehicles. from heating and lighting oud of is the hard work pr t os m en be ve e’ w t ha But w y of you set eco-friendly an m So s. ice rv se r ou l al from g of the year. You’ve in nn gi be e th at ns tio lu reso goals like recycling, ur yo ng hi ac re sy bu en all be turning off lights. growing vegetables and , get ideas from You can keep up to date lpful tips on other services and find he our new area on Hive.
This is how much carbon dioxide (which is harmful to our planet) we create as a company. The smaller it is, the better!
For future generations it’s important to look at where anything comes from. From food to light fittings, if we get our house in order it will make a difference.”
Stefano, support worker leading the lighting pilot at Broadview
acked with This issue of Zest is jam-p ways you are imaginative and creative . being kind to our planet As always, thank you for
your support.
The Environmental Committee
What are your plans to help the planet? We have created a survey to find out how we can help you to be greener. Fill it out by visiting: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ProjectPlanet2020
7
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res g o r p t Pilo
on the s t o il p w e n We’ve got
go…
tion: Lightsre, speailorcth, haascbeen done to londokalsato
1
Lots of e planet, a th to d in k m lights that are f the people with Autis o s d d coloured n a suit the nee g in lm a c . With at Broadview a working life of five nd ! back lights a und the one fo e ’v e w – years
2
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ov The eC documents m al-time g in n n la p t r re suppo his will allow of life T . m r o tf la p ty online in both quali s d o n e tr f o is ta. It will als a analys d e c n a li p d com ation outcomes an intervention and duplic ms ual reduce man his means front-line tea of y. T uality of life q of data entr e th g in v impro can focus on rt. ppo those we su
What are carbon emissions? This is the amount of greenhouse gas we produce as a business. The less we produce, the better.
Que Whic stion 1: hm trans port ode of is b the e nviro etter for nm A: Ca ent? B: Bic r yc C: Bu le D: Pla s ne
Keep up to date!
You can follow the progress of the pilots at Broadview on Hive in the Environmental Committee area.
hive
It’s been an summer! Our services have been busy taking part in the summer Activ8 challenge. Our three-month summer Activ8 challenge ended in July. It was great to see so many of you take part! We encouraged you to make the most of the weather to stay active and take part in fun, themed activities. Some activities were eco-friendly challenges! You used recycled materials to have fun and help reduce your own carbon footprint.
You’ve been getting creative making beeswax wraps and homemade rain catchers, building ponds, hosting parties, baking and making eco-friendly games. We loved seeing people take part and have fun in the garden. Here are some of our favourite eco-friendly challenges…
we The people ing ak m rt o p p su hers tc ca in ra their
Getting crafty making an Olympic ring toss game!
Send your completed activity tracker to communications@voyagecare.com to claim your prize.
9
m Ian, Terry and John fro beeswax wraps West Road with their
Homemade binoculars
We’ve all really enjoyed getting involved in the Activ8 challenge! It gives all the people we support the chance to be involved and gain new ideas and experiences.”
king
ers ma The Riv d n o their p
Rebecca Butler, Registered Manager at Tudor Rose
Bridge
Court’s
pond
. . . s t a t s S u per
2,240
visits to the Activ8 area on Hive
212 activities
completed
SOUTH REGION
completed the most challenges - well done!
Head to the Activ8 page on Hive to see more of your photos.
hive
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We’re rooting for you! his planters Jacob painting me herbs! so t an ready to pl
Lavender House dge’s and Primrose Lo rs te an pl e bl ta vege
Our services have been busy in the garden this summer. We encouraged our services to get out in the garden to help look after the planet and their wellbeing. Gardening is a great activity to get you outside. It’s eco-friendly and great for your mental health. Our services have been super busy planting strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and much more! It’s been great seeing so many of you get out in the garden this summer. Here are some of our favourite photos…
The shor t stobreeyn
Tan-Y-Castell’s huge rhubarb
Growing potatoes at Cornerways
Our services have nshine in the soaking up the su been planting garden. They’ve s, flowers and vegetables, fruit prove their fresh herbs to im llbeing. gardens and we
Brookfield s strawber ry and herb p lants
’
11
Bronte View s
allotment update!
Jonathan at Daffodils
Did you know that growing your own food helps reduce the fossil fuels used to get your food to you?
Question 2: What fruit has Tan-Y-Castell been growing? A: Oranges B: Apples C: Rhubarb D: Pears Strawberries and tomatoes planted by people we support at Roselea (left)
We’ve been following the progress of Bronte View’s allotment. Here’s how they got on… Due to the bad weather, the team and people we support haven’t been able to spend as much time as they’d like in the polytunnel, so they’ve decided to grow some onions and keep a closer eye on them! Eventually, the onions will need to be planted into bigger pots so that they can grow properly. The people we support love getting involved in the garden and they can’t wait to see how their onions turn out when they harvest them in September!
12 .. . Spotlight on
Taking steps to reduce our
carbon
Maidstone Road have been reducing their carbon footprint by walking rather than using their service vehicle. The team decided to use the lockdown as an opportunity to encourage the people we support to walk rather than travel by car. Everyone has really enjoyed getting outdoors more and they still choose to walk to their activities rather than drive! Not only has walking reduced their carbon footprint, but it’s also enabled the people we support to achieve some personal goals, such as losing weight! Christopher, a person we support at Maidstone Road, said: “It’s good to keep the air cleaner on earth, and I keep reminding people to not cut down trees. I also switch my plug sockets off when I’m not using them because it wastes electricity.”
The shor t story The team
and people we su pport at Maidstone Road are reducing the ir carbon footprin t by walking mo re instead of drivin g.
It’s good to keep the air cleaner on earth, and I keep reminding people to not cut down trees. I also switch my plug sockets off when I’m not using them because it wastes electricity.”
Christopher, Maidstone Road
Potato-topped lentil bake
13
Healthy, tasty and meat-free!
Ingredients: Topping:
Potato an d lentil bake – Michelle ’s masterpie ce!
• 675g diced potatoes • 2 tbsp butter • 1 tbsp milk • 50g chopped pecan nuts (optional) • 2 tbsp chopped thyme
Filling:
“Walking with the people we support not only helps the environment but also gives them a community presence and some exercise, which has enabled them to lose weight and transition to an even healthier lifestyle,” said Joshua, team member. The service has also been trying to recycle more as the people we support are starting to understand why recycling is so important for the environment. The people we support regularly ask the team if they can recycle something and are then encouraged to read the label and use the correct bin. Oladipupo, team member, added: “We have been able to do our bit for the planet by encouraging everyone to do more walking and recycling, and this has helped greatly to reduce our carbon footprint at the service.”
See how Daffodils are being eco-friendly on page 20.
• 225g red lentils • 60g butter • 1 sliced leek • 2 crushed garlic cloves • 1 chopped celery stick • 125g broccoli • 175g smoked tofu • 2 tsp tomato puree • Salt and pepper
Michelle from Shadwell Road’s pota to bake turned and lentil out great!
Method: Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes. Drain well, add butter and milk and mash thoroughly. Stir in the pecans and thyme and set aside. Cook the lentils in boiling water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the leeks, garlic, celery and broccoli. Fry over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for five minutes until softened. Add the tofu. Stir in the lentils and tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon the mashed potato on top of the lentil mixture and bake at 200 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme and serve hot. If you have a recipe that you would like to share, send it to communciations@voyagecare.com
14
seconds with...
Stefano Molteni In a sector that cares, we need to show we care about the planet too.”
Stefano, Support Worker at Broadview
Stefano has worked at Broadview for over 10 years and is also a professional gardener. He has been running a gardening club for the people we support… What is the gardening club at Broadview? “From planting flowers in our upcycled piano to growing potatoes in grow bags, everyone gets involved. Some residents also help with things like digging and mowing the lawn.” How is gardening good for the people we support? “Gardening is good for mental health and it’s helped everyone feel calm. It’s great physical exercise and eating the vegetables we grow means they are eating healthily too!”
headvice would you give TWhat y r to atservice who wants to start o s t , rdens e a G shoerat Agardening? y bbe ew peopl
on ir thing at nd the ivedon theone Every taff a“Concentrate e s a time. recOnce you’ve focused ing includ t, have now ccine! on that, r a it will be easy to go suppo OVID-19 v C on from there.”
Stefano, Broadview’s gardener!
15
Welcome to. . .
e r a C e g a y o The V gardening club! Broadview have been running their very own gardening club with resident gardener Stefano. We asked him to share his knowledge with us, for all the keen gardeners in our services. The virtual gardening club will feature episodes you can follow along with in service. The first episode was a great success. Stefano showed us how to plant potatoes and leeks in the garden. This is perfect if you want to grow the ingredients for the recipe on page 13. We can’t wait for the next episode, which is all about making your own compost!
g Philip gardenin ement at his work plac
Did you know?
Broadview have challenged themselves to be self-sufficient for the winter. They’ve planted lots of vegetables that they can eat in the winter months and they’ve been looking after their chickens so that they can produce tasty eggs!
Let us know if you’ve joined the virtual gardening club. We’d love to see pictures and videos of you following the tutorial, so email communications@voyagecare.com Jane busy planting at Redcliffe House
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Eco-special
Theatre Street love spending time outside! Here’s how they spent a day upcycling and improving their garden…
Day in the garden Theatre Street had a group colouring session to decide what to do in the garden today with their new planters. Shirley,
Sheena , Mark and Pat ricia
2 Sheena
They spent the morning building the planters. Then, everyone picked their favourite colour and got stuck in with the painting.
1
17
3
A team member painted personalised portraits on the side of the planters that the people we support picked.
Once the planters were dry, they began planting flowers and shrubs.
4 5
Sheena and Patricia
People we support picked some of their favourite ornamen ts to decorate their planters.
Would you like to share your day with us? We’d love to hear from you! Email communications@voyagecare.com
Meet a
18
recycling
champion Jason from Westwood House is a recycling champion! Here are some of his top tips to help you recycle in your service.
1
Read the labels
2
Separate your recycling
Labels on packaging will tell you if you can recycle the product and how.
Remember to separate your glass, plastic and cardboard – they can’t be recycled together.
• Remove all lids Take off the lids on plastic bottles so that you can squeeze the air out and fit more plastic in your recycling bin. • Wash tins – and your hands Always rinse out tins and jars. If food is left in them, they’re no longer recyclable. And, of course, always wash your hands after touching bins.
3
Reuse food waste
Don’t throw away leftover food; use some of it for composting – potato skins are really good for this.
Here’s Jason, our recyclin g champion
Question 3: Which of the following can you not recycle? A: Glass B: Cardboard C: Plastic D: Electric wires
19
e t a d p u A VEA We’ve smashed last year’s total and received 1,196 nominations for this year’s Voyage Excellence Awards. Thank you for sharing the incredible and inspirational stories about your hard work over the last 12 months. The judges are having a tough time picking the winners. We are getting ready for the big event on Thursday 21 October and we’re on track to have it in person. Regional events will be taking place towards the end of
August and we’ll be announcing the regional finalists soon. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates. We’re keeping a close eye on the changing Covid guidance and will update you every step of the way. We are confident that we’ll be able to celebrate together at the Voyage Excellence Awards 2021.
1nom,1 96
inations
0 6 7 nominees
Behind the scenes at
the VEAs 2020 Hinckley Day C are Community Te am of the Year
If you have any questions about this year’s Voyage Excellence Awards, email communications@voyagecare.com
20
Daffodils ‘go green’!
To get together and share ideas about being environmentally friendly, Daffodils had a ‘go green’ party...
Daffodils came together as a team to focus on being a more environmentally friendly service and reducing their carbon footprint.
A flower plant pot made from paper and bottle caps
They combined two favourite activities – being creative and having a party! Everyone made decorations out of recyclable materials. They used old magazines for the bunting and newspapers for the tablecloth.
The people we support made gifts out of recyclable materials and swapped them at the party. They made baskets out of old magazines and 3D art from old paper and bottle caps. The party was a success and everyone is excited about becoming an environmentally friendly service.
ted The team decora the room with l recycled materia
21
Jonathan is excited about making his own compost!
Check out Daffodils’ plans to become environmentally friendly!
Ideas for going
green Top tips from Daffodils on how to be environmentally fri endly Use paper or glass straw s Turn light switches and la mps off when you leave a room Reduce food waste by m eal planning and using lefto vers Reuse old card and mag azines during arts and crafts Say “no” to plastic bags and bring your own reusable ones.
The shor t story Daffod
ils hosted a ‘go green’ party to share id eas about how to become an e nvironmentally friendly service.
Get in touch
Have you done some unique and exciting activities during your time in lockdown? Let us know! communications@voyagecare.com
22
From trash to tr
Lots of you have been helping the planet by giving old things a n
rom Saved f p the scra
Fe nc e
face lift
Tom from Stretton Lodge has been recycling scrap pieces of wood. He’s built a bird table and bird box for the garden.
Charlie at Lavender and Primrose has been giving the garden fence panels a new lease of life. He’s personalised them with his name and handprint – we think they look great!
“I wanted to help local wildlife and give them a place to live and a safe place to feed,” said Tom. Tom has also transformed some unused waste ground into his own allotment. He even used more scrap wood to build a gate.
Tom at Stretton Lodge
n I wanted to try and grow my ow carbon vegetables and cut down my nt.” footprint to help the environme
Tom, Stretton Lodge
Delia at Hawthorne Grove
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r easure
a new lease of life.
Upcycling ideas
Three things you didn’t know you could upcycle…
1
Clean up your cans Decorate your tins and you can use them as plant pots.
2
Charlie at Lavender and Primrose
3
Transform your tissue box Keep tissue boxes and decorate them to use as desk organisers.
Paint bucket to ice bucket Clean an empty tin of paint and put paper round the outside to make a cool ice bucket.
Top tip! Use old toilet paper rolls inside the tissue box to help store your pens and pencils.
Ca nv as com es ba ck to lif e
Delia from Hawthorne Grove has reused an old canvas and brought it back to life. She’s hand painted the canvas to match the colours in her room so that she can have her own art on show.
Question 4: What piece of garden furniture did Tom build? A: Bird box B: Fence C: Bench D: Table
e F u r n it u r r e -f u r b Chantry Gardens have been busy painting the furniture to groove it up for their new arts and crafts room. Everyone had great fun; they even used their feet!
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Simon says share! Simon from Powys in Wales has helped our planet by parting with his old clothes…
Simon has lived at Glan Yr Afon since February 2020. Our team have supported him in becoming more independent and understanding his anxiety. Recently, the team explained to Simon how important it is to recycle clothes that don’t fit us, or that we don’t want any more. With his OCD, Simon likes to keep hold of things, but the team told him a story about where his recycled clothes would go. Donating his old t-shirts meant the clothes would be sent to Africa to help children who needed the material. After listening to the story, Simon decided to recycle a shirt that was too small for him. The team took him to the drop-off point to help him understand where the items go. What a huge achievement; we’re so proud of Simon for helping our planet!
Stories really help Simon process and understand the reasons behind things.”
Field Support Supervisor, Luke William Fox
Nick loves to look out for the local cat. He’s called Skyfall after his favourite Bond movie!
Everyone loves tucking into a homegrown tomato
Every little helps
Eco-friendly cheering!
Find out how three of our services in Wiltshire have been working hard to look after the planet, one step at a time.
ChanwtatrchyinGg isalorveddebynlosts of the peopled wtrhoactolivrse
Wildlife d some ol ns! They’ve rescue spot to wildlife de ar G y tr an Ch at hich is a great for the garden, w even birds, ducks and e se n ca u Yo . ch wat muntjac deer. sitting d Nick and Bryce fin en oft n ca u by Yo ble watching near ta om ro ng ni di at the bird table. birds visiting the e th d an s er will rm fa ne that the “birds yo er ev ds in m re Bryce y leftovers. eat that ” with an ent riving at the mom th so al is t an pl Jenny Their tomato them every day. ng ti ea en be e ’v eryone and they d loves to show ev an y m m yu e ar thinks they n! what she has grow
Helping with the compost
The Maltings
At the Maltings, it’s all about making activities environmentally friendly. For the Euros, everyone made flags out of recycled materials. They used an old shower curtain and collected sticks from the local area. They also had fun making a rain catcher from an old milk bottle, which is keeping the plants watered! Meanwhile, everyone has been getting involved in filling up their compost bin too.
Hawthorne Grove
Making a
daisy chain
Big smiles as the recycling goes into the right bin!
Delia, who’s been taking out the recycling, has becom e an expert at knowing what bin to put things in and always has a big smile on her face.
Lucy loves getting out in the garden and enjoying the sunshine. She loves putting the mud between her hands and giggles all day. She’s also made a lovely daisy chain.
Get Get inin touch touch
Have you done some unique and exciting activities Have you doneyour some unique and exciting activities during time in lockdown? Let us know! during your time in lockdown? Let us know! communications@voyagecare.com communications@voyagecare.com
26
Competition time!
Can you find Captain Planet? Captain Planet is hiding on different pages in this issue of Zest. How many times have you spotted him?
Super spotters Here are some top tips to help you find Captain Planet in this issue of Zest
1
Look at the windows
He could be hiding inside a house so make sure you look at all the windows to see if he’s there.
2
Check behind trees, flowers or bushes
Captain Planet likes the outdoors so he might be sneaking behind these.
3
Look out for the recycling bins
We know Captain Planet loves to recycle so he could be hiding behind them.
To enter the competition, email communications@voyagecare.com and tell us how many times you spotted him and what pages he was on. If you can’t remember how many times you’ve seen him, flick back through this issue and count again.
Your everyday
inspiration winner is. . .
Annabel Lucy Dixon – a person we support from Redbank House!
In the last edition of Zest, we launched a competition all about who inspires you. We asked you to share a story or picture of someone who inspires you and tell us why. Congratulations to Annabel Lucy Dixon, who nominated Loraine Swinburne, Service Manager at Redbank House! This is why Annabel thinks Loraine is her everyday inspiration:
Review corner You have until Friday 10 September to enter, and if you need some help on how to spot Captain Planet, check out our tips below.
27
David Attenboro ugh, Blue Planet
Clue:
It’s important to learn about our planet, so Sam at Burwell has been watc hing Blue Plan et, which they rec eived as part o f their Activ8 pri ze! Here’s wha t she thought of it...
Captain Planet appears on these two pages twice!
Q: What was yo ur favourite anima l? Sam: My favouri te was the big sha rk – it has big teeth and swims in the oce an.
Loraine, Annabel’s inspiration!
Loraine inspires me every day to have a laugh and a joke – she has a wicked sense of humour! Loraine got us through the worst of the lockdown by playing sports and organising crafts, parties and other activities. She also organised for me to have cake and drinks with my parents and has been incredibly supportive by helping me to have good times throughout lockdown!”
Annabel Lucy Dixon
Q: What did yo u enjoy the mo st about Blue Plan et? Sam: I enjoyed the water becau se I really like to go swimming. I’d also like to sw im with penguin s! Q: What interest ing fact did you learn? Sam: I was shock ed at how big waves are. I was also sad to hear that the Arctic is shrinking very q uickly.
Do you have a TV show, m ovie or book that you’d li ke to review fo r the next issue of Zest ? Get in touc h by emailing communicati ons@voyage care.com
r o f e m i T
Cross any items that you have recycled off the bingo card. Who will be the first to recycle them all?
S
Cut along the dotted lines
NEW
More bingo cards are available to download and print on Hive!
Tell us what you think
We would love to know what you think of Zest! Send in your thoughts and ideas to communications@voyagecare.com or call the team on 01543 484 528
hive
