WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
HARVEST 2011 ‘It’s another Harvest festival, when we bring our fruit and vegetables, with a Samba celebration to say thank you to God the Father...’ If you are unfamiliar with this catchy samba, please ask your nearest school-aged child. But, be warned, it will get stuck in your head. Following dozens of talks in local schools this Harvest, we’re all singing it here at the WNHT office! Photo credit - Simon Jacobs
In spite of rising food prices and a difficult economic situation, we have received more donations this Harvest than ever before – truly remarkable. A huge THANK YOU to the 146 schools, churches, synagogues, businesses and community groups who have donated food and toiletries. We have received a staggering £53,000 worth of produce, which will enable us to feed over 600 homeless and vulnerable people over the next year at our day centre, houses and hostels. All together now: “It’s another Harvest festival, when we bring our fruit and vegetables…” do dah do…
DONORS 146 schools, churches, synagogues, businesses and community groups
VOLUNTEERS 16 drivers, 14 speakers, 61 sorters and one amazing warehouse co-ordinator!
TALKS We had the privilege of sharing about the work of WNHT with almost 10,000 people at 64 Harvest festivals and assemblies.
Le-Jo’G
VOLUNTEER Profile
Remembering Janet
We catch up with Chris, who recently took on the challenge of cycling from Lands End to John o’ Groats.
Meet Ivy and Ray, our quality control team for our toy and games donations!
A memorial plaque in memory of Janet Hosier is revealed at a special ceremony.
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
LE-Jo’g (LANDS END TO JOHN O’ GROATS) Over the years WNHT has been supported in many astonishing ways. On 8th August 2011 Chris Ellis embarked on a WNHT first: a gruelling 1,000 mile cycle ride from Land’s End in Cornwall to John o’ Groats in Scotland. Chris completed this feat in just over two weeks, camping on roadsides and behind supermarkets along the way. Chris raised a whopping £962 for WNHT! If that were not already impressive enough, Chris led and supported his friend James throughout the journey. James is suffering from terminal brain cancer and was cycling in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Without Chris’s support, James would have been unable to complete the journey.
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Chris said: ‘I’m really pleased to have been able to raise money for WNHT – a charity close to my heart – and to be supporting James too. Hadrian’s Wall and the Scottish hills were definitely highlights!’ Thank you to Chris for raising so much money and for the funny Tweets and photos along the way. What an adventure! To find out what others like Chris have been doing in support of WNHT’s work, take a look at our ‘Fundraiser of the Month’ section of our website -
www.wnht.org/fotm.
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
VOLUNTEER Profile RAY & IVY Photo: a picture of Ray and Ivy at home getting ready for an evening of going through games and toys, and checking them through one by one.
ThOUGHT FOR the season During the Christmas season, we celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’ teachings are the inspiration behind many homelessness charities. Reflecting upon his life, we remember the following words recorded in Matthew’s Gospel: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me…. Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me” (Matthew 25:31-46, The Message)
NEW CHARITY SHOP
COMING TO no.7 MAIN PARADE, CHORLEYWOOD
For more info please visit our website
Meet Ray and Ivy, a delightful couple from Bushey who have spent the past 11 years volunteering for the WNHT Charity Shop in Queens Road. These are two of WNHT’s unsung heroes, but we do not want their tireless work to go unnoticed. Every week, Ray and Ivy sort and test around 10 laundry bags full of donated toys and games. Ivy checks and prices the items, making repairs wherever possible, while Ray gives his attention to the electrical and mechanical items. Ivy and Ray have an entire cupboard full of batteries, and another one filled with spare parts for games! We can only imagine how much joy this dedicated work has brought to the thousands of children that have received toys and games from the WNHT shop over the years.
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
REMEMBeRING JANET HOSIER
Janet Hosier, co-founder of Watford New Hope Trust, has been remembered with a plaque at the Haven Day Centre on Whippendell Road.
Trustees, dedicated the plaque and Mike Smith, WNHT’s Chief Executive, shared how Janet aimed to live out the inscription on the silver cross she always wore – ‘Serve God and be cheerful’.
Janet, who died from cancer in February 2008, founded WNHT in conjunction with her friend Sheila Meaning in 1990. They began by setting up a soup kitchen, which is now the Haven Day Centre, to feed and befriend homeless men and women in Watford. Each day over 65 people receive a hot meal at our distinctive grass-roofed building on Whippendell Road and we now help over 600 people every year through a variety of services. The plaque was unveiled by Evie Borlase, Janet’s 10-year-old granddaughter. The Revd Mike Jones, Chair of the WNHT
Attending the ceremony were Janet’s family and close friends, Sheila Meaning (who co-founded the charity with Janet), chaplains from the Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy as well as staff and service users from WNHT. Mike Smith said: ‘The Haven Day Centre was always one of Janet’s favourite places, and so it is a fitting location to remember her. The ceremony was a happy event as we celebrated her bubbly and friendly personality, and her pioneering work in serving homeless people in Watford.’
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
A LETTER FROM TERRY Below is an extract from an encouraging letter which Rob Edmonds (our Hostels Manager) recently received from a WNHT service user, Terry, who is spending time at a Teen Challenge UK centre in Scotland – a place which helps young people to overcome life-controlling problems, such as drug and alcohol addiction.
Alright Rob! How you doing? I’ve never written a letter in my life, so this might not be all that good. I thought I’d write to you to say thanks for all your support, from putting me up at the Community Home and New Hope House to the postcards you’ve sent me in the last couple of weeks. The first two weeks of being here I didn’t sleep and I was really struggling to adapt to the busy programme but every day I said to myself “give it one more day”. Then, I finally pulled through and I’m finding it easier. The other day I asked God to guide me in the right direction – sober, drug free and smoke free. I’m still struggling, but hopefully that will come with time. We are all off to Wales tomorrow for graduation. There are six people from our centre graduating. Hopefully one day I’ll be standing up on that stage, if I can make it to next October. Please could you say hello to everyone at the Trust for me and thank them for their support. P.S. You never know Rob; I could one day be working for WNHT!
PRET A MANGER NEWSS BITE
A big THANK YOU to Watford’s new Pret a Manger, who have been donating left-over food to WNHT’s service users every night of the week since they opened. This support is so appreciated and extremely tasty!
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
LET’s GROW Visitors to our Market Garden are frequently amazed at how big the garden is. In fact, the garden has expanded and we now have over an acre. This is fantastic provision, but this autumn we were in desperate need of some help to clear some of this new land and we were amazed that three global companies stepped forward to help our little local charity.
Medtronic, an international company with their UK base in Croxley Green, spent a day in September transforming a previously very overgrown area. They extended our woodland trail and planted some aromatic alliums. The following month, a team of volunteers from Cadbury/Kraft Foods helped by painting a fence. Then, global construction company Skanska sent a team to us to improve access to the garden. Skanska removed an old fence, cleared overgrown vegetation and created over 50 metres of new
path – with the help of an operated mini-excavator! We’re so grateful for this help that will enable us to develop the potential of the Market Garden. Our vision is to develop this work so that it is not only helping service users therapeutically and practically, but also generating much-needed income for the Trust. If you are green-fingered and interested in volunteering at the garden on a regular basis, or would be interested in helping us sell produce at local markets, please do get in touch.
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
HARVEST 2011 JUST AFTER A HARV
EST DELIVERY!
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HARVEST SORTER
VAN FULL OF HA aldenham SchoRVolEST DONATIONS from
Bromet primary school harvest display
Little reddings school
harvest display
OUR HARVEST WAREHOUSE
FOR MORE PICTURES, VISIT
BUSHEY MANOR JUNIOR SCH OOL HARVEST DISPLAY
www.wnht.org/harvest
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011
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DATES
FOR YOUR OUR Main offices
DIARY
wrapping @ the harlequin
info@wnht.org
harlequin shopping centre
Saturday 17th December 2011, 8am to 9pm
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Search for @wnht
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Search for ‘Watford New Hope Trust’
Visit our website for up to date info at
www.wnht.org
WFC Carol Service
VICARAGE ROAD STADIUM
2011-12
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WINTER SLEEPOUT Friday December 2nd 2011, 9pm to 7am
01923 210 680
w Search for watfordnewhope
7 main parade, chorleywood
Saturday 26th November 2011 9.30 am - 5 pm
ST ALBANS ABBEY
Watford New Hope Trust, Trust Office 67 Queens Road, Watford, Herts, WD17 2QN
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Chorleywood shop opening
Monday 19th December 2011, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
WATFORD SLEEPOUT
CHARTER PLACE, WATFORD
Friday January 20th 2011, 9pm to 7am
WNHT BIRTHDAY EVENT
ST LUKE’S CHURCH, WATFORD
Friday March 23rd 2012 7.30pm
Watford New Hope Trust is a registered charity no. 1080784 and a company limited by guarantee no. 03969063
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