Last week we took full advantage of the Spring sunshine and worked with individual local families and those newly arrived from Ukraine. The focus was on crafts, which we interspersed with other activities. It was a lovely time spent together relaxing and being creative.
On the Monday, a nourishing cooked lunch was enjoyed by all. We also resourced several families with fresh food and items from our store cupboard.
A group making a collage
Below are more pictures of the craft that was enjoyed by both adults and children.
We will continue to offer practical support to individual families over the rest of this term with financial support from Cash 4 Kids. As requests come in, we are filling welcome boxes with toys and food for Ukrainian families in our area. Boxes are either delivered to homes or collected from our Centre along with a craft bags for school age children stuffed with all sorts of creative activities.
We have already have had some lovely feedback from hosts and guests, thanking us for the food and craft. It is just a small way of saying ‘you are so welcome’.
Families linked to our various projects at the Turbary Resource Centre each received a hamper full of Christmas treats, groceries and a small gift this Christmas. This includes individuals on our MOAT courses for anxiety and trauma management coaching, CAP Debt clients, those in crisis locally and others referred for 1-2-1 support. In addition to this, households with children enjoyed their own age-appropriate craft bag. (See related article.)
Susan Sutherland, manager of the Turbary Resource Centre, would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the local stores, churches and individuals who donated food and items as well as the lovely volunteers who helped assemble these. Thank you!
This Christmas, school age children who previously attended Craft Club, along with CAP Debt families and others referred by our Health Visitors all received Christmas Craft Bags to enjoy over the holidays. These were presented in charming bags lovingly hand-made and donated by Ruth Farthing the previous CAP Centre Debt Coach. Not only were the children delighted with their craft bags, the parents were too! Each household also received a hamper heaped with Christmas treats, goodies and groceries all donated by local stores, churches and individuals.
Susan Sutherland, Turbary Resource Centre Manager, extends her heartfelt thanks to all who helped make it possible for the children and families linked to our various projects to enjoy these treats.
We have come through another year of change – and thanks to our trustees, management board, staff, volunteers and supporters we have been able to adapt and respond to the changing needs of our local community.
Highlights of the year:
• More CAP debt clients have received support this year in various practical ways, with many becoming debt free. What an achievement!
• We have offered 1:1 mental health coaching sessions for those seeking to manage and reduce levels of anxiety and recover from the historic effects of unresolved trauma. This programme continues into 2022.
• Our Food Store Cupboard has been open to the public 9 – 11am every morning. Thanks to donations of food and household items from local stores, churches and individuals, our Store Cupboard has been open to the public 9 – 11am Monday to Friday during term time.
• Individuals and families with complex needs have been supported by the staff and volunteers.
• Christmas hampers, groceries, treats and craft bags have gone out to CAP and other clients over the Christmas period.
Your help this year has made such a difference – THANK YOU so very much for your support.
On the 13th of November we marked our 11th Anniversary since opening our Centre. We are so thankful to have been able to serve local families and individuals through having our own dedicated building located behind Hope Church. This has only been possible due to generous donations, grants, fundraising and the many volunteering hours of wonderful helpers who have touched lives for the better.
Support for parents and adult educational courses have been a key feature providing life skills, mental health and trauma support. CAP Money Budgeting course, Job seeking clubs, IT and Nutrition are just samples, through to the SOS trauma recovery and Mental Health First Aid, to the current MOAT course which offers 1 to 1 coaching in the Management of Anxiety and Trauma.
Our primary project for much of this time is our East Dorset Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre. We provide a face to face free service in partnership with Hope Church and CAP Head Office in Bradford. While we do not pay the debt of our clients, we negotiate with creditors and put together an individualised budget. Holistic support is offered throughout their journey out of debt. Thus far we have supported 29 families and individuals in becoming debt free and starting afresh. A further 14 families have gone on to clearing their debt independently as a result of our support. Alongside this we offer the CAP Money Management course which is open to all to help people to budget and gain control over their finances.
Our after school and craft clubs have been enjoyed by many a family, as have our many years of running Friday night café until Covid sadly resulted in lockdown for all of us. Café was an opportune time for clients from all our projects to relax and enjoy wholesome low cost meals with friendly company. Hope Church Ferndown sponsored the meals for our CAP Debt service clients.
We continue to enjoy close links with Jean Read, who opened our Centre as part of her Mayoral duties 11 years ago. She often pops in to the Centre, and has been spied helping in the background during Christmas meals for our clients and volunteers. Our local police and police support officers have been involved over the years, often popping in to engage with staff and families when in the local area.
It’s been a privilege to have been chosen to receive various Dorset County Befriending Awards for volunteers. This has been a wonderful accolade to the calibre of volunteers who support our clients and ‘go the extra mile’.
As ever, our essentials Store Cupboard continues to be a major part of our support for local residents. This is stocked by donations from local stores and churches, providing practical support in increasingly challenging times. In addition we cooked and delivered hot meals and groceries to clients during various lockdowns in the Covid Pandemic and at Christmas.
Looking back it’s phenomenal to see what has grown from something that started with offering school parents a cuppa and a chat while they waited for the bus!
Our warmest thanks to all who’ve made this possible over these 11 years!
Before the pandemic hit us, we enjoyed games nights on Wednesdays after school. During the pandemic we delivered craft packs to the doorsteps of local families. From September 2021 we hope to meet again at the Centre for craft and fun activities on Wednesdays between 3.30 and 5pm.
Other things we do together with our school aged families are times for yummy free refreshments, Art and Crafts, relaxed free play, IT access for homework projects and Chat for parents.
Wow what an impressively tall Jenga tower!
Beautiful colourings and battling contestants!
Fun puzzling their way to a great looking finish!
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