Aldingbourne News
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Is there a car more luxurious than a Rolls Royce? We think not. And what a pleasure it is to be so close to the home of innovation—Goodwood. We recently had the privilege of being invited to their headquarters, where, upon arrival, we were greeted by the grandest all-electric 'Spectre'. This model debuted at the Festival of Speed just last year. You have to be there to see it, but there is so much more to this facility than the manufacturing.
It might interest you to know why we were there in the first place. We can now proudly share that Aldingbourne Trust has been named Rolls-Royce House Charity of the Year 2024! We are immensely grateful for their efforts in raising money for the Trust so we can help more people in the community. For 20+ years, they have supported local good causes, and it is an honour to be nominated and voted for by their staff this year. Their fundraising activities will run throughout the year, and we can't wait to share them with you. We look forward to the many exciting possibilities this holds for us and the opportunities for the people we support to see behind the scenes of one of the world's most prestigious cars. It's a dream experience! Stay tuned for more updates. Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Greening Arundel! In early 2023, organisations in Arundel came together to establish Greening Arundel. Driven by a shared concern about the impact of climate change on their community, this network works together to make this market town cleaner and greener.
Three members of Greening Arundel and an Arundel Town Councillor recently got together at Aldingbourne Country Centre. We also had the privilege to draw in Brent Lodge, a wildlife hospital that cares for 3,000 wildlife patients a year, with whom we have had the pleasure of working in the past. Following the meeting, we took our special guests on a grand tour of our Country Centre. Everyone was impressed by the meaningful work carried out by the people we support here. Support Worker Clare Seaby shared, "Greening Arundel have several projects that they would like us to help with. The people we support love working with this community group & are excited to be part of these positive changes for the future." Once weather conditions improve, several plans are in motion as we think about what's next. These include assisting in maintaining the rewilded green spaces and encouraging biodiversity. We are also looking forward to a much bigger project involving the cleanup and planting of a sizable, neglected green space near Arundel Station. Watch this *green* space! Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org In a touching tribute, our social enterprise, MAKE in Portsmouth, held a small art exhibition on February 9th at Stephen Morgan MP's Southsea office. The event was dedicated to the late Roger Fowler, a cherished member of our MAKE team who passed away in September.
MAKE manager Sarah Mitas shared, "The highlight of the evening was to share stories and artwork of Roger with his parents. He was an incredible artist and spent his younger years learning screen printing with his dad. He loved antiques and spent time in junk shops looking for items which he often drew." The event celebrated the artistic talents of those we support at MAKE. Although not a fundraiser, the evening saw many pieces of art sold, raising an impressive £523. These funds will be directed towards the art department in Roger's memory, contributing to his legacy. Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org We're excited to share that WorkAid, our supported employment scheme, has been shortlisted for the British Diversity Awards 2024 in the Community Project of the Year category. The ceremony is scheduled for the 20th of March, 2024, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, with hosts Dr Ranj Singh and Gillian Joseph.
WorkAid focuses on connecting adults with learning disabilities and autism with fitting work placements. It provides skills training, job application assistance, and supported employer inductions. This personalised approach not only readies candidates for work but also supports employers. WorkAid strives to challenge workplace perceptions, aiming to boost confidence, independence, and self-esteem among those they support. Rachel Benson, WorkAid Manager, highlights the program's impact: "Every journey towards work is as unique as the people we are supporting. Yes, we have contractual targets, but our work is so much more than numbers; it's about helping someone who hasn't felt able to leave their home in years take their first tentative steps. It's about enabling someone to overcome the hurdles of just getting to an interview, which others take for granted. It's about showing someone they are seen, cared about and worthy. You can't use a numerical value to tell each story of the 1010 people with learning disabilities and autistic people who have reached out to us for help since our current contract began in April 2020." It is an honour to be among the Top 10 in Britain for the British Diversity Awards. Whatever happens on the night, this is tremendous recognition for our wonderful WorkAid team. Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org Aldingbourne Trust and Camerados have partnered to create a welcoming space at Creative Spaces. Camerados, focused on supporting social interaction, envisions Public Living Rooms where people can gather, share stories, and enjoy a cuppa without judgment.
Formerly known as the Creative Arts Studio at No.73 in Bognor, Creative Spaces aspires to be a true 'Community of Place and People'. Any day of the week, you'll find our artists immersed in creations that express themselves and acquire new skills in an accessible and friendly environment. While art often goes beyond the spoken language, we value every chance to connect with those around us. Head of Enterprise & Development Michelle McKinley Bell shared, "Imagine a place where you feel safe, with like-minded people who don't try to judge you or fix each other, who listen and respect you. That's a Public Living Room. " Join us at Creative Spaces every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. without the pressure of expectations, leaders, or set agendas. You can also explore our MAKE project in Portsmouth, where you'll find another inviting Public Living Room. It's an opportunity to mingle with like-minded people, share stories, and enjoy a friendly atmosphere. A small donation for a cuppa or some biscuits is all that's asked – a nominal contribution for the connections that await. Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org Today, we worked together to give our community garden in Bognor Library a very much needed refresh! 🐝🌱 We want to give a huge thank you to 'My Sisters' House', who kindly offered to help us transform our space! 💜 Being outside, getting active, and getting our hands dirty really improves our mental health. We braved the cold and thoroughly enjoyed teaming up and making a difference in this lovely space. Today marks the end of Winter Wellbeing Week. ❄️ We hope you've enjoyed seeing what we've been up to this week! Today, as part of Winter Wellbeing Week, we held wellbeing checks at the Country Centre for all staff, volunteers, and people we support to attend if they wish. Arun Wellbeing provided us with advice, guidance and support to help us make small, realistic changes to improve our health and wellbeing. Over at MAKE, in Portsmouth, we welcomed 'Beautiful Mind Coach' Hannah! She ran a workshop that helped us understand what 'wellbeing' means and built awareness around improving our wellness. We discussed the symptoms of anxiety and what we can do to understand our triggers. We discussed strategies to manage our wellbeing better. In the afternoon at MAKE, we enjoyed a workshop run by Ali from 'Healing Feelings'. Our theme for the workshop was 'happy.' We discussed what 'happy' feels like for each of us, both mentally and physically, and what we do in our lives that makes us happy. We then took 10 minutes to draw 'happiness' (with no pressure on making our pictures perfect)! After our time, we shared our drawings and spoke about what they meant to us. It was great to hear how other people portrayed happiness with their drawings! Thank you to Arun Wellbeing, Hannah and Ali for sharing your support and guidance today. And thank you to Josh, for the video below! As part of Winter Wellbeing Week, we have an incredible series of events for our employees, volunteers, and the amazing people we support to get involved with! Today, we met Scooter, the dog and his owner, Kirstie! Scooter supports people in our local community through surf therapy. Our staff, volunteers and people we support listened to Kirstie talk about Scooters' unique story - from being rescued from the streets in Portugal to now being the only Surf Therapy dog in the UK! After asking many questions, we took turns to try the specially built surfboard and beach wheelchair. Huge thank you to Kirstie and Scooter for visiting today! Winter can be challenging for our health. As part of Winter Wellbeing Week, we are putting on a few activities and workshops for our staff, volunteers and people we support. Throughout the week, watch our page to see what we are up to to help support and look after our winter wellbeing.
This morning, we met Andy's Man Club at MAKE in Portsmouth. Andy's Man Club is a free, drop-in, peer-to-peer support group for men every Monday, where you leave your job at the door and come inside to talk freely about everything and anything. Come inside, have a brew and a chat, make friends and help others too. Find Andy's Man Club every Monday, 7-9pm at MAKE, 1 Cornwall Rd, Fratton, Portsmouth PO1 5AA. Over at the Country Centre, we met Jan Penn, and her assistance dog, Bobbie! We loved hearing all about how Bobbie supports Jan in her life. Jan spoke about how she started losing sight when she was very young and had just started her nursing training. It was very gradual, so she was able to finish her training and went on to run nursing homes with her husband. It took her a long time to accept she was losing her sight, and she found it hard to start using her cane. She's had three guide dogs, Bobbi being her third. Jan spoke about how she finds it easier to see lighter colours than dark. Bobbi is 'yellow' to her, and she finds it easier to see her than black/brown dogs. Jan goes into many schools and community groups to share awareness around visual impairment and life with a guide dog. Thank you Jan, Bobbie and Andy's Mans Club, for sharing your support and stories with us today. In a celebration of Portsmouth's most remarkable men, Cameron has been awarded the prestigious 'Inspirational Man of the Year' title at Portsmouth's Official International Men's Day event. Organised by Dadzclub, the event aims to amplify positive male voices within the community, recognising individuals who inspire and uplift others.
Held at Treadgold in Portsea, the event welcomed nominations for inspiring self-identifying men. Cameron, the director of Portsmouth Creates and the chair of Aldingbournes NEW co-production group Dynamite, was nominated for his resilience and commitment. He has faced many challenges in his life, but he never gives in, and he never gives up. MAKE, an enterprise of Aldingbourne Trust, has played an important role in Cameron's journey. The skills he has acquired there have empowered him to do many things, and he now chairs monthly Dynamite meetings and produces accessible documents. Cameron has become quite the champion for inclusion, and his contribution makes a massive difference to the community and the Trust. Upon receiving the award, Cameron shared, "I was overwhelmed and honoured to get the award and really grateful for the nomination." He did drop the award in true Cameron style, but fortunately, it is being replaced! Written by Lizzie Williams. For any media inquiries, please get in touch with lizziew@aldingbourne.org |
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