Christmas and New Year Opening
Category: walderslade together
Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The BIG bank holiday weekend is almost upon us, and thanks to the ever-wonderful Kent Community Foundation, we’ve been awarded £1900 to help Her Majesty celebrate!
While maintaining our usual activities, we’ve extended our opening times with bonus editions of arts and crafts with the fabulous Natasha at Creatabot, an afternoon tea, courtesy of WALT, finishing off with live music and other activities in the Big Tea Party.
The full calendar is below, do come along and join us!
Wednesday 1st June: 10am-3pm
Open Cafe with Chairobics at 11am and Creatabot Arts between 12.30-2.30pm.
Thursday 2nd June 12noon-4pm
Waltie’s Open Cafe and Afternoon Tea.
Friday 3rd June 12noon-4pm
Open Cafe with Creatabot Arts in residence from 1pm.
Saturday 4th June 11am-4pm
The Big Tea Party with WALT. All welcome to drop in for live music and activities throughout the day.
We do hope you will join us to raise a toast to Her Majesty 🙂
The Net and WALT Christmas Openings
We have a slightly different programme over the next two weeks and we are limiting numbers at this moment in time, so please call to book.
It’s beginning to look a lot like normal
I hesitate to say it, because COVID19 cases are still way too high BUT, we are starting to buzz again.
While we’re not advertising the sessions as such, we have got most of our regulars back in two or three times a week now, albeit with a slightly amended social schedule.
Walderslade Together has done an incredible job, keeping members in the loop with both old and new activities, with every session now coming with the in-person or virtual participation options.
Most of our external groups are back, and we hope to welcome the foodbank back in the near future. In lieu of their return, we are continuing with our free brunch on a Thursday morning.
The Coffee and Craft session running on a Friday afternoon may change but we will of course update that as required.
If you have any queries that aren’t answered by our What’s On page, you can reach us or WALT on 01634 319633, or email community@waldersladehub.org.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Jaye, Ruth and Sharon.
Slowly getting back to normal
It’s like 2020 didn’t exist, isn’t it? When I talk of events ‘last year’, I usually mean 2019.
I’m in conversation with the WALT girls about bringing a new or rather, slightly amended programme to the hub, as we work to ensure we keep our visitors safe.
The Medway Youth Service is returning next week, as is our Mourners Group, and we figured we’d keep the larger coffee morning on hold a bit longer, concentrating instead on smaller groups.
We’re also hoping that Medway Council’s Public Health team will bring a drop-in Covid-testing centre to the hub – they’ll set it up outside and anyone local can pop along without needing an appointment. More details will follow when we get dates.
Meantime, I’ve signed up for the Inspire Schools/KM Firewalk again an would be grateful for your help in sharing the fundraising platform (and donating yourself, if you wish?!)
Here’s the link – thank you!
The 2.6 Challenge to raise much needed funds
The 2.6 Challenge is a simple and fun way for everyone to do their bit to help save the UK’s charities.
Sunday 26 April was the scheduled date of the 40th London Marathon, traditionally a huge earner for charities throughout the UK.
Due to the COVID19 outbreak, this – along with many other fundraising activities – has been cancelled. In response, the organisers of the biggest mass-participation sports events across the country have come together to create a new campaign to raise vital funds to help save the UK’s charities.
This is a challenge for all ages and abilities and all you need to do is think of an activity based on the London marathon around the numbers 26 or 2.6.
This could be something as simple as pledging to run 2.6 miles as your daily exercise to doing 26 minutes of yoga or even juggling for 26 minutes non-stop. The only requirement is that the activity must follow the Government guidelines on exercise and social distancing.
Thousands of fundraising events across the UK have been cancelled due to Covid-19 with a devastating impact on charity income that means many charities are facing closure. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) CEO Karl Wilding estimates that the UK charity sector will lose £4 billion in income as a result of the pandemic.
This impacts all sectors of society – from children to the elderly – as well as the vital work in areas such as palliative care, serious diseases, mental health, housing support, food supplies and countless others that charities support.
We’ve seen overwhelming support from the public for Medway’s charities and community groups, working with Public Health Medway, to ensure that the vulnerable people we represent are not forgotten during the lockdown. To help us cover some of our income losses due to the hub closing, and to prepare for getting back to normal, please do what you can as part of the 2.6 Challenge and donate to our fund here: https://localgiving.org/charity/the-net-community-hub/
Thank you.
Our contingency plan for COVID19
As you are aware, we are a lifeline for the elderly and isolated residents in Walderslade.
During the current situation, we have to find a balanced way forward, whereby we try and protect our members and volunteers from the virus yet also ensure they’re not abandoned into isolation.
Regretfully, this means that our usual activity sessions will all be suspended as of now. However, we will be opening the hub for a drop in session on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 11am-1pm for those who need us. We have hygiene measures in place, with hand wipes available and surfaces cleaned before and after each session, in addition to our normal cleaning routine.
We respectfully ask that anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to the virus NOT to come to the hub but to follow the public health advice of self-isolating at home.
WALT will ensure that the members they are physically unable to bring to the hub as usual are telephoned at least once a week. They are also in the process of setting up online communications between those members, in order for them to still talk to their friends.
Also, due to the idiotic panic buying, we have vulnerable people concerned about grocery supplies. People with physical issues who can’t cook fresh food. People who can’t get out to the shops. So any donations of ready meals that we can distribute would be most welcome – thank you.
We will continue to update here and on social media with regard to our own sessions and those by partners such as Pip’n’Jim’s and Medway Youth Service.
Thank you for your support.
Jaye Nolan, Manager.
WALT’s amazing Christmas
We love our Walties!
2019 has proven to be the most fulfilling Christmas and New Year period at the hub to date.
A quick snapshot of what has been achieved by WALT would show:
- 2 groups of at least 5 people supported in Christmas shopping.
- 2 Christmas parties arranged and attended by over 20 people at each venue in Lords Wood and Walderslade.
- 4 Christmas Day food hampers and gifts were provided to families in desperate need.
- Toys/Gifts were provided to families for 20 children, whilst others were shared with local churches and preschool groups for children in need, linked to their services.
- 100 gift bags containing handmade gifts, chocolate oranges and cards were distributed across ME5 to those who are socially isolated and / or are members of WALT.
- A Christmas Day box filled with clothes for 1 person with very little of their own.
- On Christmas Day, 6 members were visited, invited to lunch under the share-a-chair initiative or supported to have Christmas Dinner at Pip & Jim’s Church.
- 20 people – who would otherwise have been alone – enjoyed a Boxing Day brunch here at the hub.
WALT also hosted a Christmas meal for their amazing volunteers and presented gifts to show how much their love and support is appreciated at Christmas, and indeed, throughout the year.
This is all possible thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated food, clothing, their craft skills and so much more.
The Net couldn’t achieve what it does without WALT, and we’re delighted that we are able to support them in their endeavours. This is thanks to the support that we get from funders, who last year included Kent Community Foundation (continuing for another two years), Magic Little Grant, the Kent Messenger, the Co-op and the National Lottery.
Here’s to 2020!
The Net Community Hub 