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Community News, walderslade together, walt

It’s beginning to look a lot like normal

The Net Community Hub

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.

Activities, fundraising, walderslade together

Slowly getting back to normal

The Net Community Hub

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!

Funding, Premises

Making the most of lockdown

The Net Community Hub

Normally, we’d be open throughout the week, welcoming our members and residents into the space.

With the enforced lock down, sadly, as you know, we had to close our doors. So, we set about making some premises improvements, and thanks to the Clothworkers’ Foundation awarding us a one off capital grant, we are the proud owners of a brand new kitchen!

It’s something we could never have installed under normal circumstances, as we would have had to voluntarily close the space down for two weeks.

We’re looking to make other improvements too, but in the meantime, we hope to open the doors on a restricted basis, with small social bubbles. Keep an eye out on social media and here on the blog for updates.

A deep clean will be undertaken in the next few days, and precautions such as face coverings, hand sanitation and temperature readings will help give confidence as we slowly return to normal.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back in due course.

Activities, charity, Community News, Funding, fundraising, walderslade together, walt

The 2.6 Challenge to raise much needed funds

The Net Community Hub

26challenge

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.

Community News, Support Services, Volunteers

COVID19 Update

The Net Community Hub

stay at home web

We hope everyone is staying safe and well at this difficult time.

We wished we had been able to stay open and offer a limited drop in service for our most vulnerable residents, but we quickly realised this wasn’t possible. The ongoing advice at present is still to stay at home and only leave it if absolutely necessary.

The NHS in Kent and Medway produces regular updates on the response to Covid-19 and important news you should know about is here:  https://www.kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk/…/covid-19-update-02-ap…

Further advice direct from the NHS can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

It’s important to filter out misinformation. If you are going to share anything regarding COVID19, please be responsible and check it via a reputable source. Many people are becoming more panicked by conspiracy theories and fake news circulating at a time when mental health is already becoming ever more fragile.

There’s a humongous effort on the part of Medway’s voluntary and charity organisations to ensure that vulnerable people are not forgotten, with volunteers out shopping and dropping essentials and prescriptions.

Medway Council has a dedicated site for residents who are vulnerable, or who want to offer help: https://www.medway.gov.uk/coronavirussupport

Stay safe everyone.

Community News, Resources, Support Services, Volunteers, walderslade together, walt

Our contingency plan for COVID19

The Net Community Hub

keep-calm-2816350_960_720

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.

Activities, charity, Community News, Funding, Support Services

We’re part of the Comic Relief Community!

The Net Community Hub

Brainstormz! Flyer (2)

Our lovely volunteer, Sue, has been rewarded for all her hard work with regard to the Brainstormz! group – our project has received a £3,977 grant from the Comic Relief Community Fund (England), which secures it for the whole year!

Piloted in December, Sue has worked tirelessly to build the group, both physically in the hub (every Saturday from 1-4pm) and on Facebook. It’s open to anyone with a neurological condition (including but not limited to e.g. FND, fibromyalgia) who wants to drop in for a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen or just for tea and biscuits.

Sue hopes to expand the offer of the group, with guest speakers and activities. If you’d like to be involved, drop us an email: community@waldersladehub.org.

The Comic Relief Community Fund (England) provides grants to grassroots organisations to develop their capacity or deliver a project in at least one of Comic Relief’s themes: Children Survive & Thrive; Fighting for Gender Justice; A Safe Place to Be; and Mental Health Matters. Find out more about the fund here.

charity, Community News, Volunteers, walderslade together, walt

WALT’s amazing Christmas

The Net Community Hub

walt thank you

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!

Activities, charity, Community News, Funding, fundraising, kent messenger, Volunteers, walt

An eventful year comes to a close

The Net Community Hub

What a year it’s been for us, here at the Net!

With fundraising events, successful bids and an ever-strengthening partnership with Walderslade Together, we’re looking forward to consolidating our offer to the residents of Walderslade and Lords Wood as we enter 2020.

A huge part of our success is down to our fantastic Walties – the volunteers engaged by Walderslade Together who support so many local people. Whether it’s shopping, taking to hospital appointments or just chatting to them, our volunteers tirelessly give their time and energy to making peoples’ lives better.

To say thank you, we held a special Christmas dinner for them last week.

Our Arts & Crafts Club has been given a boost by volunteer Cat, and the new Brainstormz! support group is run by Sue, a dream to make happen she’s had for a long time.

If you would like to become a volunteer at the hub, and start an activity group or support session for something you’re passionate about, drop into any of our sessions, email Jaye via community@waldersladehub.org, or call us on 01634 319633.

To find out more about the volunteering opportunities with WALT, contact Sharon via volunteer@waltcic.org.uk.

A huge thank you to the Coop, with their community fund netting us the awesome amount of £6,378.94, and to the KM Group for their support as Charity of the Year, for the Medway Messenger this year. And, of course, to the Kent Community Foundation for their ongoing support, which culminated in them awarding us core funding for the next three years.

We’re also indebted to The National Lottery and Magic Little Grants, whose support enables us to do so much more.

Here’s to 2020!