Spring 2014 — 20th Edition

Spring 2014 — 20th Edition
Charity House
Welcome from the Chief Executive
We are pleased to announce the opening of
Charity House. We have taken a two year lease
on office premises in Churchfield Road, Walton on
Thames. Charity House provides affordable office
space and facilities to local charities and social
enterprises.
Welcome to the Spring edition of Walton Charity’s
newsletter.
This
is
an
exciting
new
venture for all
of us, and will
provide fresh
opportunities
for
working
together.
There have been some exciting new ventures this
quarter. Charity House provides opportunities for
local charities to work together. Most of the
charities mentioned have already settled in.
Kia cars will be a valuable new corporate partner
and we are already looking at joint projects.
We are very happy to be supporting Crossroad
Care Surrey’s new Saturday Outings club.
We hope that
Charity House
will open up
new ways of sharing information, resources and
facilities – many of which may not be realistic to
charities going it alone.
These charities and social enterprises have
moved into Charity House: The RC Sherriff Trust;
Carer Support Elmbridge; Home-Start Elmbridge;
Elmbridge Rentstart; The Pictures and SAdAS
We have also been able to accommodate a
number of charities and social enterprises at our
Mayfield office:
Elmbridge Community Link,
Walton and Hersham foodbank, Training and
Development Partnership, Walsingham Care,
Home Support Elmbridge.
Walton Charity staff will be based at both Charity
House and our Mayfield office.
Kia cars
Kia cars have recently moved their UK office to
the Halfway Green in Walton. They have chosen
us as their Corporate Social Responsibility charity.
This raises many exciting opportunities for us to
work together. Plans are being made for Kia staff
to get involved in community projects over the
coming months.
Demand for the foodbank is
always growing - over 900
people have received three
day food parcels since April
2013.
Jackie Lodge: Walton Charity
Chief Executive
What’s inside this issue
Residential News

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Kia cars help out at Charity House
New charity partners move into Mayfield
New duck house at Fenner House
Flooding at Sunbury and Walton Sea
Cadets
Community Services News

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Update from our allotments
Community Grant for Crossroads Care
Surrey
Kia cars visit the foodbank
Nutrition and Hydration week
Sherwood House
Kia staff get painting
Sherwood House has enjoyed a sing-a-long with
Richard Ratcliffe in February. The popular lunch
club is running again now the weather has
improved, and eleven residents and staff lunched
at the Fairmile in Cobham on Wednesday 26th
February. We have continued with our in house
entertainment of gentle exercise with Sunny
Smiles and Thursday afternoon sing-a-longs
organised by the R.C. Sherriff Trust. Sherwood
House now has four volunteers who support
residents with Scrabble Sessions, one to one chat
time and going out for walks. Residents enjoyed
another visit from the 4th Walton Beaver Scouts
group in March.
The staff from KIA cars have been getting stuck in
and have sent two teams of staff to help with
painting at the new offices Charity House. Thank
you Kia team!
New charity partners move in
The Training and Development Partnership (TDP)
moved into the offices at Mayfield in early
January. The TDP provides specialist training for
charities and the voluntary sector. They have now
settled in at Mayfield and share office space with
the foodbank staff.
Elmbridge Community Link moved in at the end of
March—ECL supports people with learning
disabilities across Elmbridge and the wider local
area.
News from our Sheltered Housing
Local flooding
During the recent bad weather, we at Walton
Charity have been fairly lucky in avoiding the
flooding. However Sunbury and Walton sea cadets
(tenants on our Common Plat site) were not so
lucky – they were badly flooded in February. It will
be some time before they are able to start using
the site again.
In the meantime they are looking for a suitable site
for their cadets to parade, and storage for their
equipment.
Fenner House's resident ducks have already
returned, making the most of the short lived nice
weather. A special duck house has been built for
them to enjoy - and to shelter in when the bad
weather returns!
A man whose home was flooded during the recent
severe weather is staying at Fenner House. The
guest room at Mayfield is also being used to
house a homeless man - making the most of our
resources to support local people.
The community payback team
have been working hard at
Fenner House - they helped
move a resident from a first
floor flat to a ground floor flat,
to aid his mobility. They have
also steam cleaned the paving
slabs and tidied up the garden
for spring.
News from our allotments
Community Grants news
Once again the weather conditions during the
winter have proved difficult. The incessant storms
and rainfall over the last 2 months have made this
winter the wettest winter since records began.
Many tenants have suffered from flooded plots
and damaged sheds. Weather permitting, regular
site inspections will begin in April. Tenants are
reminded their plots must be maintained in good
condition, including the pathway surrounding plots.
We are supporting Crossroads Care Surrey’s new
Saturday outings club for teenagers. Crossroads
Care Surrey is a charity that provides much
needed respite breaks to support carers.
The
Charity
remains committed
to maintaining and
further developing
the allotments. If
you have further
ideas or would like
to
be
more
involved
in
developing
the
allotments please
contact
the
Allotment Officer Jane McMahon on 0203 328
0254.
There are some plot vacancies so if you have
been thinking about getting an allotment, sign up
now and start planning for the growing season.
Contact [email protected] for more
information.
A general inspection was carried out on all sites
and, taking into account allotment holder’s
comments, we will be making proposals to all
tenants for improvements and on-going plans.
Nutrition and Hydration week
The Outings Club is for children and young people
with varying disabilities in the Borough of
Elmbridge. The Outings Club aims to give 32
young people each month the opportunity to go on
trips of their choice like bowling, to the cinema or
to theme parks.
Crossroads Care Surrey, the leading supplier of
respite breaks for unpaid Carers, has run Burview
Hall’s Saturday Club for the last 12 years.
Walton
Charity
trustees visit
Crossroads
Care Surrey
at Burview
Hall.
Foodbank news
Welcome to Jess Balding who is the new
Foodbank manager.
Staff at Kia Motors collected food just before
Christmas, and were keen to see how the foodbank
works. President Paul Philpott visited in February.
Over 900 people have received three day food
parcels since April 2013.
During Nutrition and Hydration Week this March,
Elmbridge Borough Council organised two events
for older people at Walton and Cobham Day
Centres.
Supported by a Walton
Charity Community Grant,
in partnership with GSK
and Walsingham Care,
these events included
food tasting, tips on healthy living, a free
falls assessment and free slippers!
Jackie Lodge with Paul Philpott and other Kia staff
Community Spirit
Newly appointed Foodbank Manager Jess Balding has been involved for several
years in a community support project in southern India. The Rhema Partnership
is a Christian organisation which organises sponsorship of disabled children and
a walk-in medical centre; as well as faith based activities and projects including a
Bible college.
Three years ago Jess joined a support trip to the southern Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. She ran children’s games and taught lessons, as well as assisting the
logistics of a walk-in centre that sees 300 people a day, with only two doctors.
In 2012 Jess became the only employee of the Rhema Partnership, covering
fundraising, events management, social media and supporter engagement. For more information
about the Rhema Partnership visit www.rhemapartnership.org.uk
The people who are Walton on Thames Charity
Jim Turner has been a resident at Sherwood House since last
April. He celebrated his 100th birthday on 31st January enjoying tea and cake with MP Dominic Raab and High Sherriff
of Surrey Helen Bowcock, followed by a private party the
following day. He is the first man at Sherwood House to reach
this milestone.
Jim grew up in Hersham, and has spent most of his life here,
except for a brief stint building hovercraft in the Isle of Wight. Jim
built parts for Spitfire and Wellington
bombers during the second world war, and Dominic Raab MP and High Sherriff Helen Bowcock meet
Jim Turner at Sherwood House on his 100th birthday
joined the auxiliary fire service.
Contact Us
Walton on Thames Charity
Mayfield
74 Hersham Road
Hersham
Walton on Thames
Surrey
KT12 5NU
Tel: 01932 220242
For more information about our services– contact:
Fax: 01932 252603
 Community Grants and Volunteering: 02033280247
[email protected]
www.waltoncharity.org.uk
 Sherwood House Residential Care Home: 0203 3280250/1
 Mayfield/Fenner House Sheltered Housing: 0203 3280248/9
 Grants for Individuals: 0203 3280246
 Allotments: 0203 3280254
Follow us on twitter:
@WaltonCharity or @WOTCHousing