Sunday, 22 June 2014
July - Gloucestershire Carers
Carers in Gloucestershire is an independent charity helping unpaid Carers in Gloucestershire. Being a Carer can be isolating and exhausting. We offer support for Carers to help not only their physical and emotional well-being, but to help them to make informed decisions that have a positive, lasting influence on their lives.
A Carer is anyone who gives unpaid support to look after someone who is unable to look after themselves. They can be any age, gender or culture. They may be looking after a relative, partner or friend who is ill or frail, or maybe injured after an accident; they may be caring for someone disabled or who has mental health issues; or they could be looking after a child with substance misuse problems – there is no template.
Carers don’t choose to become Carers. It is something that they do because, if they don’t, there may not be anyone else who can. In Gloucestershire alone there are around 63,000 Carers – and this number is growing.
We have a network of 50 Carer support groups in Gloucestershire offering friendship, advice and help. Caring for someone means you can’t always get out of the house so we have ‘Carers Line’ offering advice for Carers. Our team can give you advice on money and benefits, arrange counselling, help you plan for the future, and even pop you down for training courses and well-being treatments that help you feel, even if it’s for just an hour, that you are looked after.
We also have a Carers’ Emergency Scheme. This means that if you are ill we can make sure that the person you look after will be supported.
We can support you with funding for a much-needed short break. And now we even have our own static caravan by the sea to give you the chance of a holiday – and some desperately needed, uninterrupted sleep.
Post-caring, Carers may need support to rebuild a life of their own and reconnect with education, work or a social life.
Carers are the largest source of unpaid care and support in each area of the UK, in Gloucestershire alone last year they saved the County £540 million.
You can call the Carers’ Line now on
( 0300 111 9000
or visit Carers in Gloucestershire website by clicking here
Mary Michael
Sunday, 8 June 2014
June - Cheltenham Open Door
Cheltenham Open Door is a local charity working to relieve poverty, hardship and social or emotional distress. Originally founded in 1992 as Open Door at Christmas we continued by providing Sunday breakfasts from January 1993.
We gradually expanded and developed our work taking the new name of Cheltenham Open Door and becoming both a registered charity and limited company. We have been operating from our Grosvenor Street base since 1998.
Cheltenham Open Door supports vulnerable, disadvantaged and lonely people. Our guests are men and women who have been deprived of the comforts and security most of us take for granted, and we offer them hospitality, warmth, food and somewhere to relax. Many have health issues and a difficult or complicated background.
We do not judge and we make no charge for any of our services.
Our Christmas shelter still runs every year, (open 24th to 27th December), during which time we try to provide a warm and welcoming environment for those in need. We provide a full Christmas dinner, and a present for every guest. In addition there is fun, music and games for all.
Throughout the year we still open on Sunday mornings for breakfast. We are also open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when, in addition to lunch, a range of other services such as clothes store, showers and access to advice and help are available. A recent innovation has been to organise an annual outing to a local place of interest (this year: Cotswold Wildlife Park) and to run short courses such as cookery and art.
Our latest project, currently in the very early stages, is to provide supervised access to the internet for our guests. As more and more services become available on-line (sometimes ONLY on-line) we became aware that this was another area where our guests could otherwise be missing out.
Our core business however remains providing hot meals four times a week – totalling approximately 10,000 meals a year. We rely almost entirely on donations: money (of course!), food (particularly basic tinned goods) and clothes (especially men's warm clothing/shoes) are among the most important.
More information and contact details can be found at: www.cheltenhamopendoor.org.ukwww.cheltenhamopendoor.org.uk
Mary Michael
We gradually expanded and developed our work taking the new name of Cheltenham Open Door and becoming both a registered charity and limited company. We have been operating from our Grosvenor Street base since 1998.
Cheltenham Open Door supports vulnerable, disadvantaged and lonely people. Our guests are men and women who have been deprived of the comforts and security most of us take for granted, and we offer them hospitality, warmth, food and somewhere to relax. Many have health issues and a difficult or complicated background.
We do not judge and we make no charge for any of our services.
Our Christmas shelter still runs every year, (open 24th to 27th December), during which time we try to provide a warm and welcoming environment for those in need. We provide a full Christmas dinner, and a present for every guest. In addition there is fun, music and games for all.
Throughout the year we still open on Sunday mornings for breakfast. We are also open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when, in addition to lunch, a range of other services such as clothes store, showers and access to advice and help are available. A recent innovation has been to organise an annual outing to a local place of interest (this year: Cotswold Wildlife Park) and to run short courses such as cookery and art.
Our latest project, currently in the very early stages, is to provide supervised access to the internet for our guests. As more and more services become available on-line (sometimes ONLY on-line) we became aware that this was another area where our guests could otherwise be missing out.
Our core business however remains providing hot meals four times a week – totalling approximately 10,000 meals a year. We rely almost entirely on donations: money (of course!), food (particularly basic tinned goods) and clothes (especially men's warm clothing/shoes) are among the most important.
More information and contact details can be found at: www.cheltenhamopendoor.org.ukwww.cheltenhamopendoor.org.uk
Mary Michael
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
March 2014 - Maggie's Centre
In May 1993, Maggie Keswick Jencks was told that her breast cancer had returned and was given two to three months to live. She joined an advanced chemotherapy trial and lived for another 18 months. During that time, she and her husband Charles Jencks worked closely with her medical team, which included oncology nurse, Laura Lee, now Maggie’s Chief Executive, to develop a new approach to cancer care.
In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie and Charles (an architect) believed you needed information that would allow you to be an informed participant in your medical treatment, stress-reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed domestic atmosphere. Maggie was determined that people should not “lose the joy of living in the fear of dying” and the day before she died in June 1995, she sat in her garden, face to the sun and said:
“Aren’t we lucky?”
In November 1996, the first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh and what Maggie had planned became real.
Every year, over 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, facing tough questions, exhausting treatment and difficult emotions.
These challenges affect not only those with cancer, but their family and friends, too. Maggie’s is there for anyone and everyone affected by cancer, offering a programme of support that has been shown to strengthen physical and emotional wellbeing. Built alongside hospitals, Maggie’s Centres are uplifting places with professional staff on hand to offer the support people need: practical advice about benefits and eating well; emotional support from qualified experts; a friendly place to meet other people; a calming space simply to sit quietly with a cup of tea. It is part of the organisation’s ethos that their buildings and gardens are themselves of a style and standard to make a real contribution to the healing environment.
Maggie’s offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends.
Simply drop-in at any time - you are always welcome, at:
Maggie's Centre Cheltenham
The Lodge
College Baths Road
Cheltenham. GL53 7QB
01242 250611
cheltenham@maggiescentres.org
Opening times:
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie and Charles (an architect) believed you needed information that would allow you to be an informed participant in your medical treatment, stress-reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed domestic atmosphere. Maggie was determined that people should not “lose the joy of living in the fear of dying” and the day before she died in June 1995, she sat in her garden, face to the sun and said:
“Aren’t we lucky?”
In November 1996, the first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh and what Maggie had planned became real.
Every year, over 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, facing tough questions, exhausting treatment and difficult emotions.
These challenges affect not only those with cancer, but their family and friends, too. Maggie’s is there for anyone and everyone affected by cancer, offering a programme of support that has been shown to strengthen physical and emotional wellbeing. Built alongside hospitals, Maggie’s Centres are uplifting places with professional staff on hand to offer the support people need: practical advice about benefits and eating well; emotional support from qualified experts; a friendly place to meet other people; a calming space simply to sit quietly with a cup of tea. It is part of the organisation’s ethos that their buildings and gardens are themselves of a style and standard to make a real contribution to the healing environment.
Maggie’s offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends.
Simply drop-in at any time - you are always welcome, at:
Maggie's Centre Cheltenham
The Lodge
College Baths Road
Cheltenham. GL53 7QB
01242 250611
cheltenham@maggiescentres.org
Opening times:
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Sunday, 2 February 2014
February 2014 - Open the Book
Not to be confused with our Thursday Bible Study, ‘Open The Book’ is a national charity that offers a programme of themed and dramatised Bible stories at no charge to the schools. Have you ever thought that children in schools might be missing out on what the Bible has to show them? They could go through their entire school life without ever learning about Adam and Eve, Noah, David, Jonah ... or even the life of Jesus and the stories of the New Testament. ‘Open The Book’ sessions are around 10 minutes long and fit comfortably into assembly times. Volunteer story-tellers use drama, mime, props, costume - and the children themselves - to present Bible stories in ways that are lively, engaging, informative ... and great fun for everyone involved!
‘Open The Book’ started in Bedford in 1999 where a group of Christians first started presenting Bible stories in school assemblies, partly inspired by Bible Society’s “Open The Book” Millennium initiative. Word reached other schools and areas and so grew from a local initiative into a national enterprise. In September 2013 ‘Open The Book’ merged with Bible Society which seems logical since the vision and mission of both organisations are so closely aligned. About 254,500 primary children are now regularly enjoying the great story of Scripture in school assemblies as there are now 1,497 ‘Open The Book’ teams across the UK (an increase of 137 in the past 6 months) and 8,651 volunteers (an additional 1,131).
Phil Arnold, Jean Gregory and I became involved as part of Hope ’09, and we are part of an ecumenical team going into Oakwood School on a Thursday morning. We would love some more people to join us, so don’t be shy, and come along if you would like to see what happens before you join us. Money raised helps to buy the books we use, and to help with props and costumes. If you would like to help us by making these we would be very grateful, so please have a chat with Jean or myself.
To find out more about Open the Book visit their website here ...
‘Open The Book’ started in Bedford in 1999 where a group of Christians first started presenting Bible stories in school assemblies, partly inspired by Bible Society’s “Open The Book” Millennium initiative. Word reached other schools and areas and so grew from a local initiative into a national enterprise. In September 2013 ‘Open The Book’ merged with Bible Society which seems logical since the vision and mission of both organisations are so closely aligned. About 254,500 primary children are now regularly enjoying the great story of Scripture in school assemblies as there are now 1,497 ‘Open The Book’ teams across the UK (an increase of 137 in the past 6 months) and 8,651 volunteers (an additional 1,131).
Phil Arnold, Jean Gregory and I became involved as part of Hope ’09, and we are part of an ecumenical team going into Oakwood School on a Thursday morning. We would love some more people to join us, so don’t be shy, and come along if you would like to see what happens before you join us. Money raised helps to buy the books we use, and to help with props and costumes. If you would like to help us by making these we would be very grateful, so please have a chat with Jean or myself.
To find out more about Open the Book visit their website here ...
Saturday, 4 January 2014
January 2014 Listening Post
Listening Post is a professional voluntary counselling service, Christian in foundation, that was formed twenty one years ago to relieve emotional and psychological distress in Christians and non-Christians alike. We are an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and work within their Ethical Framework. We provide counselling for anyone over 18, regardless of financial status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, colour or ethnic origin.
Listening Post offers counselling to adults in Gloucestershire suffering from emotional distress. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Sometimes a relationship has broken down or you have been bereaved. Sometimes the stress of hard working lives has become unmanageable. Sometimes wounds from much earlier in your life resurface and haunt you. Sometimes you just feel you have lost your way and no longer know what to do.
We serve any resident of Gloucestershire, including those who might otherwise be financially prevented from accessing professional counselling support. Private counselling can cost up to £50 an hour – a cost that many people desperately in need cannot afford. Unlike private practitioners we do not charge a set fee for our services. All we ask is that, based upon individual means, our clients make a donation per session.
If, as a client, you draw support from Christianity or any faith and want that to play a part in your counselling we work within the context of your faith. If you wish to work without reference to any religious beliefs, you are equally welcome. The professional concern of a Listening Post counsellor will be to gain an understanding of how you see yourself and of what distresses you, and then work with you to determine how you can best be supported.
We have three counselling centres in Gloucestershire, located in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud. You are welcome to contact any centre about counselling; other enquiries are best made to our main office in Gloucester.
Cheltenham 01242 256060; Stroud 02453 750123; Gloucester 01452 383820
Listening Post on the web
As with so many of the charities we support Listening Post is struggling with both the increases in their costs and the volume of clients needing their help. They are very grateful for any help we can give them.
Listening Post offers counselling to adults in Gloucestershire suffering from emotional distress. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Sometimes a relationship has broken down or you have been bereaved. Sometimes the stress of hard working lives has become unmanageable. Sometimes wounds from much earlier in your life resurface and haunt you. Sometimes you just feel you have lost your way and no longer know what to do.
We serve any resident of Gloucestershire, including those who might otherwise be financially prevented from accessing professional counselling support. Private counselling can cost up to £50 an hour – a cost that many people desperately in need cannot afford. Unlike private practitioners we do not charge a set fee for our services. All we ask is that, based upon individual means, our clients make a donation per session.
If, as a client, you draw support from Christianity or any faith and want that to play a part in your counselling we work within the context of your faith. If you wish to work without reference to any religious beliefs, you are equally welcome. The professional concern of a Listening Post counsellor will be to gain an understanding of how you see yourself and of what distresses you, and then work with you to determine how you can best be supported.
We have three counselling centres in Gloucestershire, located in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud. You are welcome to contact any centre about counselling; other enquiries are best made to our main office in Gloucester.
Cheltenham 01242 256060; Stroud 02453 750123; Gloucester 01452 383820
Listening Post on the web
As with so many of the charities we support Listening Post is struggling with both the increases in their costs and the volume of clients needing their help. They are very grateful for any help we can give them.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
December and Christmas Charity - Embrace the Middle East Syria Appeal
Embrace the Middle East is the exciting new name for BibleLands, a Christian charity which was set up in 1854. In its 150+ years of existence they have worked in many countries in the Near and Middle East. Currently Embrace supports projects in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt. Although they do not routinely work in Syria, during the current crisis there, they have been supporting the work of local church leaders to bring food to internally displaced persons.
Detailed research showed that the previous name conjured up an old-fashioned image and led people to believe that they distributed Bibles or were an overtly evangelistic charity. While Embrace believes in the importance of the Word of God and its dissemination, distribution of Bibles is not part of their charitable purpose. Embrace the Middle East was chosen because it described the work and reflected the Christian calling to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and help the homeless (Matthew 25). It was also felt that embrace was a very Biblical concept, one that invoked the inclusiveness that goes to the very heart of the Gospel.
One paraphrase translation of Jesus’ comments in Mark 9 verse 37 reads: "Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me - God who sent me."
Embrace the Middle East is a non-governmental, inter-denominational charity supporting Christian-led humanitarian projects in the Middle East. Embrace seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East in partnership with local Christians, focusing on education, healthcare and community development – regardless of their faith or nationality.
Babies in the land of Christ's birth are going without vital medicines and nutrition. An Embrace-supported Well Baby clinic, run by Gazan Christians, is working under extreme pressure to bring medicines and nutritional support to babies at risk. The clinic provides milk, iron supplements and medicines free of charge. The staff monitor growth and advise parents on how to make sure their children's food retains as many nutrients as possible. Please help reach them before it's too late.
www.embraceme.org
Registered Charity 1076329
Detailed research showed that the previous name conjured up an old-fashioned image and led people to believe that they distributed Bibles or were an overtly evangelistic charity. While Embrace believes in the importance of the Word of God and its dissemination, distribution of Bibles is not part of their charitable purpose. Embrace the Middle East was chosen because it described the work and reflected the Christian calling to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and help the homeless (Matthew 25). It was also felt that embrace was a very Biblical concept, one that invoked the inclusiveness that goes to the very heart of the Gospel.
One paraphrase translation of Jesus’ comments in Mark 9 verse 37 reads: "Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me - God who sent me."
Embrace the Middle East is a non-governmental, inter-denominational charity supporting Christian-led humanitarian projects in the Middle East. Embrace seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East in partnership with local Christians, focusing on education, healthcare and community development – regardless of their faith or nationality.
Babies in the land of Christ's birth are going without vital medicines and nutrition. An Embrace-supported Well Baby clinic, run by Gazan Christians, is working under extreme pressure to bring medicines and nutritional support to babies at risk. The clinic provides milk, iron supplements and medicines free of charge. The staff monitor growth and advise parents on how to make sure their children's food retains as many nutrients as possible. Please help reach them before it's too late.
www.embraceme.org
Registered Charity 1076329
Sunday, 3 November 2013
November - The Langley House Trust and the Knole
As a Christian Charity, our mission at Langley House Trust is to work with those who are at risk of offending, or have offended, establishing positive foundations so that they can lead crime-free lives and become contributors to society.
At Langley House Trust we believe all people are:
made in God’s image
loved by Him regardless
called into community
offered redemption by His grace
promised His glory
Our Vision
The Trust will work towards the fulfillment of its vision of a crime-free society where no-one is unfairly disadvantaged or excluded because of their past.
The Knole in Cheltenham is a Registered Care Home, which provides accommodation for fourteen men aged 30 years and over.
The Knole aims to enable and equip former offenders to address their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs within a caring Christian environment.
We aim to assist each person to progress towards more personal independence, learning life and social skills in order to live a fulfilling and crime-free life.
We also offer a floating support service which is able to support residents in their own accommodation after their stay at the project.
The Knole is committed to achieving equal opportunities for all. Religion, race, nationality, disability, age and sexual orientation will not be part of the selection criteria.
We will challenge any discriminatory attitude within the house.
The staff provide each resident with a confidentiality policy through which they seek to safeguard and keep secure all confidential information received regarding an individual.
With your support we can continue our work to help overcome the challenges faced by our residents, such as gaining meaningful employment or voluntary work, furthering education, and enhancing social skills in order for them to rebuild their lives and become part of the wider community.
If you wish to find out more about our valuable work please visit our website at www.langleyhousetrust.org or contact The Knole on 01242 526978.
At Langley House Trust we believe all people are:
made in God’s image
loved by Him regardless
called into community
offered redemption by His grace
promised His glory
Our Vision
The Trust will work towards the fulfillment of its vision of a crime-free society where no-one is unfairly disadvantaged or excluded because of their past.
The Knole in Cheltenham is a Registered Care Home, which provides accommodation for fourteen men aged 30 years and over.
The Knole aims to enable and equip former offenders to address their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs within a caring Christian environment.
We aim to assist each person to progress towards more personal independence, learning life and social skills in order to live a fulfilling and crime-free life.
We also offer a floating support service which is able to support residents in their own accommodation after their stay at the project.
The Knole is committed to achieving equal opportunities for all. Religion, race, nationality, disability, age and sexual orientation will not be part of the selection criteria.
We will challenge any discriminatory attitude within the house.
The staff provide each resident with a confidentiality policy through which they seek to safeguard and keep secure all confidential information received regarding an individual.
With your support we can continue our work to help overcome the challenges faced by our residents, such as gaining meaningful employment or voluntary work, furthering education, and enhancing social skills in order for them to rebuild their lives and become part of the wider community.
If you wish to find out more about our valuable work please visit our website at www.langleyhousetrust.org or contact The Knole on 01242 526978.
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