January News Letter!
Welcome Back
😊
Welcome back from your Christmas break. We all hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
We have a very exciting year planned ahead for you all- this being our 10th Anniversary year – more about that later on in the year, as we look to plan some exciting events. Watch this space and remember to visit the website www.sailship.org.uk and facebook Sailship Training and learning for Life for updates there too.
Sailship would like to welcome some new members of staff: 😊
Debbie Tull – Personnel Supervisor
Diane Herbert – Arts & Crafts Leader
Camilla Korgba - Age Well Co-Ordinator
Brie Whittaker -Be Well Co-Ordinator
Debbie’s role will be to oversee the support of trainee’s here at Sailship & to supervise and support staff/volunteers. Please now call Debbie, rather than Liz, with regards to any sickness/medical absences, etc on: 01255 879623 – Please leave a message if the phone is not answered and Debbie will action and acknowledge your message asap. For any enquiries, please email Debbie debbie.tull@sailship.org.uk
As ever, please continue to complete the Trainee Holiday request Forms on site for holiday requests and pass to Debbie.
Brie & Camilla will be Co-Ordinating our Be Well and Age Well Programmes.
Camilla will support our elderly community living with dementia, via ‘Grow a Friendship with Sailship’. If you know of anyone who might benefit form this project, please do get in touch with Camilla at agewell@sailship.org.uk and she will offer further information.
Brie will co-ordinate our 18+ project ‘Fit4lifeTogether’ for members of our local community with Mental Health Support needs. This project also offers two Support Workers. Fit4lifetogether@sailship.org.uk
These exciting projects have come about following the successful application and subsequent funding from the North East Essex Health & Well-being Alliance. (Funding is administered through CVS Tendring/C360.)
Over the coming months Diane will be completing the following art & craft tasks:
Woven Chair Backs
Paper cherry blossom
Pom Pom key rings
Dragon Box decoration
Card making
Cane toppers
Market Field College Partnership: Sailship has agreed a new partnership, to support young people aged 16+ with SEN (Special Educational needs), for their alternative education. These young people attend Market Field College and our provision is in partnership with the college and the Local Authority. We have agreed to support up to 8 young people, per day and their alternative education will follow our ASDAN Life-Skills programmes. Some may remain at Sailship after formal school ends (aged 18 or 19) and this will support the longevity of our charity.
You will recognise that we have a new caravan at Sailship, which is currently being renovated by staff/volunteers. This caravan will house the Alternative Education group for some of their indoor activities.
Horticulture: Planting and Sowing has commenced, with the Horticulture Teams sowing sweet pea seeds, celosia, hollyhocks, echinacea and violas. Also, root cuttings have been taken from the cornflowers. This will provide the basis for our cut flower gardens for our 2024 floristry projects. We have also started work on our vegetable patch with red onions and aubergines, as well as prepping the old square planters and taking out the old liner, removing pins, sanding, painting and then relining the planters.
Kitchen: January/ February in the kitchen is a time to start fresh! We sort and tidy freezers and food stores. Trainees will help to assess what the kitchen requires in the coming months and pass this to Colin. Example: more onions! We do a stock-take of our preserves and identify which ones we need to start replacing after the busy Christmas period so, business as usual on the jam making front.
As the days start to warm up, we would like to invite you to book to come to site to walk or use the bikes on our accessible pathway. We would be delighted to welcome you to the Bay Café for afternoon teas, where our trainee’s will serve you.
We are also starting to create a specific area for the support of our elderly community. A new pavilion which will be open by summer 2024, will house two new toilets and a communal area. This will be sited in front of a French Boules pitch which we shall also use for outdoor exercise sessions – for all. Yes - that means you too!! 😊
The Be Well and Age Well groups will be making a start on a new dementia friendly/sensory garden. We hope that many of our community, affected by dementia, will make use of this very special garden space, which, over time will mature to become a beautiful part of Sailship.
We are also looking at creating a composting loo & bird hide in the wooded area, along with the addition of bluebells, planted ‘in the green’ in spring.
Along-side this, we have plans for a new wood cabin, similar to the Bay café – though this will become our new ‘Nature/Nurture hub’, where we can learn more about the nature and wildlife all around us, on site, as well as within the local wildlife in and around Clacton. This, we hope, will bring new opportunities for all.
Last but not least – some very exciting news. Sailship has received a grant from the Mark Benevolent Fund for a mini bus!! We have purchased a vehicle which will be sign written, in due course – after which, for a small charge, for those trainees who are currently using staff (insured) vehicles, to transport them to and from Sailship; for potential new trainees who cannot access us, due to transport issues; and for others, on occasion, who may need a ride, we shall be able to offer a pick-up/drop off service. The bus will also enable us to access the community and enjoy trips out.
Welcome to 2024 our 10th Anniversary Year – which if we may say so has started rather well!
“In a world of many challenges, if you can be anything- let it be kind”
Very best wishes to all our participants & parents/carers
Liz & the team
