Volunteers Update- Dec 2009

On behalf of the Trustees, I would like to wish you a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year. I do hope you have received your invitation to lunch at The Windmill in Redmile on Friday 29th January - a little 'thank you' from us for all your hard work. Please contact Lisa for a menu if you have not yet received one.

As usual it's been a busy year at Dove. As you know, Dawn started work as Hospice Development Nurse earlier this year. Part of her role is to look at ways of improving our services and one area we have identified is that when our guests are too poorly to come to Dove, we don't really have anything in place to support them at home. We've been lucky enough to obtain funding for Carolyn Walker to act as a Family Support Worker on Fridays. She will use this day to visit people in their homes and offer them similar support that they receive at Dove. For instance, if they would like a visit from a Complementary Therapist, a member of the Chaplaincy Team or a volunteer to sit with them for a few hours to give their carer a break, Carolyn will organize it. If you would like to be involved with this new project, please do talk to Carolyn. All expenses will be covered.

The tearoom is still going from strength to strength. We decided to stay open throughout the winter and have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of customers still coming through the door. We have recently received some Council funding to build a play area outside, which will hopefully make it more of a family attraction.

In an endeavour to encourage younger people into the caring world, Alex Steward recently started a one year placement as a Trainee Healthcare Assistant. Hopefully during his time with us he will gain the necessary qualifications and experience to further his career. If this project is successful, it is something we would like to repeat in the future.

Once again, I would like to wish you a lovely Christmas and hope you have a good break.

With many thanks for all your support. We couldn't do it all without you.

Kind regards

Chris

Chris Gatfield