acorn village summer 2016 newsletter

Registered Charity Number: 263954 Summer 2016

Acorn Village The rain’s not dampening our spirits as the smiles continue to shine at Acorn Village this

summer…

Summer 2016

Life is for Living! We’ve had a busy social life since our last update in October. It started

with Acorn’s Got Talent on 16th October. Residents, tenants and staff

blew the audience away with their skills with sketches from Dad’s

Army, songs from Cilla Black, Boy George, Michael Ball, Shania

Twain (you had to see it to believe it!) to the most incredible Top Gear

sketch. Acorn was converted into a 1970’s pub on the 23rd October

when Kate Sheffield put on a fabulous 1970’s Evening with music,

comedy & pub grub making a whopping £1085. The Christmas Market

& spectacular Emerald Forest (photos inside) was heavily supported

once more, a huge thank you to everyone involved. We had a stall at

the Manningtree Market and the wonderful Carol Service held by our

very own Derek. Terry Marston’s quiz was extremely popular putting

everyone into the Festive spirit. 2016 brought with it the Riverside Taxi

Road Challenge which made an incredible £5,161.00 for Acorn

Village. We’ve had a romantic Valentines Disco & Quiz, a week of

Easter Activities including a Fool’s Disco, Film Nights, Antiques Day

(Thanks to Reeman Dansie), Curry Nights and tenants taking part in

the Tour de Tendring & running the 12hr Fitness Challenge. Phew!

Volunteers Hit the Jackpot!!

Our volunteers work relentlessly sorting donations,, running the Charity & Book Shops

and helping onsite around Acorn. They’ve recently spotted some fantastic items in the

donations including…A WW2 Officers Hat which made £77, a 1937 Rupert the Bear

annual sold for £55 & two Lord of the Rings figures which jointly made £187!!

If you’re interested in joining them on their quest to find more please get in contact.

Dates for the Diary..

9th July 2016 The Tendring Hundred

Show

6th August 2016

Acorn Dog Show

10.00am to 3.00pm

26th June 2016 Sunday Service

The Oakroom 4pm

23rd July 2016 Teddy Bear’s Picnic

11.30am to 2.00pm


2

Celebrating 40 Years of Acorn

Celebrating sister Ann’s 60th Birthday

The Pride of Essex

Past Fundraising Events

Acorn Charity Invitation Shield

Farewell Ray & Heather…

Ray and Heather retired at the end of

December 2015, previous Senior

Registered Manager, Michelle Cook,

has taken on the role of CEO with

their full support. As Acorn Village

grew from strength to strength, Ray

and Heather were there every step of

the way guiding not just the staff but

also being involved with local

authorities helping to give Adults with

Learning Disabilities the voice they

After many years at Acorn Village, Ray & Heather decided to hand over the reins and enjoy their retirement at the end of 2015.

deserve. Over the years they have

supported other families with children

with learning disabilities providing

expert advice and moral support, as

well as giving them hope in the darker

days when there were limited

resources that there is a brighter

future for everyone. They never

stopped fundraising and raising

awareness of Acorn Village, even on

their holidays they would be found

telling the person sat next to them the

story of Acorn Village and how it

relies so heavily on donations. As they

move on to the next chapter of their

lives their family legacy will never be

forgotten, we thank them for all their

dedication over the years and look

forward to seeing them regularly at

Events and in the Coffee Shop. Here’s

what some of our Acorn VIP’s had to

say about them…

Mandy- They’re a lovely couple.

I’ve know them a long time you

know. I like their dogs Polar and

Indi. They worked in Mistley Hall

when I lived in the Birch Room

(now the Finance Office). They had

meetings in the Ash Room. Louise-

Ray & Heather have supported me

at Acorn performances and gave

me a standing ovation at the 1970’s

night when I sung Cilla Black. They

said ‘Well Done’ when I was Jack

at Jack and the Beanstalk. Heather

encouraged me to swim at last

year’s fire swim and I did it for the

first time. Morag-Heather used to

come to my reviews as well as my

house for coffee. She also used to

bring me coffee at Trinity Tea

Rooms. Ray kindly helped me at

the Cottage when it had damp.Heather

used to say nice things about my cakes.

Susie-Heather used to come to my

reviews. They say hello when I see

them Peter-Ray used to say nice things

to my Mum. Heather liked my mats.

They like to talk to me when I see

them. Lindsay-They helped me when I

first moved here in Jan 2003.They’ve

been amazing since & loved watching

me at Acorn’s Got Talent.

Tasty Cakes

Fun at the Fire Swim Lasting Friendships


3

Sunday 26th June: Sunday Service 4pmSunday Service 4pmSunday Service 4pmSunday Service 4pm (A service of Christian Worship with music from the (A service of Christian Worship with music from the (A service of Christian Worship with music from the (A service of Christian Worship with music from the Sounds Alive band. Service led by our very own Derek, come and go as you please)Sounds Alive band. Service led by our very own Derek, come and go as you please)Sounds Alive band. Service led by our very own Derek, come and go as you please)Sounds Alive band. Service led by our very own Derek, come and go as you please)

Saturday 9th July: TENDRING Hundred SHOW

Saturday 23rd July: Teddy Bear’s PicnicTeddy Bear’s PicnicTeddy Bear’s PicnicTeddy Bear’s Picnic

Saturday 6th August: Dog Show with Classic Cars 10am to 3pm

Staff Shout Out

The care staff at Acorn Village do a tremendous job of caring for adults with learning disabilities. To keep this high level of care our dedicated Training Team support them to gain affiliated qualifications. Well done

to the following staff members for completing the following courses since October.

Diploma in Health & Social Care Level 2

Charmaine Bartlett, Jacqui Cuffy, Lisa Brundle, Sophie Hollingshead, Richard Howard, Samuel Meachen, Freya Weal, Philip Wilden, Elizabeth Willett, Rachael Trimby, Catherine Brown

Diploma in Health & Social Care Level 3

Lee Hynes, Jack Buscall, Victoria Spires, Lisa Davis, Kerry Roberts, Sadie Minter

Acorn Village Events...

We need your support.

Can you help us spread the word about our

events?

Putting up posters around your local area or

sharing on Social Media raises great awareness of

Acorn Village.

Do you have any unwanted gifts that we could

use as raffle prizes? We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you from all of us at Acorn

Village


4

Thank You Your support has enabled all of this…

this…


5

Inside Acorn Village An insight into life at Acorn as we get to know residents,

tenants, volunteers and staff over the next few months..

The Creative Craft and Therapeutic

Centre

From Space projects to Busy

Bee’s, Self-portraits to Dream

Catchers, thanks to your

donations there has been so

much activity in the Centre.

They have been busy in the

Sensory Garden too, with a

beautiful flowering piano,

donated plants and

homemade decorations.

A Tapestry for Julie’s House…by Grayson

Perry Acorn Artists made their way

to Wrabness to visit Julie’s House for inspiration for a

new tapestry. Visit the Creative Craft Centre to see

how they are getting on.

Louise

Louise is the Chief Organiser of the fundraising 12hr Fitness Challenge which took place on 13th June this year. This year

was the wettest year in its 3 year history but with help from staff members Kelvin & Jackie and her friends she carried on

making it another huge success.

Louise has lived at Acorn Village for 11 years and says her favourite thing about Acorn is her friends and drama.

Louise likes listening to all music, she has an incredible voice and brought the house down singing Cilla Black at Acorn’s Got Talent.

Louise loves the Theatre and performing in Acorn productions playing Jack in

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and the female lead in ‘Cinderella’.

Louise’s favourite food is Hunter’s Chicken and hates brussel sprouts. Louise loves watching Eastenders.

Louise likes reading all sorts of books and her favourite author is currently James

Pattison.

Louise has a very talented guinea pig called Stanley who can climb

stairs!

Louise’s favourite movie of all time is The Lion King.

The Coca-Cola man makes Louise laugh…

Dionne - Care Support Worker

Dionne has worked at Acorn Village for 9 years, she has supported in Oak Lodge, Mistley Wood and Gregory House. She’s been married for 6 years and has

beautiful twin daughters Ellie and Emma.

Dionne lives in Dovercourt and loves spending time with her family, cooking and doing activities with the children when she’s not at work.

Dionne was in a Military Marching Band for 10 years playing the cymbals and base drum and loved it.

Dionne is going on holiday to Hemsby with one of the residents and is very much

looking forward to seeing him enjoy the trains.


6

Your Support You’ve been busy raising much needed funds for Acorn Village and we can’t thank you enough… here’s just a little snapshot of

some of your fabulous events since October.

(Please send us your photos so we can include them in future editions)(Please send us your photos so we can include them in future editions)(Please send us your photos so we can include them in future editions)(Please send us your photos so we can include them in future editions)


7

Brightlingsea

Charity Shop

Have you seen the newly

refurbished Brighlingsea

Charity Shop? The project was

fully managed by the

volunteers led by volunteer

Jacqui Tavner. A huge thank

you to them all.

If you would like to receive this newsletter by email please e-mail:

[email protected]

If you would no longer like to receive our newsletter please also email

Carly Cridland.

Remember you can donate on-line at: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/acornvillagesltd

If you would like to receive

TRAINING AVAILABLE

AT ACORN VILLAGE

Emergency First Aid at Work

(EFAW) – 1 Day

First Aid at Work (FAW)

– 3 Days

First Aid at Work Requalification

– 2 Days

Manual Handling – ½ Day

Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults

– 1 Day

Stress Awareness – ½ Day

Dementia Awareness - ¾ Day

Mental Capacity Act - ½ Day

Inclusive Communication

- 1 Day

For more information & pricing

please e-mail: [email protected]

Or call 01206 394124

Acorn Village, Clacton Road,

Mistley, Manningtree, Essex,

CO11 2NJ

Tel: 01206 394124

If you would like to receive t

WANTED

Can you help with any of the

following?

• Old Amazon

Packaging

• Plastic Bags

• Padded Envelopes

• Stamps

• Coins

• Pirate Costumes…

• Poster Paints

• Paintbrushes

If Visit Acorn!

Coffee Shop

Now open 9am to 4pm

Homemade Meals, Afternoon Tea,

Cream Teas, Picture Gallery &

Walled Garden

Coach House Charity Shop

Quality Items at Bargain Prices

Creative Craft Centre

Art & Craft made by Acorn Artists

Furniture Store

Perfect for a new home or up-cycling

A Great Way to Support Adults

with Learning Disabilities

Acorn Village, Clacton Road, Mistley,

Manningtree, Essex, CO11 2NJ

Tel: 01206 394124


8

‘Life is for Living’

THE HISTORY OF ACORN

You may wonder why and how Acorn Village came into being?

‘Life is For Living’

Written from the perspective of Heather, the daughter of driving founders Denzil and Phyllis Mary Green. A new publication by Tony Tuckwell with assistance from Heather & Ray Ablett giving a frank

insight into the life of ‘The Green Family’ who were struggling to find a better way of life for their daughter Ann who had a learning disability. It tells of a huge determination to overcome the difficulties

encountered and how they were finally able to create Acorn Village. Acorn Village would be the key to providing a fulfilling and unique way of life for their daughter and

many others.

The book is dedicated to Ann – Acorn Village would not have existed if it had not been for her.

‘Life is for Living’ will be launched in September 2016. Priced at just £6.00 excluding P & P

(UK Postage £3.00) Reserve your copy now by completing the slip below or e-mailing [email protected]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

To: Kate Williams. Acorn Village, Clacton Road, Mistley, Manningtree, Essex CO11 2NJ

Please reserve me ….. copy/copies. If you would like to pre-pay please make any cheques payable to Acorn Villages Ltd (these will not be banked until the book has been posted).

Name…………………………………………………..Email:……………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………. .Tel No……………………………………….………………….


9

Can you help raise funds and display these posters around your area?


10


11

Brand New Standing Order Form

We were asked how people can help and support adults with learning disabilities. As well as running individual events or volunteering we have now created a standing order form for regular donations. Let us know what you think!


12

Thank You for Supporting Adults with Learning Disabilities at Acorn Village

O

Charity Number: 263954

acorn village summer 2016 newsletter

Documents