Community Heroes Awards
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We are thrilled that FiSH and the other seven Neighbourhood Care Groups within Richmond upon Thames have been announced as joint winners of the Community Group of the Year award!
The past year has been extremely challenging for us all, so to have our small staff teams and truly amazing volunteers recognised in this way is very special! Well done all!
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Tuesday Horizons
The FiSH Tuesday Talks have been one of the most-missed activities during lockdown. The chance to learn something new, broaden our horizons, and meet with friends old and new was a weekly highlight for many. Sadly, we are still not able to restart talks at Barnes Green Centre but we are going to begin a series of bi-weekly online Tuesday walks, discussions and talks via Zoom. Most will run from 11am-12noon and everyone is welcome! Click here for details of the programme. Call 020 8876 3336 if you would like to be added to the circulation list.
Christmas Lunches
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Sadly, due to COVID, the traditional Christmas events like the Barnes Community Association Lunch at Barnes Green Centre and the community lunch at St Mary’s Mortlake were unable to take place this year. However, FiSH volunteer cooks and helpers, supported by generous local businesses and St Paul’s Boys Junior School, ensured that if people couldn't come to lunch, lunch could be taken to them! 120 meals were delivered on Christmas morning throughout Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen.
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Thank you!The lovely team at FocalPoint Opticians in Barnes held a Christmas raffle for a gorgeous Chloe Drew handbag and we have received £312 as a share of the proceeds! Thank you so much to all at FocalPoint and to all who participated in the raffle. We really appreciate how the local communities that we serve get behind us in so many ways!
Huge thanks to Ned and Will Battersby of Castelnau Services who raised £1700 for FiSH by selling Christmas Trees throughout Barnes and East Sheen. An amazing effort... and this donation comes in addition to the £300 they raised in the summer by pressure washing many of the patios of Barnes! We are very grateful to Ned and Will, who both attend the Harrodian School, and understand the boys have lots of happy customers.
If you bought your Christmas Tree from them, thank you for your support. We will be using the money to start a new exercise class in the new year! Very grateful to all those who supported Barnes Charity Fashion Show this year. We have received a donation of £1500, which is amazing in this extraordinary year and so much appreciated! Thank you!
We are very grateful to Robyn Gilbert who has been raising money for FiSH and the NHS by holding a bring-and-buy sale in her front garden! She has raised £600 to be divided 50/50. What an amazing effort! Thanks Robyn!
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Patchwork Project
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Early in the pandemic we came up with a little creative challenge for those who like sewing etc and had a few hours to spare! The idea originally came from Adrienne, one of our FiSH volunteers, who suggested we could sew masks, but it developed into a project that was a little less useful but hopefully a bit more fun! The result was some very attractive patchwork squares which are now in the process of being made into a wall hanging.
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Crispin O'Brien to step down as Chair at FiSH
FiSH Neighbourhood Care has announced that Crispin O’Brien has stepped down as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Crispin has decided to stand down after four years as Chair during which the charity has developed and grown significantly. Amongst the many achievements during this time were the appointment of a new director, a successful fundraising campaign for a third FiSH bus, the granting of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, and the successful response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Crispin said: “It has been a huge honour to serve as Chair. FiSH is entering a new phase of its development and planning. The Board will soon begin work on the next three-year strategic plan; it is right that a new Chair will lead on this. I am very proud of the work we continue to do to support and cherish elderly and isolated people in Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen. I will continue to volunteer and be a passionate supporter of FiSH.”
Peter Anderson, on behalf of the Board added, “We would like to thank Crispin publicly for his commitment and tireless enthusiasm. Trustees, staff and the wider FiSH community have all benefitted from his leadership. Crispin has achieved an enormous amount over the past four years, and we wish him well when he steps down”.
Crispin has decided to stand down after four years as Chair during which the charity has developed and grown significantly. Amongst the many achievements during this time were the appointment of a new director, a successful fundraising campaign for a third FiSH bus, the granting of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, and the successful response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Crispin said: “It has been a huge honour to serve as Chair. FiSH is entering a new phase of its development and planning. The Board will soon begin work on the next three-year strategic plan; it is right that a new Chair will lead on this. I am very proud of the work we continue to do to support and cherish elderly and isolated people in Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen. I will continue to volunteer and be a passionate supporter of FiSH.”
Peter Anderson, on behalf of the Board added, “We would like to thank Crispin publicly for his commitment and tireless enthusiasm. Trustees, staff and the wider FiSH community have all benefitted from his leadership. Crispin has achieved an enormous amount over the past four years, and we wish him well when he steps down”.
Anyone got a sweet tooth?
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Desserts are always hugely popular at any lunch arranged by FiSH and volunteers, Penny and Faith, were kept very busy in the Barnes Green kitchen during the summer whipping up mouthwatering roulades and crumbles! They also produced a variety of savoury dishes and during the first lockdown these edible delights, along with meals kindly donated by COOK in Barnes and East Sheen and also meals from the OSO Community Kitchen, were distributed weekly to vulnerable people in Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen. Amazingly over 1,400 meals were delivered!
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Open Gardens 2020
For details of our popular Open Gardens event click here. This year we have gone online, so you can visit the gardens from the comfort of your own armchair.
Plenty more FiSH... FiSH Patron Anneka Rice launches new bus
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Transport is at the heart of everything that FiSH does, which is why we have bought a new fully accessible bus for our fleet. The third bus is vital to take older people to a wide range of social and cultural events and also to the supermarket. FiSH operates its bus service in partnership with RaKAT (Richmond Kingston Accessible Transport) and demand for the service is high. In 2018/9 FiSH organised 10,544 passenger journeys on the buses. This included 100 escorted shopping trips to supermarkets, while 760 people enjoyed outings to a variety of places of interest, concerts and events; another 500 people were carried on FiSH buses hired out to different community groups in the Borough. Since the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, local journeys through Barnes, Mortlake and Sheen can take twice as long as they should, which is not ideal for elderly passengers. A third bus means more but shorter journeys. “Our volunteer bus escorts do a splendid job caring for passengers and now we have three buses we are on the lookout for more of these essential “cabin crew” as well as drivers,“ says icky Forster, Director of FiSH. “Of course, we provide all our volunteers with relevant training to ensure they feel supported and equipped to do the job. If anyone has a few hours a week to spare and would like to help on our buses, please contact us. You will be doing an important job and it’s really fun!” Equipping and running three accessible buses is not a cheap operation and FiSH is indebted to its regular funders and loyal supporters, including Richmond Council, Richmond Parish Lands Charity, Barnes Workhouse Fund and St Paul’s Junior School, who have made this third bus possible. “A third bus means more outings for our members, shorter journey times on local runs, and an ability to hire out our buses to Age UK and other partner charities, “explains Micky. “FiSH accessible transport is the most important part of our operation. This is because it’s so much more than a bus service. It isn’t just about delivering people and their shopping to their front doors and taking them to lectures, concerts and classes. It’s a social event,” says FiSH Transport Co-ordinator, Deborah Carter. “This not just any bus service, this is FiSH accessible transport with psychological benefits.” Without this community transport service many older residents in Barnes, Mortlake and Sheen would be home alone and house bound. |
MeetUpMondays have come to East Sheen
For several years, ‘Combating Loneliness’ has been one of FiSH’s straplines. Getting people together, making friends, keeping active and bringing the neighbourhood together has been at the heart of all we do. So we were very excited to learn about an initiative called MeetUpMondays.
MeetUpMondaysTM initially began in Wimbledon, took off in Suffolk and is now spreading across the country. It’s a great way to start the week, a chance for neighbours to get together in a community space, have a FREE cup of tea or coffee, a few nibbles and some good conversation whilst making new friends.
FiSH is partnering with The Hare and Hounds pub, who will be hosting MeetUpMondaysTM in East Sheen from Monday September 9th, 11:00-13:00 each week. We are also grateful to Sceon + Berne who have kindly agreed to sponsor this activity for six months.
Do you live alone? Are you a Carer? Unemployed? Recently retired? Do you work from home? Widowed? Has life suddenly gone pear shaped for you? Do you just like meeting people and having a chat? If so, come and join us at The Hare and Hounds on Monday mornings. Everyone welcome!
MeetUpMondaysTM initially began in Wimbledon, took off in Suffolk and is now spreading across the country. It’s a great way to start the week, a chance for neighbours to get together in a community space, have a FREE cup of tea or coffee, a few nibbles and some good conversation whilst making new friends.
FiSH is partnering with The Hare and Hounds pub, who will be hosting MeetUpMondaysTM in East Sheen from Monday September 9th, 11:00-13:00 each week. We are also grateful to Sceon + Berne who have kindly agreed to sponsor this activity for six months.
Do you live alone? Are you a Carer? Unemployed? Recently retired? Do you work from home? Widowed? Has life suddenly gone pear shaped for you? Do you just like meeting people and having a chat? If so, come and join us at The Hare and Hounds on Monday mornings. Everyone welcome!
