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NEW - Chair Exercise Class
Chair-based exercise classes are designed to help improve strength and balance, especially aiding the muscles used in everyday activity. The exercises are performed from the comfort of a chair and each exercise is performed at a pace that suits the individual.  As from January 8th, and in association with Sheen Lane Health Centre, FiSH will be running a weekly exercise class at 3:00pm at Sheen Lane Health Centre.

The facilitator will be Victoria Hutton and each session will last 45 minutes, followed by tea and biscuits.  Participants do not need to book but will be asked to register on arrival and to give a donation of £4 per session to help cover costs.
 
For further details please call 020 8876 3336.
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New face at FiSH - Clare Smith
We are delighted to welcome Clare who will be joining us for the first few months of 2020 on a charity secondment courtesy of the John Lewis Partnership’s Golden Jubilee Trust. Clare, who is Team Manager at Waitrose in East Sheen, will be released by Waitrose who will pay her salary in full while releasing her to work for FiSH for 2.5 days a week. Clare is already a familiar face to many FiSH members. Waitrose has been very supportive of FiSH events such as Open Gardens and the Retro Café, supporting us with both donations in-kind and with releasing staff to volunteer for us. Clare will be working for FiSH in an engagement role – championing our activities in SW14, developing participation at our regular events as well as recruiting new members and volunteers in the area. We are extremely grateful to Waitrose for this wonderful opportunity to bring in an experienced manager who is so enthusiastic about our work. Thank you!

 “I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work alongside FiSH next year" commented Clare. "I am hoping to share my skills and pick up new ones. I have supported FiSH for the past 3 years through Waitrose and have been inspired with the great work you do in the community which I have enjoyed being part of."
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Mercers’ Outing ‘A Day to Remember’
 
The Mercers’ Company is the premier of Livery Company of the City of London with a rich history and heritage going back over 700 years. Mercers originally traded in cloth.

The FiSH outing to the Mercers’ Company on 31st October proved to be so popular that we were delighted to operate two buses. Thanks to our wonderful volunteer drivers and escorts who were able to transport our clients through London traffic to Ironmongers Lane in the City.
 
The beginning of the journey was somewhat rocky when one bus broke down while we were still in Barnes picking up our second client. Thanks to great teamwork from our volunteers, the outing went ahead. A replacement bus (Buttercup) was delivered within an hour by RAKAT to Walsingham Lodge where we had fortunately been able to retreat. Because we were running late, we had a snack lunch en route while the other FiSH bus enjoyed their lunch as planned in a Battersea Park Cafe. The two buses eventually met up there and we were driven by K and Dominic in convoy to the door of the Mercer’s Hall arriving at the arranged time of 2pm on the dot.
 
On arrival we were warmly greeted by our host Mercer, soon to be Master, Peter Lane.  We gathered in the beautiful reception hall where we were provided with refreshments and able to relax in luxurious comfy sofas and chairs before we began our guided tour.

We were directed to the nearby chapel where we were shown a spectacular late medieval statue of Christ discovered buried under the Mercer’s Chapel in 1953 during excavations for the new hall. Our party was then taken to the upstairs of the building and shown the impressive dining hall and meeting rooms where the walls are covered with portraits of distinguished Mercers and historical artefacts.

Our guide gave us a fascinating insight into the Livery Company, their history, how they operate today and the tremendous work they do for Charity focusing on young people and education, older people and housing as well as church and communities. The Mercers distribute up to £15m to charitable causes each year and FiSH is fortunate to be supported by them with a three year grant towards our work.

Amongst many other Mercers’ achievements, we learnt of their connection with St Paul’s School in Barnes. In 1509 John Colet, was appointed Dean of St Pauls. He was a great believer that education was an essential for spiritual regeneration, and he founded St Pauls School to provide free education for 153 boys ‘all nations and countries’. In the same year he was admitted to the Mercer Company and subsequently entrusted the management of the school to the Mercers’.

We have had wonderful feedback of the day from our clients. One wrote ‘Can I thank FiSH so very much for a wonderful day at the Mercers’. The volunteers went over and above all duties making it a fantastic trip out for us!! A day for us all to remember!
Picassos in the Park Exhibition
The members of our Picassos in the Park group recently visited the London Wetland Centre and the art they produced after that visit are currently exhibited at the Wetlands. Well worth a visit!
Picassos in the Park, supported by FiSH, run weekly art workshops for people living with early dementia.
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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!
Open Gardens 2019
Sunday 9th June was a marvellous day for our Open Gardens afternoon in East Sheen. The sun may not have shone very brightly but the buzz of conversation in every garden as neighbours introduced themselves to each other and discussed whether this plant was 'Angelica' or that rose was a 'Gertrude Jekyll' was heart-warming! Huge thanks to everyone who supported FiSH by generously opening their gardens, to the volunteers who helped in gardens or by pouring tea and Pimm's - and to all who  visited the gardens. We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did!
This wonderful community event, enjoyed this year by over 700 people, has also been a fantastic fundraiser, raising over £10,000 before costs.  We are most grateful to MESS for their support and to Savills' for their generous sponsorship.   
Barnes Fair 2019
Blessed with another beautifully sunny day, Barnes Fair took place, as always, on the second Saturday in July. We had our popular cake and plant stalls, both of which had sold out by the end of the afternoon.  Our even more popular bottle tombola drew the crowds throughout the day and many thirsty visitors to the Fair took advantage of our chilled water top-up point.  We are enormously grateful to everyone who donated cakes, plants and bottles and to all those who gave up their time to 'man' the stalls.  We raised just over £2,500 on the day!