PKAVS Newsletter. Spring/Summer

Transcription

1 PKAVS Newsletter Spring/Summer

2 Welcome Welcome to the PKAVS Spring/Summer Newsletter. My name is Paul Graham and I was delighted to take on the role of Chief Executive of PKAVS in February. During the past few weeks I have been spending time meeting our staff, volunteers and the people PKAVS work with across Perth & Kinross. What has struck me the most from my visits has been the unwavering commitment of our staff and volunteers to truly bring to life our PKAVS Vision where communities are inclusive and local people fulfil their potential. I have had the pleasure of visiting PKAVS projects across Perth and Kinross, from our Day Centre at the Gateway, from the Walled Garden to Wisecraft, and from Minority Communities Surgeries and Young Carers Groups, to Community Planning Partnership meetings where the Third Sector Hub provides a strong voice as an advocate for all of the Voluntary Sector. I am extremely proud to be PKAVS Chief Executive and look forward to working alongside all of our staff and volunteers to help provide the vital support and services everyone connected with PKAVS is so rightly proud of. In this edition of our newsletter you will see updates about some of the exciting new developments across all of our services and Hubs. The PKAVS family continues to grow from strength to strength delivering positive outcomes for the people we work with, enhancing lives and connecting communities across all of Perth and Kinross. I hope you find our newsletter interesting and informative and look forward to your continuing support for PKAVS. Paul Graham Chief Executive PKAVS Chairperson Andy Chan welcoming Paul Graham as Chief Executive 2

3 Are you ready for the BIGGEST, BEST and most COLOURFUL PKAVS event this Summer? This year, join us on Saturday 4th June at Scottish Assault Courses, Errol for the ultimate day of family fun and Muddy Colour Mayhem! Test Yourself Water Obstacles Challenge Your Friends Monkey Bars 7ft Walls Muddy Colour Mayhem is your chance to test yourself at one of the most demanding civilian assault courses in Scotland, have fun, get colourful and raise funds for your local charity. As you wade through mud and challenge yourself to strength sapping obstacles, you will be showered in colour, making this the most colourful assault course in PKAVS history. If mud isn t your thing you can still join in the fun at our spectator points and entertainment zone with inflatable fun, stalls, food and so much more! Adult Price 25 (over 16years) Child Price 15 (8 years 16 years) Team Entry 20 (over 16 years, 4 or more people) Sign up now AT: 3

4 Hold on to your hats, it s PKAVS Autumn Ladies Day at Perth Racecourse! PKAVS are incredibly excited to have been chosen as the charity partner for the September fixture a high profile event in the Racecourse calendar building on the success they have had raising significant funds for charities in the past. On the day there will be a luxury pamper lounge, pantomime horse race, and the chance to win 1,000 for the best dressed Modern Tweed! Having held our charity ball at Perth Racecourse in 2015 we are looking forward to working alongside them once again at such a notable event. Be sure to keep an eye on the PKAVS website and social media pages to be kept up to date with all the exciting developments. Donna Bednarek, Fundraiser at PKAVS commented, PKAVS are delighted to be hosting Autumn Ladies Day this September. Having held our charity ball at Perth racecourse in 2015, we are confident that the team will work tirelessly to create a successful, high-profile fundraising event. Working once again with such a fantastic local business will help us not only to spread the word about PKAVS, but will allow us to raise much needed funds for our wide-reaching, vital work in the local community. We look forward to welcoming PKAVS supporters, old and new, to the racecourse this year. Be sure to tell your friends, family and colleagues about this exciting event. Keep an eye on the PKAVS website and social media pages for all the latest news. 4

5 Participatory Budgeting Success In January, our Carers Hub supported unpaid carers at the first ever Perth & Kinross Participatory Budgeting event. This event gave carers the choice to decide on projects which should be funded in order to better support carers in the local area. On the day, there were 23 presentations and we are overjoyed that 4 of our projects were voted for and will now receive 6,700. This money will help to support: 60 carers and those they care for to take a holiday Young adult carers to go on a residential Delivery of holistic therapies in the rural areas Development of a carers theatrical group Munro Baggers One of our top achievements towards the end of 2015 was a particularly challenging walk up Perth & Kinross Munro, Schiehallion. This challenging walk was a joint effort by Young Carers, Young Adult Carers and clients of PKAVS Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub over the October break and altogether 13 bagged the Munro. A fantastic day was had by all and we are already looking to our next challenge! 5

6 Young Carers Consultation Event When: Where: Wednesday 27th April, 6pm to 8pm National Christian Outreach Centre, Riggs Road, Perth, PH1 1PR PKAVS Young Carers Service would like to invite you to their annual consultation event. We would like to get feedback from young carers, their families and professionals about the service. This event will also allow us to reflect on the last year as well as share information about changes and developments within the service. Young Crime Scene Investigators Recently, PKAVS Young Carers have spent time investigating their very own mock crime scenes with the help of Forensic Footprints Perth. The budding detectives have had great fun dusting finger prints and learning more about crime scene investigation. Carers benefit from Time4Me In 2015, PKAVS Carers Hub was awarded money from Shared Care Scotland to support carers to access short breaks. Since receiving the funding, we have supported 43 unpaid carers to access respite from short holidays to learning a new skill. This year s fund is now closed however we encourage unpaid carers to contact the PKAVS Carers Hub to discuss other options of respite and support that are available. I am really happy about the services received. I got support with every step of it and the grant received changed a lot for us. I think this Time4Me pot for carers is a great idea. I felt as if it was just for me! 6

7 Shopmobility Perth Shopmobility is a PKAVS project which lends wheelchairs and scooters to people with limited mobility. The project is a lifeline for hundreds of older and disabled people as it allows them to retain their independence and continue taking part in the community. The Shopmobility team is small but incredibly devoted to their cause. They are always looking for volunteers to help with the project so if you feel you could get involved Dave.McLellan@pkavs.org.uk or call Santander backs PKAVS We are delighted to announce our charity partnership with Santander Perth who have pledged to support and fundraise for us at events throughout the coming year. Donna Bednarek, Fundraiser for PKAVS, commented: We are incredibly grateful that Santander has chosen to work with us and look forward to a successful and exciting year ahead. If you want to find out how you can support PKAVS, contact the fundraising team today on or fundraising@pkavs.org.uk SAVE THE DATE PKAVS Charity Ball Friday the 9th September 2016 Huntingtower Hotel, Perth Tickets cost 50pp or 450 for a table of 10 fundraising@pkavs.org.uk or call to book 7

8 Celebrating our Volunteers At PKAVS, we value the contribution our volunteers make. To celebrate and honour their commitment, we recently threw a party for our Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub volunteers at the Walled Garden. Staff and volunteers had great fun with indoor competitions including curling, soft darts, connect4 and bowling. A big thank you to everyone who volunteers with us! To find out more about volunteering opportunities visit or telephone Smart Recovery Laura, Janice and Dave recently attended SMART recovery facilitator training enabling the Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub to facilitate SMART Recovery meetings for people struggling with addiction and/or mental ill health. The first meeting will be held on Monday the 25th of April, at Wisecraft in Blairgowrie, from 5.30pm to 7pm. The meeting is being held in partnership with Tayside Council for Alcohol and Perth & Kinross Council. Wedding Bells at the Walled Garden A trip to a local Blairgowrie farm owned by one of our volunteers. Off to Meigle In Winter, clients of our Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub enjoyed a residential break at Belmont Outdoor Education Centre in Meigle. Although challenging weather affected some of the planned activities, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Belmont proved so popular that we are already planning a return visit in Spring to do some camping. Watch this space! 8 The Walled Garden was the venue of choice for Jenny Roberts and Stephen Cargill to hold their wedding reception at the end of last year. The bride and groom enjoyed a meal and cut their cake in the café then had photographs taken in the beautiful landscape of our garden. Best wishes to for their future Come along to our BIG Spring Event & Plant Sale on Saturday the 28th of May, 11am-3pm at the Walled Garden

9 Minority Communities Hub (MEAD) Did you know that PKAVS Minority Communities Hub and Perth & Kinross Council hold an ethnic minority parents and young child group, every alternate Tuesday of the month? The group meets at the Community Connect building, located on the High street in Blairgowrie, and caters for children to the age of 5 and their parents. To find out more please contact Marlena Nowaczyk on All are encouraged to join the fun group; participating in arts and craft activities, singing, story time and sharing life experiences and support with others. Our hub also work with Pitlochry High School and offer Pitlochry Play, Arts and Craft Group which is held at 3:30-5pm, every second Wednesday at the school. This opportunity is open to all children and their parents and we welcome other families to attend, and to share cultural experiences. Minding the Gap In February, PKAVS Minority Communities Hub revealed findings from a Scotland-wide study of services working with minority ethnic communities. This study is the first of its kind in Scotland and we were delighted to host a National Conference at Perth Concert Hall with Key Note Speaker Marco Biagi MSP, Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment, to reveal the findings. We hope that the findings of this milestone report and the recommendations we have made will be taken forward by the Scottish Government to help address the issues being faced by minority ethnic communities across Scotland. Mohammed Afzal, Hub Manager. Read the full report online at The Scottish Parliament election is to be held on the 5th of May. Poles, as residents in Scotland, have a right to vote and an obligation to register for the election. Take matters into your own hands. Find out more at: 9

10 Boost your Heart and Soul Volunteering can have such a positive impact as you gain experience in a new environment, share your skills, feel a sense of achievement and make things happen as you give time and energy to help develop your community. The Volunteer drop-in at PKAVS is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm and we welcome anyone interested in volunteering to pop along. There are many places that are looking for volunteers and many opportunities, such as volunteer sports coaches, charity shop assistants, drivers and befrienders. Someone from the Third Sector and Volunteering Hubs team is around at the drop-ins to help answer questions, make suggestions and help you with the next steps to get involved. If you can t make it into Perth, we can arrange for someone to come to you. For more information contact us now on Ways to Donate PKAVS relies on the generosity of the public to aid us raise valuable funds so we can enhance lives and connect communities throughout Perth & Kinross. Help us by donating today. Visit JustGiving.com/PKAVS Text PKAV01 (amount) to Click Donate Now on Facebook.com/PKAVS Visit EasyFundraising.org.uk/PKAVS to fundraise while you shop Or call and ask for the Fundraising Team 10

11 Living Wage Consultation In February PKAVS and the Common Weal worked with Pete Wishart MP to organise a meeting of the Third Sector to talk about the Living Wage. There was lots to discuss as the Living Wage is becoming an important issue for all employers, especially those in the Third Sector. Pete Wishart MP is campaigning for Perth to become the country s first Accredited Living Wage city and the meeting provided the opportunity for individuals and organisations to share their views and concerns. For more information please visit Welcome to the Team A warm welcome to Agnieszka, Wendy and Laura who recently joined the PKAVS team. Name: Agnieszka Title: Administration & Communications Assistant I am very proud to be part of a team that truly represents the voice of the third sector in Perth & Kinross. It s exciting to be helping people find volunteering opportunities to enhance their skills and become valued members of our community. Name: Wendy Title: Office Coordinator My role is a new position within PKAVS so I am really looking forward to introducing new processes and streamlining existing practices, hopefully to make a big difference. I have really enjoyed my first 3 months here and appreciate the welcome and assistance from everyone. Name: Laura Title: Receptionist I m extremely excited to be joining the PKAVS team and look forward to working with, and learning from, a great collective of people who dedicate themselves day after day to improving the lives of others. 11

12 12 DAYS OF Christmas PKAVS 12 Days of Christmas appeal was a great success raising OVER 7,900 FOR THE CHARITY Here are some of the highlights: Christmas Jumper Day with local businesses and schools taking part including T Go Creative, Goodlyburn Primary, Abernethy Primary, Perth & Kinross Council, GS Group, Fit for Less and Club 300. A festive quiz night held at the Salutation Hotel with the 1st place team winning a paintball experience for 10 and the coveted PKAVS Charity Quiz Champion s Trophy. A street collection at the Perth Christmas Lights Switch On, featuring characters such as Peppa and George Pig, and Handy Manny. Contact us The Gateway (Head Office), North Methven Street, Perth, PH1 5PP Tel: admin@pkavs.org.uk Perth & Kinross Association of Voluntary Service Ltd (PKAVS) is a registered Scottish charity (SC005561) and a company Limited by Guarantee, registered in Scotland (86065). Photo credit: Fraser Band Photography. Design by: tgocreative.co.uk