Tag: leigh park

Sleeping bags and toiletries needed for Havant’s homeless

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Residents are being asked to dig deep into the backs of their cupboards and donate any unwanted goods to help the homeless.

Help for Havant Homeless is a non-profit organisation currently collecting donations to help support the homeless in the Havant borough council area.

To help with the donations, Southern Co-op’s funeral branch in Leigh Park has set up a collection point which colleagues hope to keep open throughout the winter and into 2021.

Help for Havant Homeless is looking for donations which will help the homeless through the cold months such as sleeping bags, toiletries and torches.

Charlene Price, a community volunteer, said: “So far the public have been fantastic. We’ve had lots of donations and are needing help in keeping the donations coming in, especially items such as tinned food and petrol as it involves a lot of driving around. It’s been a real team effort with founders Lisa and Jason Martin and Rio on social media.

“We have local business people helping and the kindness and generosity of people have been amazing such as Heidis in Emsworth which donates food it is unable to keep for the next day.

“If anyone is aware of a homeless person in the Havant Borough Council area it would be great for us to be notified, then we can go out and have a chat with them to see if we can help in any way, even if it’s just to hand out food to them. We will soon be working alongside Two Saints which supports people who are homeless, vulnerable or at risk of becoming homeless.”

Help for Havant Homeless delivers a hot meal three times a week plus anything else they need, such as a tent.

Petrol can be donated via Tesco gift cards and goods donations can be made Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm at The Co-operative Funeralcare – Leigh Park, at 224 Dunsbury Way.

Rachel Cast, Funeral Co-ordinator at the branch which is part of Southern Co-op – the regional co-operative, said: “I wanted to get involved to help out in our local community and actually to make a difference to someone who needs it.

“The donations will be really positive and hopefully help the people who need it most.”

Specific requests for Help for Havant Homeless are currently put on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Help-for-Havant-Homeless-115572733622637/ or questions can be emailed to helpforthehomeless@outlook.com.

Donation helps a mother’s campaign to get people talking about drugs

Posted on by ashleymarsh

A mother, whose daughter tragically died after taking drugs at a festival, has high hopes for the new year as a financial boost will allow her to continue spreading her important message.

Since she lost her daughter in 2018, Janine Milburn has been working hard to get more people talking about drugs in a bid that others’ lives might be saved.

Janine, who works full time at a care home near Chichester, has spent the last year talking at various groups about her campaign ‘Georgia Jones Don’t Go With The Flo’ which looks at harm reduction and related topics such as peer pressure in teenagers.

She wants to keep these talks free and available to everyone but she is reliant on donations and has just received £500 from The Co-operative Funeralcare in Leigh Park.

Tracy Newman, Funeral Co-ordinator at the branch which is part of Southern Co-op, said: “Janine is an incredibly inspiring woman and she is so dedicated to what she is doing. My colleague Rachel Cast supported her with her daughter’s funeral and we’ve followed her campaign over the last year.

“We hope the donation will enable her to continue spreading important information about drugs. If just one life is saved then it has been worth it.”

Janine recently spoke at Hayling College and said the response from pupils and teachers was absolutely brilliant.

She also has some exciting news which she hopes to reveal in the next few months which will enable her to get the message to even more school children across the county.

Janine said: “I have spent a lot of time talking and waiting and making sure what I offer fits into what schools need to educate their pupils safely. There is a fine line between educating kids and putting ideas into their heads.

“In the last 18 months I have learnt so much. The more I have delved into it, the more I have realised there isn’t the resources out there.

Janine Milburn

There are just a handful of people like me.

“There’s a lot of people who just don’t want to talk about drugs but Portsmouth is one of the worst cities in England for drug related deaths. A lot of dealers are selling through social media. It’s scary.

“You get a lot of people who say it’s their own fault as they knew what they were doing. Georgia thought she knew what she was doing but she didn’t have a clue. They all think they are invincible.

“MDMA when it its purest form can be dangerous but it’s also a drug that gets mixed with dangerous things. The more people talk about it, the more they can learn.”

Full details of the campaign can be found on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/flos2018/.

For further details on Southern Co-op’s community investment programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/makingadifference/.

Donation to benefit children with serious health challenges

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Two children with serious health challenges will be able to have a memorable and life-changing week of fun at a residential camp next year thanks to a donation from a regional co-operative.

The Havant-based charity, Over The Wall, originally approached The Co-operative Funeralcare in Widley for a donation of £50 to buy some cakes to help with fundraising.

When Community Fundraising Officer, Judith Meagher, phoned the funeral home to ask about the money, Funeral Co-ordinator Rianne Rose gave her the news that they weren’t donating £50 – they were instead going to donate £1,350.

Karen Willmett, Funeral Co-ordinator, said: “I’d been talking about the charity with a colleague at another one of our branches, also part of Southern Co-op, and they said they wanted to help with the donation to Over The Wall. Before I knew it, they all wanted to contribute which meant a total of £1,350.

“It’s such a special cause that everyone wants to help out. We heard how the children have such serious health challenges that many of them find it hard just to make friends.

“It’s not just funding these activity camps for free… it is everything that is involved from medical staff to refrigeration units for medication. We are so happy to hear that our donation will make a real difference.”

Nine funeral branches from Southern Co-op made up the final donation of £1,350 including The Co-operative Funeralcare in Widley, Hayling Island, Leigh Park, Emsworth, Cowplain, Cosham and Waterlooville.

Over The Wall has increased the numbers of campers attending its free residential activity camps for seriously ill children from 260 in 2010 to 867 in 2018, with plans to reach 1,500 by 2022.

Judith Meagher said: “When they first told me I screamed down the phone. I only went in to the branch on the off chance – I was actually visiting the cake store next door. I had gone away thinking ‘great’ I can buy lots of cakes for £50!

“So to get a donation of £1,350 is just the best news. It made me very emotional. That will pay for two children such as siblings to go to our family camp.

“We look after children affected by a huge number of different illnesses. At camp, we aim to build each camper’s confidence, self-esteem and coping strategies through challenges tailored for each child which could range from climbing a wall to making a new friend.”

At Health Challenge camps and Siblings camps, Over The Wall provide a team of volunteer qualified doctors, paramedics and nurses who provide all necessary care, giving medication, feeds, changing dressings, personal care, as well as monitoring their health over the duration of the camp.

Applications can be made for children aged 8 to 17 years, living in the UK, who are currently receiving treatment, or experiencing health challenges. To find out more, visit www.otw.org.uk.

Double the charity spirit at upcoming pub quiz

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Quiz goers are being encouraged to polish off their favourite pens as a special quiz is being held in aid of two local charities.

The stimulating evening of trivia is returning for a second year and being organised by The Co-operative Funeralcare in Leigh Park – part of Southern Co-op.

To add a bit of healthy competition into the evening, teams will also be competing from J Edwards Funeral Directors in Waterlooville and Bedhampton who are helping to organise the event.

Last year the quiz raised £150 for Park Families, in Leigh Park, which provides childcare and education, respite for families and training for individuals and companies.

This year, the two chosen local causes will be The Rosemary Foundation – a charity providing a ‘Hospice at Home’ service around Petersfield, and Malmesbury Lawn Care Home in Havant.

Rachel Cast, Funeral Co-ordinator in Leigh Park, said: “Last year’s event was great fun as everyone had a good laugh – whether they knew the answers or not!

“But we wanted to go one bigger this year so we have roped in our neighbouring funeral directors. However, the night won’t be doom and gloom as we promise to keep the conversation light-hearted and on topic.”

The charity quiz night is being held on Wednesday 31 July from 7.30pm at The Swan Pub, in Jessie Road, Bedhampton.

Tickets cost £10pp with six people per team including a buffet and entry into the prize draw.

Caroline Hayter, Funeral Co-ordinator at J Edwards in Waterlooville, said: “The Rosemary Foundation is a hospice at home team based in Petersfield helping families within a 15 mile radius. They were absolutely brilliant last year when they helped my mum who passed away on the 11 July.”

To book, visit The Co-operative Funeralcare in Leigh Park, J Edwards Funeral Directors in Bedhampton or Waterlooville, call 02392 484499 or email leighparkfuneral@southerncoops.co.uk.

To find out more about Southern Co-op’s commitment to making a difference, click here.

Families to benefit from charity quiz

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Quiz goers are being encouraged to dust off their best team names as a new charity quiz is being held in aid of families in Leigh Park.

Being organised by Southern Co-op’s Funeralcare in Leigh Park, colleagues are gearing up for the special night which will stimulate people’s brain cells.

All money raised will be donated to Park Families, in Leigh Park, which provides childcare and education, respite for families and training for individuals and companies.

Throughout the year the charity offers resources for children, free or subsidised access to a range of early education, support services, training, community services and venue access, and helps individuals and families in need.

Rachel Cast, Funeral Co-ordinator at Southern Co-op’s Funeralcare in Leigh Park, said: “Park Families is our current Charity Partner which is part of Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’.

“It is incredibly important in our local area as it is right in the centre of the community and helps children of different ages and abilities. It is a charity that a lot of us can relate to.

“So we are really hoping our first ever charity quiz night will be a success. There will be nibbles provided and a bar for people wanting to quench their thirst. If all goes well, who knows, this might be the first of many!”

The charity quiz night is being held on Friday 12 October at 7.30pm in Leigh Park Working Man’s Club, 439 Dunsbury Way.

Places can be booked via Southern Co-op’s Funeralcare in Leigh Park, at 224 Dunsbury Way, for £10 per team with six people per team.

To find out more, contact Rachel, Tina or Afton on 02392 484499 or email leighparkfuneral@southerncoops.co.uk.

Click here to find out more about Southern Co-op’s commitment to making a difference..