Gifts gathered in Shaftesbury for children’s hospital

An unlikely trio of an armed forces charity, motorbikers, and a funeral director have combined their strengths to make sure children in hospital get some extra special toys this Christmas.

Dan Skinner, one of our Funeral Service Operatives based in Shaftesbury, is currently rallying the troops to take part in a toy run to Dorset County Hospital on Saturday 16 December.

The idea was kicked off at his local meeting of the Royal British Legion Riders and he has already secured £500 of donations from Southern Co-op which runs The Co-operative Funeralcare – Shaftesbury.

The donations will be made to the Kingfisher Ward which is for children and young people aged 0 to 17 years. It has 17 inpatient beds for a variety of specialities and Dan wants to make sure the ward is filled with gifts that all the children can enjoy.

Dan said: “I am currently trying to bring together as many people as I can muster. The more involvement, the more donations and the more the children will benefit.

“The hospital staff have sent me a list of items they would be very grateful for so this donation will make a great difference. I was really taken aback with the quantity of toys donated, it’s really generous.

“We have approached other motorcycle groups as well so I hope we’ll have a good attendance, the idea being that everyone brings something to donate.”

The Royal British Legion Riders branch exists primarily to support the poppy appeal but will also lend a hand in the community when they are able.

But it’s not just charity work that they get involved in. Dan fondly remembers him and his fellow bikers taking part in a surprise birthday visit to a nursing home for a gentleman in his nineties who loved his fast cars and motorcycles.

Dan said: “The nursing home had organised an ice cream van and the sun shone. It really made his day.

“We also do a lot of funeral escorts as well, at the request of families, mostly for veterans who have passed away.”

To find out more about the Dorset branch of the Royal British Legion Riders, visit www.facebook.com/RBLRDorset/ or email dorset@riders-mail.com.

Memories to be placed on trees of remembrance this Christmas

Residents are being asked to decorate a Christmas tree with memories this year with the iconic firs being placed in more than 60 locations across the south of England.

Southern Co-op is sending special greetings cards to families they have looked after who have lost a loved one this year. The cards include a pop-out star to let their memories shine bright this Christmas.

They are then being invited to place their stars on the memory trees being put up in Southern Co-op branches of The Co-operative Funeralcare throughout December.

These are based in Alton, Andover, Ash Vale, Aylesbury, Basingstoke, Bishops Waltham, Bognor Regis, Bracknell, Brighton, Camberley, Chichester, Cosham, East Cowes, Emsworth, Fareham, Farnborough, Felpham, Fleet, Freshwater, Frome, Gillingham, Gosport, Havant, Hayling Island, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, Hove, Liss, Newport, Peacehaven, Portsmouth, Ryde, Sandown, Shaftesbury, Shanklin, Shoreham by Sea, Sturminster Newton, Uckfield, Warminster, Waterlooville, Wendover, Whitchurch, and Worthing.

Trees will also be located at The Oaks Crematorium in Havant and East Devon Crematorium in Whimple.

The trees are open to everyone in order to give them the opportunity to write a personal message to someone who is no longer with them this Christmas.

Lesley Hadley, Bereavement Coordinator from Southern Co-op’s free Bereavement Care service, said: “This is a meaningful way to acknowledge the absence of our loved ones, and make a start on creating new rituals and traditions that will include them.

“If you are finding this time of year hard, remember to be kind to yourself. It’s okay to spend time in quiet contemplation if you would prefer that to being ‘jollied along’ by well-meaning friends and family.

“Give yourself the opportunity to do what makes you feel most comfortable, rather than what others think you should be doing.”

Information on free bereavement support is available on www.bereavementcare.uk.

Village hall installs CCTV after defibrillator damaged in break-in

A village hall, which suffered a spate of vandalism, has installed CCTV to protect the community space from future damage.

East Stour Village Hall had 12 fire extinguishers destroyed, its defibrillator was broken and fire doors were wrecked during a spate of break-ins in 2018.

The village hall committee decided enough was enough and agreed to look into installing CCTV.

Suzanne Smith, Funeral Co-ordinator at The Co-operative Funeralcare ‑ Shaftesbury, offered to donate £500 to cover the majority of the costs.

Suzanne said: “The village hall is such a central part in our community that we wanted to do something to help.

“We are part of Southern Co-op – the regional co-operative – so do our best to help local causes where we can.

“Many of the local village clubs and societies meet there so the vandalism was affecting a lot of people. We are really pleased to see the vandalism has now stopped.”

East Stour Village Hall hosts many of the local activities and events and was first opened in 1973 with a major refurbishment in 2016.

The improvements to the Hall also marked the end of the Village Action Plan which included planting 9,000 daffodils in roadside verges, renovating the central phone box into a lending library and installing a defibrillator at the village hall.

Mary Dowding, Chair of the East Stour Village Hall Committee, said: “The village hall has been here for 40 years and we have never considered CCTV. But last year we decided we finally needed it as a means of trying to keep an eye on things.

“We were extremely grateful that Southern Co-op was able to help out. The donation went a long way towards the overall costs. Thankfully we have had no further incidents this year.”

Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ aims to help communities become greener, healthier, safer and more inclusive.

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

Baking gets a financial boost in Shaftesbury

New ingredients have been whipped up for a Dorset support group which has been supporting vulnerable residents for over 10 years.

Colleagues at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Shaftesbury have donated £300 to support cookery classes run by Shaftesbury & District Carers Association.

Hope 2 Bake is one of a number of projects run by the charity working for the benefit of those vulnerable and at risk within the community.

The charity started as a drop-in to provide a safe haven for those who need it and has since expanded to include a wide range of projects to help people learn new skills and enjoy themselves.

Michael Player, Funeral Co-ordinator at the Shaftesbury funeral branch – part of Southern Co-op, said: “Being part of a regional, independent co-operative enables us to support our local community in a number of ways. This charity and the groups it runs make such a difference to people who attend. It is really heartening to see it in action.

“The project assists people with their mental health as it allows them to join together in a safe place and learn new skills. It also helps them to socialise and gain the confidence to get out into the community more. We hope it continues for many years to come.”

The aim of the Hope 2 Bake project is to encourage people to explore and enjoy cooking and creating culinary delights, while also giving them a fun reason to get out of the house.

While the majority of classes are spent baking, light meals such as soups, curries and lasagnes, or savoury snacks like sausage rolls or cheese sticks are also a fun option that participants frequently enjoy.

The classes run from Monday to Thursday 10 to 4pm at Longmead Industrial Estate, Shaftesbury.

Eileen Crew, Founder of Shaftesbury and District Carers, said: “The donation The Co-operative Funeralcare gave us kindly will be used towards the day to day running of our cookery classes. It will also be used for fresh daily ingredients for them to use while cooking.

“We are very grateful for their kind donations and without donations our projects would not be able to continue.

“These projects have been running for over the last 10 years and we would love to be able to still deliver these projects as we feel it has such a positive impact on the community and the individuals that attend.”

To find out more about the classes and other support offered by the local group, visit www.shaftesburycarers.org.

Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ aims to make neighbourhoods greener, healthier, safer and/or more inclusive.

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

Local Read Easy group gets a funding boost

Adults who struggle with reading in Gillingham and Shaftesbury will be getting a new set of books thanks to a donation from a local co-operative.

Elizabeth and Rosalind from Read Easy with Suzanne Smith

Colleagues at The Co-operative Funeralcare, in Shaftesbury, have been regularly supporting Read Easy Gillingham and Shaftesbury through use of their conference room.

And they were so impressed by the work of the local group that they have also donated £200 to buy a new set of reading manuals.

Read Easy is a not-for-profit organisation that recruits, trains and supports volunteers to give free one-to-one help to adults who find reading difficult for any reason.

The local project covers Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Wincanton, Sherborne and the surrounding villages.

Co-ordinator for the local group, Jenny, said: “It is estimated that one in six adults in the UK struggles, or lacks confidence, with reading.

“Read Easy is flexible and confidential to learn at your own pace with a volunteer coach to help. Currently we have twenty four adults enrolled with two more starting soon.

“The recent donation has been used to buy one complete set of reading manuals and books as well as two books of worksheets used for improving reading and writing fluency a total of 37 books altogether – this is so much appreciated, thank you very much to our friends at Southern Co-op.“

The Shaftesbury funeral branch, part of the regional, independent co-operative Southern Co-op, has also inspired their sister branch in Gillingham to provide a meeting point for the group.

Suzanne Smith, Southern Co-op’s Funeral Co-ordinator in Shaftesbury, said: “Local groups like this make such a difference to our community. The impact that the volunteers have on people’s lives is invaluable. We are proud to support them.”

The donation was made as part of Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’. This initiative addresses four key social themes – promoting greener, healthier, safer, and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

To find out more about ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’, visit www.southernco-op.co.uk/makingadifference. To find out more about Read Easy or if you know someone who would like help to read you, contact 07748 977 330 or visit www.readeasy.org.uk.

Rally proves a success despite bad weather

More than £3,500 was raised by a Shaftesbury’s Funeral Co-ordinator and her partner through their annual Vintage Vehicle Rally & Family Fun Day.

Cars line up at the Vintage Vehicle Rally & Family Fun Day

Held in the grounds of The Udder Farm Shop on 28 July, the event was held in aid of the Salisbury Hospice charity and Salisbury Hospital Stars Appeal Campaign.

Organisers Tony Fowler and Suzanne Smith – who works at Southern Co-op’s Shaftesbury Funeral home – have run the rally now for eight years in memory of Suzanne’s Dad Barry Smith.

Visitors were treated to the sights and smells of vintage and modern tractors as well as a road run, stationary engines and a range of classic and vintage cars and bikes.

There were also stalls, live music, fairground rides, face painting, a bouncy castle, tastings, a raffle and a barbecue.

Vintage tractors at the Vintage Vehicle Rally & Family Fun Day

Suzanne said: “The day itself started out brilliantly and we had a huge amount of visitors and the biggest ever turn out of exhibits and stall holders.

“Sadly we had to close the show for the safety of the public due to bad weather so to have raised so much for the charities in such a short amount of time was brilliant as they are such special causes to us.

“We have a strong group of friends that have always been available to help out and we can’t thank them enough. But as the show has grown over the past eight years, this year we were in need of extra help so we owe a huge thanks to staff from Southern Co-op who also all came along to help with car parking, marshalling, and donation collecting as well as anything else that needed doing on the day.”

To find out more about Southern Co-op’s Funeralcare in Shaftesbury and its commitment to the local community, visit www.funeralcare.co.uk.

Caring new service is welcomed by Mayor of Shaftesbury

Mayor of Shaftesbury, Cllr Winifred Harvey, welcomed guests from the local community at a VIP evening hosted by The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare to celebrate the opening of its new funeral branch in the Shaftesbury.

The celebration evening (6 Nov) included a dedication service for the Chapel of Rest which was led by Reverend Jan Crossley, associate Minister in the Shaftesbury Team Ministry and celebrant Louise Jopling. Funeral Co-ordinators at the branch, Pauline Stockton and Jayne Keitch, presented Cllr Harvey with a cheque for £250 on behalf of The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare for The Friends of Westminster Memorial Hospital, one of the Mayor’s charity recipients.

The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare Shaftesbury VIP open evening 6 Nov 2014

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