Jan 13, 2021 | ActivGardens, ActivHubs, ActivLives, ActivSinging, ActivSports
Due to the latest Government announcement and lockdown restrictions, ActivLives had to close all of our activity sessions again, including ActivSheds, the Sudbury project and limit the access to our two community gardens in Ipswich.
Staff are still able to access the office at Brightspace.
What are we doing during the Lockdown?
- We are monitoring the Covid-19 situation and Government announcements very closely and following strict guidance on hygiene / cleaning, social distancing and the wearing of face masks.
- The ActivOut and About Project continues to support people on a one to one basis who live on their own, are vulnerable or need some social contact and exercise to help with their physical / mental health. The walk may just be around the streets or in a park or green space. We are very grateful to Active Suffolk and Sport England for their support with this initiative. All our other ActivSports sessions are closed at the moment.
- Having been able to re-start our Step by Step (falls prevention) and ActivSteps sessions in Ipswich, Felixstowe, Woodbridge and Leiston, we have now had to close them all again. However, we are providing Better Balance sessions through live streaming on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday morning. If you would like to join one of the sessions with our OTAGO Instructors Del Keeble and Jo Powley contact Clare Macdonald at the main office on 01473 345350 for more information. We will restart face to face sessions, as soon as we are able. The Step by Step (Falls Prevention) programme is funded by Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG. We are still accepting referrals from health professionals, Social Prescribing Link workers and self-referral.
- It is very important that through the lockdowns or if you are shielding that you try and keep active. If you are not into live zooming, then why not visit our Activ@Home page on our website where you can find seated exercise videos with Jo. Please visit: https://activlives.org.uk/activhome/. You will also find quizzes, singing videos and lots more….
- Our Carers Elderflower Hub, Friday Friends Hub and our ActivSingers community singing groups remain closed, but we are keeping in contact with members and volunteers through regular welfare calls, WhatsApp groups and zoom singing sessions and socials.
- We are still working on the Bridging the Gap Project in partnership with NSFT / Willows Unit and the Recovery College and are currently working on a new ‘Connecting with Nature’ Webinar, which should be available in March.
- Our two lunch clubs at St Mary at Stoke Church & the Ipswich International Church remain closed but we are keeping in touch with members and volunteers. Hopefully, they will reopen again later in the year.
- Our Befriending / Welfare calls, shopping / food parcel delivery and medication collection will also continue, with our most vulnerable members / carers to help reduce their anxiety, loneliness and social isolation caused by the lockdown.
- ActivGardens – Our two Community Gardens in Ipswich are temporarily closed due to the current lockdown. Our provisional re-opening date is Monday 1st March. This also includes ActivSheds and ‘Grow Your Community’ in Sudbury’s park.
Essential work at the gardens and community apiary will continue with key volunteers and some placements will be able to continue to attend their programmes – by prior arrangement with staff.
- Please do keep in touch with all the activities at ActivGardens via the ActivLives website and social media, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need more information. Please visit: activlives.org.uk
We are obviously following Government COVID-19 Guidance to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers and members. We will reopen our activity sessions when it is safe to do so, but in the meantime, we will keep in touch with our members / volunteers to make sure they are OK and inform them of any developments with our activity and social programme.
A big thank you to all our funders and the amazing donations we have received to help the organisation through these unprecedented times and to the staff
and volunteers who have gone that extra mile to support our services and each other during the lockdowns. If you require any further information, please contact us on 01473 345350.
Please stay safe.
Regards
Julie Stokes CEO
Make sure you follow us on Facebook to keep up with everything – www.facebook.com/activlives
Oct 2, 2020 | ActivGardens, ActivHubs, ActivLives, ActivSinging, ActivSports
On Monday 23rd March 2020, due to the Covid-19 virus and Government lockdown ActivLives had to close all of our activity sessions, the Sudbury project and limit access to our two community gardens in Ipswich. The office closed at Brightspace and staff worked remotely, attended the gardens and two staff were furloughed for 2 months.
What we achieved through lockdown?
- We contacted 300 of our more vulnerable members and volunteers through regular befriending and welfare calls.
- We developed Activ@Home on our website/Facebook page with exercise videos, weekly quizzes, singing videos and launched our ‘That Reminds Me’ reminiscence, arts and photography project.
- We set up WhatsApp groups, so that our members could keep in touch with each other.
- We held regular zoom social and ActivSinging sessions and organised singing sessions outdoors in people’s gardens and in parks.
- Our two Community Gardens the People’s Community Garden at Maidenhall and Chantry Walled Garden at Chantry Park were closed to the general public, but were maintained by a skeleton team of staff and dedicated volunteers who followed strict social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
- We received thousands of plugs / plants for the IBC parks and our plant sales, which were nurtured by a small team of dedicated volunteers.
- We set up our plant on-line sales and delivery service to enable people to access plants during lockdown and to link with people in the community.
- A dedicated team of volunteers looked after our Bee Hives to ensure our bees survived through lockdown.
- We were able to continue providing healthy fresh produce and flowers for the local community at the People’s Community Garden, to help people through lockdown and keeping in touch with the community.
- The Staff and Trustees met regularly via Zoom sessions and this will continue for the foreseeable future.
- We continued to work on the Bridging the Gap project funded by Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG / Suffolk Community Foundation in partnership with NSFT / Willows Unit and the Recovery College holding regular zoom meetings and working on learning plans for Inclusive sport and Connecting with Nature.
- For those people who didn’t have access to the internet we printed hard copy exercise sheets, quiz booklets, produced a CD and hard copy songbooks which were distributed to members to try and keep them connected.
- We would like to thank all our funders for being very supportive and understanding through this very difficult time particularly the National Lottery, Suffolk Community Foundation, County, Borough, District & Town Councils and Councillors.
Where we are now?
- We are monitoring the Covid-19 situation and Government announcements very closely and following strict guidance on hygiene / cleaning, social distancing and the wearing of face masks.
- We have been working closely with venues on risk assessments to ensure that our members, volunteers and staff are safe and to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
- We have been working on our re-start plan to gradually re-introduce some activity sessions again to help our members improve their physical and mental health and build their confidence, after many of them have had to shield during lockdown.
- The ActivOut and About Project has been operating since July and has focussed on offering Covid-19 compliant outdoor exercise opportunities including chair-based exercise in people’s gardens, walks in local green spaces and badminton and boccia in the park. We are very grateful to Active Suffolk and Sport England for their support for this initiative.
- Inclusive Badminton, Boccia and Badminton sessions are planning to re-start in October / November 20. We are taking a gradual approach to re-opening these sessions, taking into account the myriad of Covid-19 regulations from the venues, sports governing bodies, Sport England and the DCMS.
- We have re-started some of our Step by Step falls prevention and ActivSteps sessions in Ipswich and Felixstowe, with others planned to open in October if we can. A new member of staff has been recruited to develop the Step by Step Falls Prevention projected, funded by Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG and she will be joining us in November.
- The People’s Community Garden, Chantry Walled Garden and the Sudbury Project have welcomed back existing volunteers and new volunteers to all the different projects currently underway at ActivGardens and Chantry Walled Garden is now open to the general public on Thursdays from 10am – 3pm.
- ActivSheds has re-opened on Fridays with a limited number of volunteers at each session and a new specialist session has opened on Thursdays for people with a disability or people living with Dementia and their Carers, which can offer more 1-1 support.
- The Elderflower Carers Hub has re-started at the CRESS Pavilion off Halifax Road with a new rota in place for members and volunteers, so that members, volunteers and staff can have an enjoyable session, whilst being socially distanced and keep people safe in the venue.
- WhatsApp groups, Zoom social and singing sessions will continue so that we can keep in touch with members across Ipswich and East Suffolk.
- We are continuing to develop the Bridging the Gap Project in partnership with NSFT / Willows Unit and the Recovery College and have through September been able to go back on the wards with table top gardening. Hopefully, our Boccia sessions will be able to re-start again soon.
- The Friday Friends Hub at Whitehouse and funded by the North West Ipswich Big Local Trust will hopefully re-start in October / November time. It will be a slightly shorter session with a rota in place for members, Carers and volunteers. We are currently working with the Church to ensure it is a Covid-secure venue and session. The Friday Friends zoom social sessions will continue to ensure we support our members living with Dementia and their carers.
- With the current Government announcements our two lunch clubs at St Mary at Stoke Church & the Ipswich International Church may not open until next year. However, we will be monitoring the guidance carefully and if we can open sooner we certainly will.
- Our Befriending / Welfare calls will also continue with our most vulnerable members to help reduce their anxiety, loneliness and social isolation caused by the lockdown.
We are taking things very slowly to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers and members. We will continue to open sessions where and when we can and keep in touch with our members to make sure they are OK and inform them of any developments with our activity and social programme.
A big thank you to all our funders and the amazing donations we have received to help the organisation through these unprecedented times and to the staff and volunteers who have gone that extra mile to support our services and each other during lockdown. If you require any further information, please contact us on 01473 345350.
– Julie Stokes CEO
Jun 26, 2020 | ActivLives
Charities from Suffolk are appealing for the support of businesses across the county, in helping elderly and vulnerable people stay connected with crucial lifelines during the pandemic.
Suffolk Family Carers, ACE Anglia and Suffolk User Forum have identified dozens of individuals who are at risk of missing out on key service provision, or losing all family contact, because of a lack of technology and communication devices.
Alongside a number of other charities, the organisations have been battling on a daily basis to help vulnerable groups deal with a lack of tablets, laptops and mobile phones, as well as 4G or broadband – all of which would help individuals stay in touch, order groceries, or request repeat prescriptions.
The lack of technological devices also means such groups are at risk of missing out on key services and resources available in the community, because they are not able to search the internet.
Participation in the government’s new track and trace initiative will also be prohibitive.
Kirsten Alderson, CEO of Suffolk Family Carers, believes local businesses could play a key part in ensuring vulnerable individuals and households were better supported at this challenging time.
She said: “It’s very easy to assume that everyone has access to the internet these days, or that they can be in touch with friends and family via smartphones and tablet devices.
“The reality is, this simply isn’t the case. Every day we’re speaking to families or individuals who are being deprived of resources, or further isolated in their own lives, because of a lack of technology and communication.
“It would make the world of difference if we could encourage businesses within the county to play a part in helping us at this time of need.”
Some of the ways in which businesses might look to support the initiative, include:
- Donate equipment such as smart phones, tablets or laptops for vulnerable users. This could be used, but ideally would be new.
- Provide technical support services to help configure phones to meet specific user needs or a ‘helpdesk’ to walk people through any basic problems
- Prepare training materials for individuals who are learning how to use technology for the first time. This could take the form of a webinar or be face to face via zoom/MS teams etc
- Provide funding to allow the ongoing connection of the devices to mobile or broadband providers
Andrea Clark, of Ace Anglia, commented: “The Suffolk Learning Disability strategy promotes people living a good ordinary life with the right support at the right time.
“Ace Anglia believe that access to, and the use of technology is vital to support people with a learning disability and or Autism ‘to live good ordinary lives’.”
Jayne Stevens, of Suffolk User Forum, added: “We have completely changed the way we provide our support and know how vital regular contact is for the people who we reach out to.
“Whilst many of us are finding this a stressful time, for people living with mental health problems the impact of isolation can be almost unbearable.
We need to remember that many people cannot afford a smartphone, tablet or laptop and these are essential for staying connected with friends, family, professionals and for accessing online resources.
We are concerned that some of the people who need support most, are the ones missing out. That’s where the wider community can help.”
If you or your business can help, please contact Richard Smale on 07976 722629.
Apr 3, 2020 | ActivGardens, ActivLives
Integral work has been happening at our gardens to make sure our plants & produce stay healthy and alive!
We have ensured that all of our staff and key volunteers are sticking to the Government guidelines by staying 2m apart, having staggered breaks, doing deep cleans daily, and making sure to only do integral work (i.e. potting up, watering, etc).
People’s Community Garden – by Bev
We have been preparing beds to seed directly, lots of seed sowing going on in the polytunnels. The soil in all beds has been manured and mulched to improve the structure. Our new compost bins are warming up with the grass cuttings. The potatoes are in, with 2 rows of cabbages, the broad beans have flowers already. The Summer House has turned into a bee information centre and the pond has lots of frogspawn in it; we have added materials to encourage the frogs to stay nearby. The sensory gardens and herb spiral are springing into life. The plan is to produce enough vegetables and fruit to support the local community in difficult times. We have preserved beetroot, shallots and have made rhubarb Jam in preparation for future markets. We have sown 200 hundred sunflower seeds to give to each local household to encourage them to our markets when the world recovers from the COVID-19 virus. We have a blue tit nesting in a bird box near the entrance.
Chantry Walled Garden – by Susannah
Meanwhile over at CWG we potted up 3,000 Geranium last week, to be planted out in Ipswich parks and green spaces. We are awaiting the arrival of the perennials order next week – around 1,000 plants, with 1,000 bedding plants due the following week.
We are also making a start on renovating the long flower border so – when all this is over – people will be able to come and enjoy something really special.
Well done and huge thanks to all team who are keeping the sites going – observing strict precautions on social distancing and hygiene.
Bees – by Adee
The bees are slowly coming round from their winter slumber. The queen starts to lay eggs so the bees have to work hard to make ready for all the new worker bees that are about to be born. This can be a very difficult time for the hive, a cold wet spring can mean that the hive doesn’t survive, but a good sign to look for are bees coming back to the hive with lots of pollen on their legs. Flowers in bloom now and trees provide vital food for what’s to come. Other things to see as the days are getting warmer and longer all bees will be coming out of hibernation. You will see queen bumblebees out foraging before she goes to build her nest. Mason bees are emerging from their cocoons and butterflies will be waking up too. Slow worms, lizards and snakes will be basking in the sun before going off to hunt.
