Westgate-on-Sea Community Spirit
A massive 680 wash bags for coronavirus frontline staff have been made by sewing enthusiasts following an appeal by Westgate’s Lorraine Hambidge.
Staff can put their uniforms in the bag before going home and it can then be put in the washing machine without removing it.
Around 45 sewing volunteers are helping and the aim is to make 1000 bags.
Lorraine, whose daughter and her partner and niece are all frontline staff, said the bags are also useful for porters and cleaners and any other staff on the frontline. She has one person from each town and village picking up and dropping off at volunteers doorsteps to make sure safety rules are adhered to.
Five hundred bags will go into use from Monday.
To contact Lorraine message the Westgate-on-sea Community Spirit Facebook page or email [email protected]
Garden Path Challenge
Coastal Striders member Simon Ballard has raised £870 for the NHS with an all day sprint up and down his garden path.
Simon, who is the president and coach at the running club, streamed his challenge live on facebook.
The dad-of-three, from Ramsgate, completed 34 miles and 34 laps -which was 3468 out and backs up the garden path of eight metres long. This meant turning 6936 times with approximately 1734 metres of elevation.
The challenge took Simon 8 hours and 20 minutes as it was not possible to get speed up. He ended up with a huge blister after all the turning but says raising money for the NHS was worth it.
Find his ‘Runbelievable Challenges’ fundraiser here
Isle of Thanet Photographic Society
The club suspended meetings in March but the lockdown has given members the opportunity to experiment using their cameras at home. A series of “lockdown challenges” has been set by our chairman so each month members will be sharing their images, showcasing their creativity and expertise. These images, along with an updated picture gallery, will be on our website in due course.
The first challenge was based on the theme of “water”. Club member Eddie Bradley managed to turn the water into wine with his creative use of black and white photography depicting wine glasses*.
We’ll try and share more images next month. In the meantime, we encourage everyone to use their cameras and other devices to capture images of everyday items in and around the home. It can be surprising how ordinary objects can be made special with some imagination and a little post-processing work. They could form a unique record of this period in lockdown!
To find out more about the club and view our images, please visit us online at www.isleofthanetphotographicsociety.co.uk and on Facebook.
Flavours by Kumar
Flavours by Kumar would like to thank the NHS and carers for everything they are doing, for the amazing care and compassion they show everyone. We are all truly blessed to have each and every one of you, no matter what your role is, whether that be all hospital staff, pharmacies, carers in the field, GP’s and staff.
But there are also many other key workers we need to thank, Fire & Rescue, police, refuse workers, supermarket staff, shop keepers, volunteers at food banks, this list is endless. So as a thank you from Anil and his team at Flavours by Kumar, if you have a takeaway from us, we would like to give you 15% off. It’s just a little something to say we appreciate you.
People are asked to show proof of being a key worker, such as a letter.
Find details for making order here
Persimmons
Housebuilder Persimmon Homes has announced a “volunteer army” to help the NHS and local communities during the Covid-19 crisis.
The business has encouraged hundreds of staff to register for the Persimmon Voluntary Programme to help the country through the difficult weeks ahead.
In order to protect the health of its employees, Persimmon has taken the decision to undertake an orderly shut down of work and temporarily close its sales offices across the country.
All Persimmon staff currently not working their usual pattern remain on full pay. It is these employees who are being encouraged to use the time to offer voluntary support to vital services.
Dave Jenkinson, Chief Executive of Persimmon, said: “I know many of our staff will want to support the country and vulnerable people through this crisis and that is why we launched the Persimmon Voluntary Programme.
“Staff who are not working their usual pattern are registering to be placed on a central database confirming they are prepared to carry out voluntary work to support local communities.
“We are absolutely thrilled that so many people have stepped forward. We now have hundreds of volunteers available for local charities, the NHS and communities to call upon.
To call on the support of the Persimmon Volunteers, please email your requirements to [email protected].
Furthermore, the business has become one of the largest companies to sign Rt Hon Justine Greening’s C-19 Business Pledge.
The C-19 Business Pledge is targeting not just the immediate challenges of coronavirus, but also the challenges of recovery.
By signing the document, Persimmon has vowed to support its own employees, offer clear advice to customers and provide practical help for communities.
As part of that commitment, Persimmon is supporting groups which benefit people aged over-70 with £64,000 of grants every month through its Community Champions scheme.
Community Champions has run since 2015, giving away two grants of £1,000 in each of the company’s 32 operating regions every month.
It has been decided that the money will be targeted at over-70s groups for the foreseeable future.
And Persimmon has also committed to supporting under-18s through its Building Futures programme which has just re-launched. As part of its sponsorship of Team GB, Persimmon will donate more than £1 million to support children in sport, health and education.
Applications for Community Champions and Building Futures can be made at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity
