Summer 2018.Pub
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FAMILY MATTERS News from Home-Start Winchester and Districts Summer, 2018 MAYORAL LITTLE SAINTS THANKS Cllr David McLean, the retiring Mayor of Winchester, welcomed us to Abbey House to say thank you for the work we do with young families. Joined by the Mayoress, the pair welcomed volunteers, patrons, Four lucky families were treated to an afternoon at the Saints training ground, thanks to our friends at Utilita. A Q & A session with three of the first team players was followed by pizza and a tour of the grounds. The excited children were then presented with signed programmes and footballs. A wonderful time was had by all. trustees and staff to a cream tea and later gave tours of the Co-ordinator Anne Macpherson DATES FOR Mayor’s residence to delighted said “It was very kind of The YOUR DIARY guests. One of his last engage- Mayor and Mayoress to lay on ments before stepping down, the tea for us all and it was lovely Mayor declared that one of the to be able to say thank you to HOME-START AGM best parts of his year was to be our volunteers in this way.” Vineyard Church, able to say thank you to hard “We are always looking for Bar End Road, Winchester working voluntary organisations. new volunteers to support Wednesday 4th July at noon our families and our next volunteer training CAR BOOT SALE course starts at the end Bramdean - follow signs of September.” Monday 27th August, 8am For more information QUIZ NIGHT on how to become a Itchen Abbas Village Hall Home-Start volunteer Friday 5th October 7.30pm contact Anne at Bring a team of 8 or join a table. info@home- For tickets including a two course startwinchester.org.uk supper at £12.50, call Sue Barham on 01962 851177 or email or call 01962 851177. [email protected] Sponsored by ROTHMANS Chartered Accountants Inside: A remarkable life - page 2, Glorious Mud - page 3, New Trustee - page 4 2 A REMARKABLE LIFE NO TO MERGER Renowned author Claire Tomalin The eleven Home-Start schemes in the confessed that she had grown to love county have been having discussions Winchester when she returned to the city about the best way to ensure the sustain- to talk about her remarkably frank ability of the Home-Start service delivery memoir A Life of My Own, to raise funds across Hampshire, Portsmouth and the for Home-Start. She was aided in this by Isle of Wight. inquisitor John Miller, himself no slouch Supported by Home-Start UK, six of the when it comes to writing biographies of schemes (Rushmoor & Hart, Meon Valley, the great and the good. Havant, Gosport & Fareham, New Forest and A prolific writer, Miss Tomalin has written no Weywater) have now merged into one fewer than nine biographies including those of organisation. The remaining schemes Shelley, Dickens and Hardy and her own life Winchester and Districts, North West, Butser, story has aroused enormous interest. Her Portsmouth and Isle of Wight) have decided to parents separated when she was six and she continue as independent charities. spent her formative years in boarding schools. “Deciding against merger was not an easy They were good schools and she went up to decision,” says Home-Start Winchester Cambridge to read English. Chairman Liz Cooper, “but in fulfilling our Married young, her children were born in quick responsibilities to act in the best interests of succession, one with spina bifida, and she our charity, the Board considered that the risks struggled to bring up a young family with an associated with merger outweighed the limited absentee husband, Nick Tomalin, who she de- benefits in our scheme area.” scribes as ‘a bit of a bolter’. He encouraged “Our scheme is well balanced, with a continu- her to write her first book and was killed while ous flow of referrals, reliable and committed volunteers, a strong board of trustees and staff, good governance and at present, enough funding to meet our requirements. We think we can sustain the mixed sources of funding, but acknowledge that in the future, with such limited opportunities for funding small charities, this situation may change leading to the possibility of merging at some stage,” she said. NEW VOLUNTEERS Seven new volunteers joined the Home- John Miller In Conversation with Claire Tomalin Start team at the beginning of the year reporting for the Sunday Times on the Golan and five are pictured below. Heights. Needing a steady income to support They have all settled in with their first her family, Claire became Literary Editor of the families, putting their extensive training to New Statesman and in 1979 became Literary good use. Editor of the Sunday Times, walking out with her entire department when the move to Wapping became so toxic. Two of Miss Tomalin’s most influential books were on women who had previously been unseen. The Invisible Woman was about Dickens's secret lover Nelly Ternan (now made into a film) and Mrs Jordan's Profession , about an actress who was the mistress of King William IV, who bore him 10 children. Chairman Liz Cooper thanked Dutton Gregory solicitors for their generosity in backing the evening and presented Miss Tomalin with a bottle of champagne. 3 WHAT THEY SAY GLORIOUS MUD It’s always good to get feedback from our Mud was the order of the day as 50 families about how Home-Start is meeting intrepid walkers took to the lanes their needs. These families have received around Bighton village for our annual volunteer home visiting support: dog walk. Participants could choose long “My volunteer was so lovely, like a mum to me, or short walks and later, bright sunshine very supportive and not judgmental. She welcomed the weary travellers back to brought toys with her and my son was always the village hall for a hearty ploughman’s excited to look in her bag.” lunch and home-made soups. “My children have a more confident mum!” “The rain held off which was a relief,” said “‘I would like to thank everyone at Home-Start. Chairman Liz Cooper “but after so many days They are all lovely people. To my volunteer – of rain, everywhere was squelchy – but of we will miss you.” course the dogs loved it.” “It’s made a world of difference having the support while I was in a bad place.” “I can’t thank you enough for the support you have given me at a time when I needed it most.” A mum who suffered from anxiety and could not leave the house alone: “My volunteer was very caring and showed much warmth and kindness. A huge thank you for all the support.” After our six week Parenting course: “I feel much more confident to deal with my little girl’s behaviour now.” “I have been trying out things I’ve learned.” The annual event was sponsored by Gay Dog “It was good to ask questions and hear how Boarding Kennels of Bradley, a family busi- other people manage.” ness over 50 years old, and owners Mel and Hostel mums describing our new group at Paul Bliss and Labrador Nina all joined in the fun, heading out on the long walk. Milford House . These families are mostly victims of domestic violence: “Regular people who offer friendship and a listening ear.” “They say they will be there and they are.” “It’s nice to know that Home-Start are there each week. It’s something to look forward to.” CAN YOU HELP HOME-START? If you care about what happens to Nina was again star of the show when she vulnerable young families we would popped into Lanterns Nursery to meet young love to hear from you. families at our Family Group and there was huge excitement as the very patient and Perhaps you could become a volunteer, or friendly hound met the children and parents. join our board of trustees? Maybe you would “The children were so excited and rather consider us as a beneficiary of your noisy,” said Co-ordinator Anne Macpherson, concert, summer fete, or coffee morning? “but Nina carried it off with great aplomb. For more information email We are so grateful to sponsors who support [email protected], our fundraising events as we must raise 90% visit www.home-startwinchester.org.uk, of our own funds each year and the dog walk or call 01962 851177. is certainly one of our favourites.” 4 LOVE ALL CHRISSIE ON BOARD Chrissie Barlow has joined the Home-Start Our charity tennis tournament has raised Winchester board. She has lived in over £2,500 to support local families. Hampshire all her life, apart from brief periods in the West Country, Kent and London where she began her working life in the Diplomatic Corps, becoming one of four secretaries to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary (Michael Stewart and later Sir Alec Douglas-Home). While living in Plymouth she joined Westward Television, becoming a Production Assistant at Southern Television and then TVS in Southampton. She was promoted to Head of Production Assistants, managing a department of 40 across two sites in Southampton and Maidstone. “One of my Alfresco lunch at Lane End Farm career high- lights was to Some 80 tennis players enjoyed a breezy work on the morning of matches on courts in Winchester, ITV coverage Cheriton, Old Alresford, Kilmeston, Bramdean, Swanmore and Upham, followed by a picnic of the funerals of lunch in the walled garden at Lane End Farm Diana, in Owslebury, courtesy of Sue and David Elton. Princess of Players settled in the sunshine on their rugs Wales and and picnic chairs and, after a glass of bubbly, The Queen enjoyed a two course lunch.