We are always open to new ideas and looking to fill any gaps that may appear to help the elderly, disabled and isolated people in our communities.

We have been approached by Hambleton District Council to take over a fun session called Primetime – which is a session open to all including Boccia and New Age Curling.  As you can see from the poster below, HDC have been running the sessions in our rooms for a trial period, it has been really well received with an average of 8 people attending each session.

Not only are the sessions good fun and sociable but also keep people fit and healthy by providing gentle exercise for both mind and body.

We would like to keep these sessions running – we are looking for volunteers to run the sessions here in our rooms on a Friday Afternoon.  

It would be great to get a team of volunteers to cover the sessions and run on a rota basis, meaning only a small commitment is necessary – initially volunteers would shadow the person who runs the sessions now and then if necessary we can arrange further training in the future.

This is a rewarding opportunity and would suit anyone who is interested in fitness and well being but could also introduce you to new skills and making new friends.

If you are interested in finding out a little bit more about this please speak to Phil or Kay with no obligation on 01642 710085.

We had fair weather this year for the Hutton Rudby Fete – a small team of volunteers and staff set up a stall and ran a tombola for The Community Care and raised over £150 !!

Many thanks to all who visited our stall.

Volunteers Week is a national, annual celebration of Volunteering – always held on 1^st June – 7^th June.

At Stokesley Library, Stokesley Volunteer Centre invited local organisations to create displays, explaining to local people who they are, what they do and how people can get involved. The display was present for the whole week for people to take a look at.  At the end of Volunteers’ Week, June 5^th, a tea party was held for invited volunteers from the library and Stokesley Community Care Association.

Kay Hayward, Stokesley Volunteer Centre Manager said: “Volunteers’ Week is the biggest celebration of the year for us, recognising the contribution of over 23 million volunteers around the country who support their local communities. During Volunteers’ Week, hundreds of events and celebrations took place across the country to say thank you to volunteers recognising the important contribution they make.”

“We also used the week to generate interest in volunteering,  highlighting the benefits and showing the range of opportunities that are available in our area.”

If you’re looking for a group of people that completely embrace imagination and uniqueness, then look no further than the Craft Club. This is a hugely creative session where anything goes, and you can produce amazing items to your heart’s content.

Each week, the volunteers come in with plans for a new project for the clients to make that day, which keeps the sessions full of variety and excitement. Some of the projects have been things such as colourful corsages, silk painting scarves, cards for all occasions, and the very popular slate painting. There are even some guest artists that come in to the club to show all of the clients some of their work, and help them with creating similar items.

Not only do the volunteers bring with them the idea of a new project for the session, but they also bring along an abundance of crafting materials. Spread out across the tables, you can find a whole host of supplies for the project ahead, whether it be roll upon roll of eye-catching fabrics, paints, scissors, patterned paper, or a variety of threads. If there is something you need to make your project look amazing, the volunteers are guaranteed to have brought it with them.

All of the clients are left with items that they feel very pleased with, proudly showing them off to people around the table. Some even offer to give their items in to be sold at future craft stalls, which are always very popular. One client said, “when we did the slate painting, I took mine home and put it up in the kitchen, and my husband couldn’t believe I’d made it!” So to make beautiful and professional projects, be sure to pop down to the Craft Club!

Held at the Stokesley and District Community Care Association, first floor of Town Close, every other Thursday from 10-12, with the opportunity for drinks throughout. Costs £2 a session, which covers access to materials and refreshments. For more information, give Phil Henderson on 01642 710085.

What better way to catch up with friends, meet new people, and enjoy a delicious meal than at the rustic Stokesley Town Hall? The Lunch Club, hosted by Stokesley and District Community Care Association, is held here every Thursday, and each week, the list is almost over-flowing with people wanting to attend.

It’s not hard to see why the spaces are in such high demand, with the variety of food changing each week. The Lunch Club provides its visitors with a lovely meal, consisting of a main course, followed by a dessert, and finishing with a cup of tea or coffee. The food for the main course is delivered fresh on the day, and it’s different every week, with dishes ranging from things such as corned beef pie or quiche lorraine, to lasagne or casserole, so you’re never short of variety. The desserts are also different every week, and made by one of the volunteers helping on the day. A lot of the clients enjoy the pavlova, one of the volunteers’ specialities, but some of the other desserts that have been on offer include things like chocolate and pear sponge, sticky toffee pudding, and apple crumble. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

The club is held in the Jack Brunton room, which is a very large, spacious room, with the ability to hold up to 75 people. The fully equipped kitchen where the food is prepared is attached to the bottom of the room, so it’s perfect for speedy serving if any of the clients are feeling particularly peckish. The tables are arranged so that you can sit in a fairly large group, perhaps with friends that you arranged to meet at the club, or with new faces that you can introduce yourself to. Either way, you’re guaranteed a great chat whilst you devour your dinner.

The Lunch Club is held each Thursday from 12 noon in Stokesley Town Hall. There is a mini bus provided by the Community Care Association that delivers clients to the chairaerobics class prior to the Lunch Club, so this is ideal for people looking to get a bit of exercise before they eat. There is a small fee for this service, so to get any more information, or to book your slot, give the CCA’s office a call on 01642 710085.

Have you ever heard of a whole exercise routine that can be done completely sitting? One of Stokesley and District Community Care Association’s newest activities is exactly that! This toe-tapping addition to the centre’s range of activities has proven popular among their clients, and it’s not difficult to see why.

The hour-long session features fun and gentle exercises, like rhythmical marching, boxing, stretches, and focus on breathing, totally designed to help with mobility and circulation, all whilst being in the comfort of a chair. A lot of the moves even cater to people with manoeuvrability problems, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, so everybody is encouraged to have a go and feel the benefits.

The members are taken through the session by a DVD, instructed by Simon Roll, beginning with a warm up, followed by several marches, an upper body workout and a lower body workout, before finishing with a cool down. With the moves being set to the music of Max Bygraves, along with other classic tunes such as ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles,’ participants of the class are guaranteed to be singing along in no time.

As this workout is created entirely for seniors, the steps are very simple and the participants are reassured that if they struggle with anything, then they can stop and jump in again when they feel ready. There are also plenty of opportunities to take a break or grab some water, as well as the promise of tea or coffee at the end, which no one can turn down!

Clients at Alive and Active

This class is ideal for any seniors that are looking to put a bit more activeness into their lives, or any that are looking to meet new people. One member said, “it’s been nice, because we normally just sit in all afternoon and fall asleep,” so the chance to take part in an activity and move about has been greatly appreciated. Many of the members are left feeling energised, eager to practise the exercises in their own time and looking forward to the next session, so new faces will be warmly welcomed!

The chair based exercise class is held on the first floor of the Stokesely and District Community Care Association on Town Close, from 1:30pm-2:30pm. For any further information, give Phil Henderson a call on 01642 710085.

To say ‘Thank You’ to all our Volunteers we are inviting you to  Stokesley Library on Friday 5th June at 11am for a cup of tea & Cakes.

Please do come along and join us to celebrate all the good work that you our volunteers do!!

From all the team

CCA

Masonic HAll Coffee Morning

Stokesley & District Community Care Association are hoping to reach out to people in the community who are full time carers for their spouses or partners.

We believe that carers need and deserve a break to get jobs done, go to the hairdressers, enjoy a coffee with friends or just to have some time to themselves – in the knowledge that their loved one is being looked after.

Our Respite Sitting Scheme provides volunteers to sit for clients for up to two hours (a week or fortnight ) allowing a full time carer to have a break.

The scheme aims to reduce isolation for carers, allowing them to be active members in their community if they wish, it also helps them remain physically and mentally well. Just a couple of hours break a week can increase their ability to cope with their caring role and improve the relationship between carer and cared for.

We are also reaching out for new volunteers to help us provide this valuable service to carers in our local communities. We are looking for people who could give us a couple of hours of their time a week, fortnight or even monthly to sit with a client – no specific qualifications required – just an ability to talk to others!

Can you help us?

Do you know of anyone who could benefit from our service?

Or would you like to find out more about becoming a volunteer respite sitter yourself?

If so please contact either Sarah or Kay on 01642 710085 or email: communityvisiting@stokesleycca.org.uk 

                                                                                                                                           Sarah Thorogood, the Community Visiting Coordinator, with some Community Care Association volunteer befrienders and respite sitters, winning an award from The Newcastle Building Society for Services to the Community 

Many thanks to everyone who was involved in our big fundraising event at the Town Hall on Friday 19th December.

From those who baked cakes, donated tombola prizes, created things for the craft stall, bought raffle tickets and who helped out throughout the day.

A huge effort all round which resulted in us raising £1165.20 .

Thanks also to Barclays Bank who have offered us their maximum £1000 of matched funding for the event…making a total of £2165.20.

A great finish to what has been a very successful year.

Thank you!

On Friday 19th December, the CCA is once again hiring the Town hall (main downstairs room)

from 9am to 3pm

As well as our usual refreshments we are having a Tombola and Cake Stall to help significantly increase our fundraising potential.

As last year,  Barclays Bank are giving us “match funding” for anything we raise on the day (up to a maximum of £1000)

We are asking Volunteers to help cover the Tombola and Cake Stall.  We are also asking people to bake cakes and if you have anything suitable for Tombola prizes we will be grateful…..drop them into the office any time.

We are also intending to hire the smaller downstairs room for the morning session, with both our own Craft Club and Stokesley Fair Trade having stalls.

We hope you will be able to support this event either as a Volunteer or just as importantly to spend some of your money…..it’s for a good cause !

Thank you