♫ 12 tropical fish, 6 new chickens, 4 stick insects, and (maybe?) a partridge in a pear tree ♫
2019 has been a very busy year for Charter House, and – in the season of goodwill and giving thanks – we wanted to say a BIG thank you to all who have contributed to our success this year.
Charter House Resource Centre (C.I.C) is a community interest company which means we are a not-for-profit organisation. Any profits are reinvested into Charter House to provide our community with the best equipment and services possible.
The people who volunteer their time and services to our projects are what keep our little world turning; allowing us to spend resources where they matter most – on life-enhancing facilities and superior care for our people.
As 2019 comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on all that has been achieved this year.
In March – the month that Bugatti announced the most expensive new car ever made (€16.7 million) and Kylie Jenner became the world’s youngest-ever billionaire (at 21) – we were trying to keep costs to a minimum as we prepared to move into our new Brunshaw base.
The former Brunshaw Young Persons’ Centre had clear potential, but there was a huge amount to be done before we could move in. Luckily, we had all sorts of help getting the place ‘ship shape’ for our service users and we were soon at home in this lovely community. Take a look at this video of all the hard work that went into the transformation.
Compared to our previous building, we now benefit from a light and airy recreational area with much more space, a bigger bathroom with dedicated changing space and assisted bathing facilities, easier access, a phenomenal multi-sensory room more than twice the size of our previous one, and much, much more.
Give us a call if you’d like to drop in for a look around, or read more about our facilities here.
Spring-ing forward with All Creatures Great and Small
April saw us ‘officially’ move in and, along with our service users, we’ve welcomed a wealth of new friends to this new home.
With the additional space, we soon realised we had room for a tropical fish tank and stick insect enclosure. The fish tank is a calming and very relaxing addition to the lounge area, and our stick insects make fantastic low-maintenance pets – interesting to watch – and a good way to learn about caring for others.
We’ve also brought a number of chickens home to Charter House and our outdoor space and sensory garden is beginning to take shape. The birds are interesting to watch and look after, and they reward us with free range eggs to use in our cooking and baking activities. Who knows, in a few years we might be self sufficient, with chickens, a vegetable garden and orchard. (And a partridge in a pear tree?)
We’re certainly focusing on improving day-to-day sustainability.
Saturday Kitchen
We introduced our Saturday Cafe this Summer, a friendly and welcoming space that does away with many stresses associated with common high street cafes for those with special needs.
Read more about our tasty treats here.
Sensational
Our multisensory room has continued to grow in popularity throughout 2019, and it’s not hard to see why.
We’ve also been working hard on our sensory garden with advice from a knowledgeable local expert, but we have lots more to do, if you know anyone that might like to help?
Disability fitness
Getting fit and staying healthy is hard enough, without added barriers to accessibility. That’s why we’re proud to have launched our own twice weekly fitness classes this year. Read more about our exercise classes and see a video here.
– Made your New Year’s resolutions yet? –
If you’re looking to get fit – you could try one of our ‘open to all’ exercise classes.
If you’d like to volunteer – in any capacity – it really makes a HUGE difference to small organisations like ours. We’d love to welcome you, so please get in touch.
With that in mind, read how ‘giving back’ can be good for your business here too.
2020 Vision
– a clear view of the year ahead
We’ve enjoyed a phenomenal 2019 with new premises, new friends, new classes and more, and we’re looking forward to another great year in 2020!
There are exciting plans in the pipeline to bring more of the local community together in the coming year.
We want to get to know our neighbours better, and perhaps they’ll learn more about each other too! We’ll be holding arts, crafts and gardening sessions as well as regular coffee mornings and more.
Thanks for all your support over the last year, now here’s to the next!