This week marks an important event in East Kent with Swale. On April 10th Sylvia Butcher stepped down from the role of Referral Secretary for East Kent. Sylvia has faithfully fulfilled this role for many years. We want to take this opportunity to thank Sylvia for her hard work, empathetic care shown to clients, her efficiency in managing the waiting list. We also want to express our thanks for Sylvia’s support to bereavement volunteers.
We are delighted Sylvia will continue to fulfil her many other roles within Cruse.
We give a warm welcome to Teresa Regan who has taken over the role of Referral Secretary. Teresa is no stranger to Cruse. Teresa brings a wealth of experience to this role and presently meets with Supervisors who work with volunteers working with Children and Young People. Teresa is a Counsellor for many years and is BACP Accredited.
Honorary President
We are also happy to report we have recently appointed a new President who replaces Mike Pearson who stepped down last year. Lindsay Wilkinson joins us after a long career in the Department of Health. Lindsay has extensive management and leadership experience in a wide variety of roles. She has worked with bereaved families when overseeing the development of the End of Life Care Policy and while developing the National Suicide Strategy.
Annual Business Meeting
Time seems to be flying by so quickly. Plans are in place for the Annual Business Meeting. This year it will be held on 22nd June commencing at 7pm at The Whitstable Umbrella Community Centre. This is a great opportunity to meet with volunteers and to learn more of what we have achieved this year. Our Guest Speaker will be Lindsay our President. A perfect time for you to meet Lindsay.
The present Area Chair will complete three years in this role this year. This gives you the ideal potential to become the next Area Chair. If you would like further details, we would be happy to meet with you and give you more information.
Fundraising
One of our biggest challenges is raising the necessary funds to keep the service operating in East Kent with Swale. In the past 3 years we have been reasonably successful. However, funds are diminishing and we need to find new ways of raising money.
If we could receive more donations from clients it would make a substantial difference to our financial situation. Carly has recently designed an Appointment Card which has details of how clients can make a donation on the reverse. We hope these cards will help clients to know how they can give a donation.
Fundraising Event
On the 20th October, we are holding a fundraising Musical Evening at Boughton under Blean Village Hall.
We would love your help to make this a success. We need to sell tickets, find prizes to hold a raffle, prepare and serve drinks. This is an ideal opportunity to meet local people, market our service and enjoy a fun evening whilst raising funds.
Finally, we want to thank you for your commitment and the wonderful support you give to people in our community who have been bereaved.
Wishing you a very Happy Easter.
from East Kent with Swale Management Team
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