Hello newsletter
Summer 2017
We are a charity that helps people living with sight loss and a range of other disabilities to achieve their ambitions and go beyond their expectations.
Henshaws, 10 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5AS
Phone: 0151 708 7055
Visit: henshaws.org.uk
Contents
Page3Henshaws Stories
Page4Community Services News
Page8Fundraising Updates
Page9Groups’ Updates
Page12Creative Writing & What's On at Henshaws
Page14Henshaws Merseyside Timetable
Page15Arts and Culture
Page17Recipe
Page18Henshaws' 180th Birthday Quiz
Page 19Other News and Services
Hello and welcome to the summer 2017 edition of Henshaws ‘Hello’ Newsletter
It’s been an exciting few months here at Henshaws as we prepare for our 180th birthday in June.In this edition of Hello you’ll hear from Fred in Manchester, who has been with Henshaws for an astonishing 50 years, and about this year's Henshaws Awards.We'll also be making available a party pack with a variety of 180th themed activities for you to use in your social groups, and we hope you’ll enjoy taking part in our 180th year quiz as a taster of things to come later this summer.
In this newsletter, you can catch up with the events and activities that took place at our Liverpool centre during Spring, including the launch of our new dementia and sight-loss project, when our centre was transformed into a sensory ‘memory zone’ during Dementia Awareness Week in May.We’ve recently partnered 'Everton in the Community', to spot the signs of sight loss in those with dementia, so if you or someone you know would be interested in finding out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.We hope you enjoy this newsletter, and that the summer ahead is filled with lovely warm days.
-Robert Cooper, Director, North West & North East
Henshaws Stories
Almost 50 years of Henshaws! - Fred’s story
Henshaws is 180 years old this June, so we’ve been sharing stories of people involved with Henshaws over the years.Fred from Manchester has been with us for almost 50 years, since he studied at our college when he was just 12 years old.
Fred told us his story:
“I came to Henshaws in 1958 after going to Wavertree School in Liverpool.At that time you lived at school and for the first 12 months had to stay in all the time, but were allowed home once a month. Henshaws was quite different from other schools I’d been to because it encouraged you to do things for yourself rather than always being helped; it enabled you to live independently and allowed you to do things like making your own bed and eating without aid. I stayed at the school for four years until 1962, when the rehabilitation office found me a job at a local engineering firm. I loved the camaraderie of working, being able to talk and have a laugh together, as well as the odd night out in clubs in Manchester!
When I retired in 2012 I got in touch with Henshaws straight away and can honestly say that if they didn’t exist I would be lost. Henshaws has introduced me to lots of new interests - I would never have gone out to galleries or museums without them!Not only has Henshaws got me meeting new people and making new friends, they've given me the confidence to get out there and do things. We all learn from each other’s experiences and pick up new tips every day.
One group I especially enjoy is Tech Talk, as advancements in technology make life easier for visually impaired people and Tech Talk helps me learn things I never would on my own. I now use my smartphone and have access to emails, so technology has opened a number of doors for me.”
To celebrate Henshaws’ 180th birthday, we’ll be posting a story a day on our Facebook page at facebook.com/henshaws. To find out more or to tell a story of your own, get in touch with Stewart on 0161 786 3656 or email .
Community Services News
Call of interest for Henshaws Choir
Do you love music and singing songs, and would you enjoy singing with a group of friends? - if so, Henshaws Choir might be for you!
We're creating a list of people who are interested in starting up a choir based at Henshaws Liverpool centre. If you would like to be involved in this possible group, please get in touch with us on 0151 708 7055 or email us at .
‘Happiness and Resilience’ workshop
Our fast and busy world often brings lots of challenges, which can make us feel guilty about taking time out for ourselves; Henshaws are therefore pleased to be given the opportunity to partake in ‘Happiness and Resilience’ training, provided by the social enterprise ‘Beatitude Ad Vitam’ who provide wellbeing solutions for individuals and organisations.
The aim of the sessions is to promote general wellbeing across all aspects of your life, to practice ideas for happier living, and to help you cope with the challenges life can throw at you.We hope to run two sessions - the initial session has been offered to our User Voice Group and to carers and volunteers, and the second session will be for staff and their carers/supporters. Training is funded by the NHS, at no cost to Henshaws, and will last two hours, with the informal sessions attended on an entirely voluntary basis.
We will keep you updated on the feedback of the sessions, but if you’re interested in finding out more, call 0151 708 7055.
Technology Enablement Day at Liverpool
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Technology Enablement Day on Tuesday 16th May. The 25 people who attended heard from sight loss technologists OrCam, Optelec and Synaptic, as well as about Henshaws’ general services. Everyone who came had the opportunity to discuss their individual needs with our expert staff, and to try some of the products and technology on offer.
If you missed the event but are still interested in finding out about our digital services, please call Simon on 0151 708 7055.
Dementia Awareness Week
Henshaws took part in Dementia Awareness Week from 15th-19th May, and helped raise awareness on the importance of eye health to those who have dementia. Often eye health support can take a back seat and visual impairment remains hidden, but with the right support someone living with dementia and sight loss can feel more orientated and have an improved quality of life.
During the week, we transformed the Liverpool centre into a memory zone, with tastes, smells and objects from the past, including a vintage television set which played classics such as Andy Pandy (pictured). It was a fantastic, busy week, with many visitors coming into the centre to be transported back into their childhood, or to experience what their parents and grandparents had told them about.
We also had a bake sale with home-made, old-fashioned favourites including scones, jam tarts, fairy cakes and shortbread, which raised £70! We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who got involved and to all the volunteers and staff who helped make it possible.
Walk & Talk with Henshaws
Our walking group recently held a tea and biscuits meeting to find out what changes they would like to make and how best to run the group; as a result, the following changes have been made:
-The group’s name has been changed to ‘Walk & Talk’
-The group will now meet twice monthly, on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month
-The first walk of each month is a leisurely 2 to 3 miles, and the second walk is more advanced, from 3 to 5 miles
-A refreshment break will be incorporated into each walk
-Upcoming walks and dates will be available in advance.
Our first walk took place on Tuesday 9th May, and was a leisurely walk along the Liverpool water-front, taking in the beautiful views and enjoying the sunshine.The group stopped for a brew at Liverpool Sailing Club, then carried on towards Brunswick station where they boarded the train back to Liverpool to say their goodbyes.
To find out about the next walks, please check the ‘What’s on’ timetable on page 14. For further information, contact us on 0151 708 7055 or email .
Join us for Liverpool’s Henshaws’ 180th celebration
To celebrate Henshaws’ 180th, we will be hosting a week of different fun activities at our Liverpool centre from Monday the 19th until Friday the 23rd of June.Activities will be confirmed at a later date, but cake is guaranteed and all are welcome. For more details, call 0151 708 7055.
Trip to see ‘The Royal’
On Wednesday 6th September, Henshaws will be organising a trip to an audio-described performance of ‘The Royal’; a comedy set in the old Royal Liverpool Hospital building on the day it is being knocked down and moved, with a handful of staff and patients still inside.
‘The Royal’ is showing at the Royal Court Theatre on Roe Street in Liverpool, and the group will be meeting at 7.30pm in the theatre foyer.The cost is £13 per person, with carers free of charge; please note that full payment is required by 30th June.
To book your ticket, ring 0151 708 7055.
Henshaws Life Hacks
We return with another Hello Henshaws Life Hack, and this time we’re sharing a tip from Mike Brace:
If you're not sure whether your plug fuse has stopped working, you can test it using a Liquid Level Indicator.Simply touch the metal prongs against the fuse - if the indicator beeps, the fuse is still working,but if it makes no noise at all, then the fuse needs replacing.
If you have a life hack that works well for you, get in touch at , so we can share your useful tip with others. If you’d like to see more of our Life Hacks, you can check out 52 other 'tricks, tips & tech', as well as our short videos, at henshaws.org.uk/lifehacks.
Volunteer news
Celebrating National Volunteers Week
This year, Henshaws reached a milestone and supported over 7000 people throughout the north of England!Our Liverpool centre runs 16 different friendship and independence groups, which could simply not happen without our volunteers, and we have a fantastic front of house team with John, Mandy, Dianne, and Jo, who are always welcoming people into our centre.
In recognition of National Volunteers Week (1st-7th June), the team celebrated our amazing volunteers with a Bucks Fizz reception and award ceremony, before heading off to a meal at Bistro Franc - even Nessa, John's guide dog, received an award!
Here are a few messages from our volunteers -
Irene: “Henshaws really look after their volunteers - what a lovely way to say thank you!”, Phil: “I fully enjoyed the meal and I was overwhelmed in hearing how much Henshaws appreciate what we do”, and Adele: “It was such a lovely treat, and I enjoyed all the volunteers being able to spend time together.”
Fundraising Updates
Lottery
Our lottery is growing by the week, and we currently have just under 3000 lines, which is fantastic! For £1 a week, you could take part in our lottery and be in with a chance of winning £25,000. From every £1 you pay to play, 50p goes directly to Henshaws to help us continue providing our services.
If you would like to know more about the lottery, visit our website at henshaws.org.uk/lottery, or get in touch with Holly on 0161 786 3656.
Henshaws Awards
Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for our Henshaws Awards this year – we received over 60 nominations and heard about some of the amazing achievements within the Henshaws community over the past 12 months. Congratulations to those of you who were nominated, and well done to everyone who was short-listed for one of Henshaws Awards - hopefully all of you will have received your certificates.
The Awards are being held in The Midland Hotel on June 15th 2017, where the winners of all categories will be announced; the list of winners and short-listed nominees will be in the autumn edition of Hello.
Get involved!
We are always looking for people to hold events to raise money and increase awareness of Henshaws in their local area, whether by holding a coffee morning or tea party to celebrate our 180th, sending us used stamps, or nominating Henshaws as a local charity in a supermarket. We’d love you to get involved so, if you're interested in supporting our fundraising team, please get in touch with Chloe on 0161 786 3691.
Groups’ Updates
What have our Friendship Matters groups been up to?
The following is an update from Steven Paulin, group leader of Walk & Talk:
“On the 9th March, we met up for the first walk of the month as the new ‘Walk & Talk’ group (see page 6), and were lucky in that it was a warm day with bright sunshine and a cool breeze.We set off from Henshaws on Duke Street for the Albert Dock, past the Hilton Hotel and the bus station.At the Albert Dock we were able to stop and admire the the former Manchester Ship Canal Company steam tug, the Daniel Adamson, which has been restored to working order and on the dock side, the visiting Steam Locomotive from Welsh Highland Railway.
We continued our walk alongside the river wall past the Albert Dock. The tide was ebbing but only just past high tide, and we stopped to inspect the half tide dock then stopped at Liverpool Yacht Club to have tea and coffee and a chat; from there, we continued our walk to the Marina entrance to the river. We were obliged to wait whilst the foot bridge was raised and the lock safely opened to allow a number of different ways to enter, then continued our walk over the River Promenade, back to Brunswick station and the former Cheshire lines engine shed at Brunswick, of which only the walls remain; we then made our way back to Liverpool City Centre by train. It was a very enjoyable first walk for the group, and we welcome all walkers to our future walks.”
In May, Henshaws Supper Club had a great time celebrating their Welsh themed evening, tucking into a medley of Welsh produced food, starting with ‘OggyOggyOggy’ leek and potato soup, followed by a lamb roast dinner.The meal was finished off with a Welsh twist on the British classic strawberry scones, substituting the scones with a delicious Welsh cake served with balsamic vinegar-soaked strawberries and crème fraiche.
To add to the ambience, the group listened to the beautiful voices of Catherine Jenkins and Shirley Bassey.As the evening went on, the group had a dance and sing-along to Sir Tom Jones – especially when the chorus of ‘Deliah’ came up!
In April, the Social Group visited Liverpool Museum for a brilliant day around the museum, where members enjoyed hearing from the very knowledgeable and patient tour guide, who made the tour interactive by letting everyone feel some of the different display pieces for themselves.One highlight wasgetting everyone up on the scales to find out what weight of boxer they would be, and the trip ended at the museum café with everyone chatting about their highlights from the tour and what they had discovered.
On Friday the 8th of May, the Culture Group was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Lord Nelson ship (pictured), which had docked in Liverpool.
The ship was fully accessible to everyone, including lifts and hoists and, most importantly, a bar for the ship's crew to use whilst at sea, so everyone was welcome to get aboard.
Creative Writing Corner
Henshaws’ Creative Writing Group meets every other Tuesday from 1.30 to 3pm, to discuss a wide range of topics and get creative by writing prose, plays, verses or jokes.
The group kindly shares some of its creative writing with ‘Hello’ and (aptly for the summer season ahead) this edition features the poem ‘The Sea’ by group member Kevin:
‘The Sea’by Kevin Bulmer
The sea is a living liquid flowing,
That ships sail on to where they are going,
The features of the sea not always showing,
The mighty Viking ships once were rowing.
Under sunny blue skies the sea is calm and serene,
It glitters and shines like a turquoise dream,
It is such a beautiful romantic scene,
Yet in this deep there are dangers unseen.
There is a red sky at dawn,
The sailors warn of an evil storm spawn,
Many huge white top waves are born,
Many hearts and ships are torn.
Soon the waters will be storm free,
Gentle waves kiss sand near a palm tree,