WELCOME TO OUR WINTER NEWSLETTER!
Welcome to 2024 and our Winter Newsletter. We want to extend our warmest wishes to you all, and to thank our sponsors and everyone who has donated to Countrymen UK over the past year. Your continued support means the world to us, we really do appreciate your kind generosity and we are excited for the new year ahead.
We are always looking for new volunteers and if you would like to know more about our organisation, ways in which you can help or simply to donate, please visit our website at www.countrymen.org or call us on: 01963 210789 or 01963 210703. We would love to hear from you.
In particular, our special thanks to those who have supported us most recently, including:
Intaconsult, John Griffin, for donating Christmas presents for the Countrymen members
Bradfords and Enterprise Mobility, for raising funds for both Countrymen UK & Future Roots
Masonic Charitable Foundation & Freemasons of Dorset, for donations to support both Countrymen UK & Future Roots
Gryphon School Sixth Form, for funds raised by holding a bingo evening
Sherborne Faith in Action, for their kind donation
Hunts Food Group, for their ongoing generous support
Hall and Woodhouse, for their donation to help re-cover the polytunnels Abbeyview Care Home, for their support through the year The Inman Trust, who have funded our new management posts
SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO SINCE OUR AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
We held our Christmas party this year on 12th December when we were joined by members and their families
After 5 years as Group Coordinator, we said goodbye and very many thanks to Jan Milward who left us at the end of the year. Jan has been a tower of strength, particularly during the difficult “Covid” years when she helped to keep the Club open in so far as we were able to and we are indebted to her for all her help.
Other News
Following Jan’s departure, the new team has started. We will introduce them in our next Newsletter.
We have recently welcomed 4 new members who have started with us since the end of last year.
The recent storms have wreaked havoc with the polytunnel coverings so we will be re-covering them in time for the forthcoming planting season.
NEW PROGRAMME UPDATE
The Growing Project
We are excited to share some information about our new Growing Project, which will support men aged 18+, who have a disability or poor Mental Health.
The project will be run by Annie, our new Learning Mentor who has completed an introductory course with Thrive and has a Level 2 City & Guilds Fruit & Veg qualification.
Plans are underway to improve the garden area ready for some serious growing which we hope to start in May, with our aim being to share our produce with those in our local community later in the year.
If you know of anyone who can help with donations of soil, paving, stone, equipment, seeds or plug plants, we would very much like to hear from you.
Please get in touch by calling: 01963 210703
If you have any idea of what you would like to see in future editions of the newsletter then do let us know – we would love to hear from you!