Mearns Kirk

Hello from the team at Mearns Kirk Helping Hands!

We wanted to update you on some of the new groups and activities we have
started up in 2023 and share some good news too.

As many of you will know, our aims at MKHH are to reduce loneliness and
isolation and promote wellbeing in our community. All our groups and
activities are designed to help us achieve these aims. We listen to what our
community tells us they need, and where possible we design activities and
services to meet these needs.

One of our greatest strengths is our wonderful team of volunteers. Most of our volunteers are local residents, and they have an “ear to the ground” in terms of understanding what would be beneficial to our community. At the suggestion of one of our volunteers, at the start of February, we set up a weekly table tennis group. The volunteer had discovered that table tennis can be beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s disease and knew several members of the community who are living with Parkinson’s. We applied to the Warm and Welcome Spaces fund for monies to purchase a table and were successful in our application. We are delighted to say that the group has been successfully running for 3 months. With the support of a couple of very helpful volunteers it has attracted 5 members already. This is a lovely example of community helping community!

We are also aware that there are a high number of people in the area who are living with dementia. The Lunch and Social Club for People Living with Dementia has been an amazing resource to the community for many years now, providing members with a safe and supportive afternoon every Thursday, whilst also providing carers and family members with a much-appreciated break. As the Club tends to have a waiting list for spaces, we felt that we could perhaps provide another dementia friendly activity each week that people could access. We applied to Age Scotland’s Encouraging and Supporting Grass Roots Activity fund to allow us to pilot a weekly dementia friendly café on Monday afternoons and were successful. The Monday Meet Ups have been up and running since January 2023 and we now have around 20 people attending each week. The group is supported by a friendly and supportive team of volunteers who make sure members get their tea, coffee, cakes, and a chat. They also run an activity each session, which so far have included Bird Bingo, karaoke, and a tea dance.

These are just a couple of the activities we offer at MKHH. We are very proud that other long-standing groups, including the Friendship Club and Eastwood Bereavement Group continue to run very successfully. Again, this is thanks to the volunteers who generously give their time and skills to help others. You can see a full list of “What’s On” for May and June in this newsletter, as well as on our website:

https://mkhelpinghands.org.uk/

We also have a Facebook page where you can get lots of up-to-date information about the charity:

https://www.facebook.com/MearnsKirkHelpingHands/

If you use Facebook, please like, follow and share our page and content, it really helps to spread the word about what we do

And now, some lovely news. We are thrilled that our volunteer Evelyn Humes has been selected as one of the 500 official Coronation Champions! The Coronation Champions Awards, launched by Royal Voluntary Service, is all about celebrating the work of extraordinary volunteers across the UK. A total of 500 volunteers have been selected as Coronation Champions and will receive an official Coronation Champions pin badge, a signed certificate from Their Majesties, and an invite to one of the Coronation Celebrations, such as the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party. We are delighted for Evelyn, and we all agree it could not have gone to a better person!

We will be celebrating and thanking all our volunteers during Volunteer’s Week (1-7 June) with a summer party. We are really looking forward to everybody getting together for some lovely food and the chance to meet other volunteers.

Finally, we would like to extend an invitation to our AGM which will take place on Friday 30th June from 1pm to 3pm in the Sullivan Hall. A light lunch will be served, so please let us know if you plan to come so we can make sure there is enough catering. You can either phone Vicky on 07858 552 767 or email hello@mkhelpinghands.org.uk

Until next time,
Best wishes