Introduction
Welcome to the winter newsletter of Families Supporting Care. The charity – which was formed in 2011 – aims to help support residents whose funds have diminished and might otherwise have to move out of the environment to which they have become accustomed. Since its formation, the charity has helped over 60 people. More information about funding and how to donate to the charity are on the second page of this newsletter.
News and Events
Since the autumn newsletter was published in October 2024, the charity has raised almost £1000 through the winter quiz night held at Farnham Mill and contributions into the bistro collection boxes at the four homes as well as a one-off donation. The charity is currently supporting two residents.
The next fundraising event will be a bingo afternoon for residents and families at Woodlands from 2pm on Wednesday 22nd January. This will be followed by a quiz night from 7pm on Thursday 10th April at Hill House.
In the slightly longer-term, plans are developing for a sponsored sky dive to be held later in the summer. We already have some volunteers for this event and are keen to hear from anyone else keen to join in either by jumping, supporting those willing to do so or even sponsoring the event. Contact any of the trustees if you are interested. Or email: lauren.stoneman@woodlands-hillbrow.co.uk who will pass details onto the charity. More generally, the Charity remains keen to hear ideas for fundraising events from residents’ families so, if you have any suggestions for a future event, please do get in touch with any of the trustees.
Lottery
A key recent addition to our fundraising portfolio has been the introduction of a lottery facility via the GivingLottery site – www.givinglottery.org.uk. This allows anyone interested in a monthly flutter the opportunity to support Families Supporting Care who will receive 40% of subscriptions. More details are contained in the final sheet attached to this newsletter. The trustees will be monitoring this initative for a year to establish whether it is a viable, long-term source of income.
Trustees
Following a couple of recent changes, we are looking for additional trustees to help run the charity. The role doesn’t require a huge commitment in terms of time – mainly attending four meetings a year and helping to organise and run a handful of events including four quiz or bingo events a year. New ideas and perspective are always welcome and trustees also act as ambassadors for the charity, particularly as new residents and their families arrive in the four homes. Overall, it’s an important role but operates very much in a sociable atmosphere. Please get in touch with any of the trustees if you would like to know more or be interested in joining the team. Alternatively, send an email to: lauren.stoneman@woodlands-hillbrow.co.uk who will pass on the information to the charity.
Funding including Donations
The charity raises money by organising regular events such as quarterly family quiz nights or bingo sessions – usually in January, April, July and October. Details are published well in advance and venues vary between the homes to allow residents to join in where they wish to do so. The charity also runs fund-raising stalls at other events run at the four homes.
Donations from residents’ families are an important source of income. One very visible means is the collection box alongside each of the“bistro” counters at the homes where tea, coffee, soft drinks along with cakes and biscuits are provided for visitors and residents. If visitors don’t have any cash with them, each box has a QR code so there’s no excuse for missing the opportunity to help us. Additionally, ad hoc contributions are always welcome – for example, legacy donations. Information about the options available can be obtained from any of the trustees.
Donations can of course be augmented through the use of Gift Aid where individuals qualify to make use of that facility. Specifically, each donation gift-aided means an extra 25% can be claimed back from HMRC. The charity also has its own ‘Just Giving’ page where donations can be made, ideally with gift aid: https://familiessupportingcare.org. Unfortunately, Gift Aid does not supply us with details of individual donations. However, we are grateful to everyone who donates even when we are unable to acknowledge all of them with our usual letter of thanks.
Trustees and Further Information
The Charity is managed by the following trustees who can be contacted through the main Woodlands-Hillbrow reception desk or via email using the address below.
- Elizabeth Butt – Chair
- Helen Gould – Secretary
- Andrew Day – Treasurer
- Derek Dunthorne – Newsletter Editor
- Michael Ferguson
- David Maxted
- Irene Wilson
More information about the Charity can be found at: www.familiessupportingcare.org.
Emails can be sent to: info@familiessupportingcare.org.
Social media presence is at: facebook.com/FamiliesSupportingCare. A leaflet is also available at the Woodlands, Hillbrow, Hillhouse and Farnham Mill care homes.
Dates For Diary
- Wednesday 22nd January at 2.00pm – Bingo afternoon at Woodlands
- Thursday 10th April at 7.00pm – Quiz at Hill House
GivingLottery
Families Supporting Care is delighted to announce that, in addition to other fundraising initiatives, it is now offering the opportunity for those interested to participate in a weekly lottery run and Promoted by GivingLottery. Families Supporting Care will receive 40p of every £1 paid into the lottery provided players nominate the charity as their chosen cause.
Players have a chance of winning the weekly jackpot prize of £25,000 for an outlay of just £1 per ticket by matching in the same order all 6 numbers chosen (by the player) between 0 and 9. Other prizes are available when the first or last 2, 3, 4 or 5 numbers are matched. Each ticket has about a 1 in 50 chance of winning a prize each week.
The draw is made on the Saturday night of every week using the numbers drawn in the Australian National Lottery Super66 draw. Every month all players are also entered into a Super Draw free of charge with the winner receiving a bonus prize in addition to the regular cash prizes. A recent example is a PS5 Pro Bundle – the current month’s prize is a £1,000 Aldi gift card that must be won.
More Information can be found on the GivingLottery website: www.givinglottery.org.uk. From there you can play, find out how the lottery works, information about the prizes and the likelihood of winning each is, as well as all the Terms & Conditions.
You will need to set up an account and select Families Supporting Care as your chosen good cause. The most convenient way to pay is to set up a monthly direct debit that can be cancelled as players can leave the lottery whenever they wish. Another option would be to use a debit card to pay for a month at a time. All players must be over the age of 18.
For those keen to join in, access to the Charity’s Lottery page is via the following web address:
https://www.givinglottery.org.uk/support/families-supporting-care
Families Supporting Care has chosen this lottery for people who like a flutter while supporting a good cause. We realise that this doesn’t appeal to everyone, and some people may prefer to donate regularly or occasionally direct to the charity instead. Information about how to do so can be found at the Charity’s web site: https://www.familiessupportingcare.org/. That also allows the addition of gift aid of course – benefitting the Charity to the tune of an extra 25% where those donating are eligible.
We very much hope however that those who enjoy the idea of a lottery will consider taking advantage of this opportunity to support the Charity and it would be greatly appreciated were you to tell your family, friends and colleagues about the lottery. If you do decide to play, many thanks and good luck!
Families Supporting Care, January 2025