As you know our Emergency Aid helps anyone who is struggling to put food on the table and but the basic household items such as washing powder, cleaning items etc. From April 22-23 we sent out 1695 food parcels which fed 4289 people.  We also sent out 605 parcels containing household items which helped 1386 people.

The change in circumstances this year has meant that the number of people able to attend exercise classes almost trebled, with 743 people coming along to the various different exercise groups we ran. They included things like dance, yoga, PT sessions, walking groups, and so much more.

Winter Wonderland was fantastic and it was so amazing to not be restricted by Covid. We were able to have a fantastic Christmas themed afternoon tea, inviting along residents from local care homes who had a great time joining in with our live singer. Along with this 168 people came to see the decorations, visit Santa in his grotto, and join in the fun with the Elves and all of their antics.  Lots of gifts and goodies were also sent out into the community to those in need with over 1000 presents being wrapped and delivered to various places.

This is one of our most popular groups, and has grown, not just in popularity, but in how adventurous it is, over the last few of years,  Whilst we started off with simple projects such as making keyrings, or basic drawing and painting techniques, our regular attendees now work in mediums such as resin work, and furniture upcycling, and are always looking out for the next big skill to master. In 22-23 we had 153 attendees at our arts groups, and even more people working on projects at home with skills they learned in classes. We have even had one of our attendees start a small business making jewellery using the skills she has learned in several of the classes and started leading groups herself at the charity.

Our social get togethers have continued to be popular and have grown in regularity. Our afternoon teas take place around about once a month, we try to have an evening celebration every couple of months to coincide with special dates such as birthdays and anniversaries that our volunteers and service users may have. In 2022 we even got to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with an amazing garden party that was so much fun for visitors of all ages. In the last financial year 786 people joined us for our various social events.

We know not everyone can get out and about to visit us when we run and event, so we like to send a little bit of something to let them know we are thinking about them.  Last year we were able to send 2894 gift packages out into the community, in various shapes and sizes.  Some went to care homes, others to people loving alone, some to local hospitals, all to people who needed to be reminded that there is always someone out there who cares.  This is more than double the amount that went out the year before.