SARH Community Involvement Team

ESOL group will get a write up in SARH magazine

The ESOL group (English for Speakers of Other Languages) has been running each Thursday morning at the Community Resource Centre at Greyfriars since 2011. Not only have those who attend improved their English but many have gone on to make new friends.

In the next edition of the SARH magazine, Opening Doors to Better Homes, there will be an article about one of our volunteers, Marta Gruszczhiska, who is helping out at the group as part of her degree in Linguistics and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) at the University of Wolverhampton. Marta, from Poland, is helping Varuna Muddam, a qualified doctor from India, improve her English ready for her first exam in June to prove her competency in English before she can go on to qualify to practice as a doctor in Stafford.

It is good to see two young women working towards a better future and see their confidence grow as they get closer to their goal.

So What?

This group not only helps people improve their English but helps them integrate into the local community, making a contribution to society.

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Volunteers allow us to run many of the sessions at the Community Resource Centre. This benefits community as well as the volunteers.

Introducing the ‘Growing Health’ Allotment Project

The Growing Health Project is based on the success of the award winning Meadow Road Community Allotment Project that was launched in 2012. This site was once overgrown, unused and blighted by fly tipping. SARH and Stafford Borough Council (SBC) worked in partnership with the local community to clear and prepare the land into an allotment site for local residents and community groups to enjoy. The allotments were officially opened by the Mayor of Stafford in April 2013. The site is now a thriving allotment with a significant reduction in criminal behaviour and substantial improvements in the health and wellbeing of local residents.

The Growing Health Project is centred on culture change culminating in a series of allotments developed and managed by the local community. The impact of the project will raise awareness of the benefits allotments can bring to healthier lifestyles, exercise and healthy eating. It will also act as a catalyst for healthy community cohesion and provide opportunities for intergenerational family development.

We will be developing allotments in the following areas:

Priory Road, Stone
Adamthwaite Drive, Blythe Bridge
Brookhouse Drive, Barlaston
Greenway, Littleworth

There are huge benefits to delivering this project in SARH communities, these include:

Healthier lifestyles
Community cohesion
Community pride
Environmental benefits
Improved physical wellbeing
Enhanced skills and abilities
Higher levels of physical activity
Greater levels of family cohesion
Improved employability
Reduced levels of ASB

The project is now well underway with participants recruited at each site. Next steps for the ‘Growing Health’ Project include on site Community Clean Up Days and mentoring sessions with an experienced grower! We will update you on how we get on in next months edition of the blog!

So What?

The Growing Health Project will give local residents the opportunity to spend time outdoors, increase levels of physical activity, develop their knowledge and learn new skills. The site will provided opportunities for people of all ages and increase community cohesion!

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Allotment sites provide local communities with a cheap, sustainable source of fruit and vegetables, therefore leading to healthier diets and improved quality of life.

Mencap Job Club

The Community Involvement Team were approached by Mencap who were looking for a venue to run a six week Job Club for adults with learning disabilities. We were happy to help out by suggesting they use the large meeting room at the Community Resource Centre at Greyfriars.

The course will cover employability skills, through this training it is hoped that the group will gain an understanding of their skills, how to communicate at work, how to deal with a problem at work, health and safety, interview techniques and how to produce a good CV. The group will also visit different employers in the Stafford area to gain an understanding of the different roles available.

Jacqui Davies, the Mencap tutor, will help the group in their job search and with applications also offering support in the work place until the individual feels settled in their new job.

So What?

This support is vital for people with disabilities as only 2 out 10 will find employment despite them wanting to work and have the satisfaction of contributing to society.

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Mencap got funding to run this short course which is also benefiting individuals who also attend the IT/Job search sessions at the Centre.

Get on the Web with Barclays Digital Eagles

In April the Community Learning Programme offered a series of ‘Get on the Web’ sessions. SARH worked in partnership with the Barclays Digital Eagles to deliver drop in sessions at 3 of our Independent Living Schemes. Customers were given the opportunity to learn how to get online and were given advice on using their tablet, laptop or kindle. The sessions were a great success with customers feeding back that they were more confident in using their devices.

So What?

With more and more services becoming available online, courses such as our ‘Get on the Web’ sessions are an excellent opportunity to help more of our customers get on the internet.

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The internet is a great way to access services for free, for example social networking, online banking and shopping.

Fun Fridays Back for a Second Year!

We are excited to announce that once again SARH will be hosting the FOUR FUN FRIDAY events this summer. We are asking SARH staff and partners to come along to give advice to the community and signpost to free services that are available to them.

The events were a huge success in 2014 with over 800 local residents attending!! Following this, the 2015 roadshow will ensure that communities are ‘Fit for the Future’. This includes being financially fit, fit for a good quality of life, fit for welfare reform, fit for digital inclusion, fit to fight the cold, fit for neighbourhoods.

On the day there will be a variety of fun FREE activities to entertain families including a fun inflatables, coconut shy, football skills and face painting.

Dates and locations to be confirmed.

So What?

By holding events such as the 4 Free Fun Fridays SARH has a great opportunity to engage with local residents in a fun and friendly environment. As well as advising customers on the day, all feedback collected by SARH staff is extremely valuable and helps shape and develop our communities.

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By offering free advice to communities in this way, SARH ensure that advice and services are accessible to everyone within our neighbourhoods.

Community Involvement Team Facebook Page

The community Involvement Team are excited to introduce the new team Facebook page. The new page will be used to keep customers to date with upcoming activities and events taking place in SARH communities.

So What?

Social Media such as Facebook is a great way for SARH to communicate with customers…for free!

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Facebook allows customers to keep in touch with SARH without having to make any phone calls. Providing they have an internet connection they can be kept up to date which activities and events taking place in their area for free. For customers who don’t have the internet there is always the option of attending a local library and using the computers they offer to access social media.

Learn Something New - A First Step to a Better You!

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