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PLANS to transform St Barnabas Hospice’s Cardinal Close warehouse into its biggest shop yet are underway.
To capitalise on the success of its charity shops across the county and to create a destination retail experience for its supporters, St Barnabas is currently working hard to refit and transform its current sorting space into its largest and most ambitious shop to date.
Emma-Jayne Parker, Superstore and E-commerce Manager, who will be running the new store, said:
“We’re really excited to be bringing our older warehouse building to life with this exciting new project. As well as bringing sustainable shopping to the Uphill area of Lincoln, our focus will be on selling as much donated stock as we can. We’ll be doing this by working with the local community and building on these relationships.
“One feature of the new store will be a book area, a flexible space which we hope to be able to hold workshops and events in. It will also have a unique and comfortable seating area for customers to relax with a book while loved ones explore the shop.”
Todds, a Lincoln-based business, won the tender to undertake the construction and interior works at Cardinal Close, Lincoln.
Shane Beesley, Managing Director at Todds has worked closely on the project to make the ideas become a reality, from major structural changes to design choices.
Shane said:
“I have made it my priority to work on this project from day one. I wanted to make sure the team at St Barnabas got the results they were after and will be left with a retail and office space to be proud of. The team working on-site are loving working so close to home too. We rarely have the luxury of working in Lincoln, as a lot of our work is UK wide.
“I must thank Emma-Jayne, Scott and the team for making us feel so welcome – with plenty of cups of tea and biscuits to keep us going!
“There is actually another reason I am so passionately involved in this project. My father and I have always supported the Hospice, as members of our own family have been cared for by the nurses at St Barnabas. We know, more than most, just how vital it is to the Lincolnshire community. The Hospice will always be close to our hearts and we are so proud to make a positive impact with this exciting development.
“Office space renovation is Todds’ forte, but the new warehouse shop is a really unique opportunity for us to showcase what else we can do. I promise the end result will be something very special.”
Emma-Jayne added:
“We’ll be retaining a sense of the £1 shop element that has been popular in our other shops and will be having lucky dip boxes too. We’re really hoping to bring in a new wave of shoppers with our preloved furniture and electrical departments.
“The Warehouse will also be home to a calendar of upcycling classes to teach shoppers how to paint, revive, reupholster and restyle homeware.”
As well as the retail space, the warehouse will also have a recycling function where donations of clothes, books and metal that cannot be resold will be prepared for disposal in the most ethical way possible.
The store is aiming to be open for business at the end of the year, for updates, follow St Barnabas Hospice on social media or visit the website at: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk
charitytoday.co.uk | 27 October 2021
Three dedicated humanitarians from the British Red Cross have been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Badge of Honour at a presentation ceremony at St. James’ Palace, London.
In the intimate ceremony, Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, Vice President of the British Red Cross, awarded Rosie Gutteridge MBE JP DL, Michael Meyer OBE and Paul Taylor the honour, to commemorate their committed service to the organisation and their humanitarianism.
The Queen’s Badge of Honour is the British Red Cross’s highest honour and is awarded for exceptional service of the highest order to the organisation or to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The award is rare with only 30 people being able to hold the award at one time. The three newest recipients take the total holders of the Queen’s Badge of Honour to 18. Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, herself received the Queen’s Badge of Honour in 1974.
The Royal Family have a longstanding relationship with the British Red Cross, dating back to 1870 when Queen Victoria became the charity’s first Patron. Today, Her Majesty The Queen is Patron whilst The Prince of Wales is President.
David Bernstein, CBE, chair of the British Red Cross board of trustees said
“On behalf of everyone at the British Red Cross, congratulations to our staff and volunteers who have received the Queen’s Badge of Honour Award. The British Red Cross relies on our network of staff and volunteers to support those in crisis at home and abroad and we are so proud of the service that Rosie, Michael and Paul have given to the organisation. We would like to thank them for their years of dedicated service.”
The British Red Cross has been providing support to those who need it most, no matter who or where they are for over 150 years. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world’s largest humanitarian network with thousands of dedicated volunteers and staff on the frontline of supporting those in crisis.
Find out more about the work of the British Red Cross and visit www.redcross.org.uk.
Queen’s Badge of Honour Award winners:
Rosie Gutteridge MBE JP DL, British Red Cross President for Cambridgeshire
Rosie has been a fundraising volunteer for the British Red Cross for almost 40 years and was appointed the charity’s President for Cambridgeshire in 2011.
Over the years, she has helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds including £110,000 at an Armistice Centenary dinner hosted by Rosie at Trinity College Cambridge in 2018.
Rosie remains passionate about raising the profile of the British Red Cross in the face of an ever-increasing number of deserving charities locally and nationally.
On being given the award, Rosie said: “It has always been a huge privilege to serve as a volunteer in a variety of roles with the British Red Cross and so I am overwhelmed and deeply honoured to receive this award.”
Michael Meyer, Head of International Law at British Red Cross
Over a 39-year career thus far, Michael Meyer has made an extraordinary contribution to the British Red Cross and the Movement.
Michael is responsible for or has contributed substantially to, many significant achievements, including the UK’s ratification of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, the founding of an internationally renowned biennial summer school on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) at Cambridge University, and support for the creation of the UK’s National Committee on IHL.
Michael’s extraordinary expertise in both international law and the statutes and governance of the Movement has been instrumental in guiding and shaping the Movement’s approach to a range of humanitarian law and policy issues.
Of what receiving the award means to him, Michael said: “I have now worked as a staff member of the British Red Cross for 39 years and was a volunteer before that. From a young age, growing up in California, I have been motivated by public service. I have always seen my Red Cross/Red Crescent work as a form of public service, and as a vocation. To have my service recognised by the British Red Cross in this way is highly appreciated and satisfying. I have long admired the dedicated service of Her Majesty The Queen. To receive an award with her approval and name is also especially meaningful and valued.”
Paul Taylor, Emergency Response Volunteer, British Red Cross Patron for Suffolk and former Vice-Chair of the British Red Cross Board of Trustees
Paul has been a long-standing volunteer and a Trustee for the British Red Cross, giving countless hours of his time to the organisation. During his time as an Emergency Response Volunteer, Paul contributed to a series of major projects for the British Red Cross which led to changes in structure within the services to reach a greater number of beneficiaries whilst improving cost-effectiveness.
Paul said: “Since beginning my volunteer journey in the early 2,000’s I have felt privileged to meet and work with many British Red Cross staff members and volunteers.
Whilst serving on the Board as a Trustee and Vice-Chair I have been fortunate enough to represent the BRC internationally, attending the IFRC bi-annual meeting in Sydney, Australia, spending time with the Sierra Leone Red Cross and serving on an IFRC working group in Geneva.
Hearing that I had been awarded The Queen’s Badge of Honour came as a complete surprise. It is a great honour that will always be a potent recognition of the incredible work undertaken by our British Red Cross staff and volunteers here and around the world alongside our IFRC and ICRC partners.”
charitytoday.co.uk | 26 October 2021
SOLIHULL Moors Football Club has announced that it has scored a partnership with the region’s leading mental health consortium charity, Living Well UK, which will see the pair work together to improve wellbeing in the town.
With a goal to get everyone – from the fans to the first team – feeling empowered to think about their mental health, the club is hopeful that the partnership will get everyone singing from the same wellbeing team sheet.
The deal will see Living Well UK join the likes of Mark Goldbridge (That’s Football), Eric Lyons, and Wise, as official shirt sponsors for the upcoming season; however, beyond the pitch, the charity will also be working with players, coaches, and spectators on a series of wellbeing-enhancing programmes and initiatives.
From charity match days to training for the Solihull Moors FC staff, Living Well UK has high aspirations for the partnership’s success. Hoping it can help to reduce the stigma around asking for help, the duo is determined to encourage more people to speak up together.
Speaking about the sponsorship deal, Ben Howells, CEO of Living Well UK, commented:
“It’s fantastic to be working with Solihull Moors FC on this collaboration and we’re truly excited to get the ball rolling with the plans we have in mind. The club and Living Well UK share so many of the same values and we’re both hugely passionate about improving access to both physical and mental health programmes for people in Solihull, so it really is a win-win!
“The work that the club and the Solihull Moors Foundation already do for the region is phenomenal and we truly believe that by joining forces, we can help raise awareness of the support available to those who are struggling. Whether it’s a problem that’s been building up, an issue you’d like advice on, or just a slight wobble that has you feeling down, Living Well UK is on hand to help, with a range of free programmes available for those in Birmingham and Solihull.”
Living Well UK provides free mental health support to people living in Solihull and Birmingham, promoting wellbeing from an individual and community perspective to help find practical solutions to life’s challenges. These include online stress and anxiety courses, counselling and self-help, creative therapies, and CBT, as well as a virtual therapy room with free video content ranging from yoga and low-intensity pilates to anger management and meditation.
Drawing on Living Well UK’s extensive expertise, Solihull Moors FC hopes to expand its own mental health offering to support its players and fans alike. Chairman, Darryl Eales, from Solihull Moors FC, said:
“We are so pleased to welcome Living Well UK to the team and are looking forward to working with their experts in the coming season and beyond. The sporting industry can be a high-pressure one and isn’t always known for being the most open when it comes to talking about emotional wellbeing; we hope that Moors can help to change that and show that there’s no shame in getting your head in the game.”
You can see more about Solihull Moors FC at: www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk and to find out about the services offered by Living Well UK, please visit: www.livingwellconsortium.com
charitytoday.co.uk | 25 October 2021