As Great Britain faces the challenges surrounding business and economic planning and the impacts of the political and social unknown, Jellybean can be sure of one project that is close to our hearts which definitely knows where it is heading. We are now 6 months into our Safe Schools Project in the Gambella region in Ethiopa and I’m delighted to report that Plan International has made some important progress, often against the odds.
The Jellybean Safe Schools project in the Gambella region of Ethiopia is progressing and we are look forward to construction commencing early in 2019. I am delighted that our contribution will be helping people like Sarah* whose harrowing story is shared below. Initiatives like this not only help refugee children get into school but also help their parents get an education too through the Community Learning Hubs which provide numeracy and literacy support, life skills training, and peace-building initiatives.
Together with fellow bean Nick, it was our absolute pleasure to spend half a day with the residents and staff at Hartfield House Care Home. Newly opened in Leatherhead, we were welcomed at the shiny new home by a bright and bubbly team and a wonderful group of residents. “The entertainers are here”, one of the staff members announced. At first, panic and nerves waved through me but then I remembered the significance of what Nick and I were doing; giving up our time to put smiles on these gorgeous residents’ faces and bring some extra joy to the already chirpy care home – the nerves soon vanished.
For Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving I joined the team at Celia Cross Greyhound Trust to help with all the great work they do and fully immerse myself in a doggy-filled day. Based just outside of Guildford, in acres of beautiful land, Celia’s was founded in 1977 and has been a registered charity since 1993. Celia’s Trust rescues and rehabilitates retired racing greyhounds and lurchers that have either been abounded or ill-treated; passionate about what they do, it offers a place of love and nurture, helping to lead (no pun intended!) to their forever homes.
For my charity morning, I decided to work at the Princess Alice Hospice charity shop. This charity is dedicated to making end of life care the best it can possibly be and supporting families through this difficult time.
For my 12 days of Giving charity donation (of time) I wanted to support a local charity. I chose Loveworks – they are based in Reigate and have one simple aim; to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable groups of people in the area, from the elderly to the hungry.
As part of Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving initiative, I was able to donate half a day of my time to the wonderful charity Blue Cross for Pets.
Blue Cross helps thousands of pets in need every month, providing veterinary care, expert behaviour support and help finding them loving happy homes, as well as advice and education for current or future pet owners and pet bereavement support. They develop lifelong relationships with pets and owners, providing quality care that is both accessible and non-judgemental.
‘Tis the season to be giving and eating too much.’ Whilst planning my Christmas it became quite apparent that my festive period is very driven by food and drink. However, this is not the case for everyone at Christmas. As we all know Foodbank donation baskets are popping up in most supermarkets all over the country. The thought of not being able to provide a meal for your family must be particularly difficult at this time of year, there’s no escaping Christmas! This notion inspired me to choose Epsom & Ewell Foodbank as my chosen charity for Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving.
When given the opportunity to support a local charity with time out of our busy foodservice marketing agency, I immediately thought of St Catherine’s Hospice and was lucky enough to be able to help in their Reigate Charity Shop. St Catherine’s Hospice day in and day out make a difference to so many people and their families, offering support and advice in their darkest moments.
I’m sure you’re aware by now what Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving is all about – It’s Jellybean’s way of giving during the season of goodwill. Throughout the year we support charities in some way, shape or form – and at Christmas it’s normally by fundraising in a very festive way. This year, however, we wanted to ‘do different’, and donate our time to a charity of our choice.
When it came to choosing a charity there was only one choice for me – it had to be Leatherhead Youth Project (LYP)! I have been a regular volunteer for over three years and jumped at the chance to support this charity further and give back half a day of my time for such a worthy cause.
As a leading food and drink agency we are regular attendees at Arena networking events. This December their Christmas event was long-awaited, as it marked not only the unofficial start to Christmas (in my humble opinion), but also the very first function to be held at the Mandarin Oriental since its fire and refurbishment. As well as the draw of the opulent surroundings of the Mandarin Oriental, the running order of the day boasted a presentation from Peter Backman and a talk from Chef Patron of Lympstone Manor, Michael Caines MBE.
Swapping Foodservice PR for ER – Volunteering as a Community First Responder
God forbid you need to dial 999 this Christmas or at any another time of the year. But if you do and you need emergency medical assistance, what many of us don’t realise is that the first medically trained person who comes to your aid could well be a Community First Responder (CFR), rather than an ambulance crew.
Since joining Jellybean 12 years ago I have been donating regularly to my local charity – The Princess Alice Hospice. A charity committed to ensuring the best end of life care, as well as supporting families in making the most of their time with a loved one and after bereavement.
I went to Just Springers Rescue a charity for re-homing Springer Spaniels to good approved homes, based in Redhill and founded by volunteer Liz Austin.
I met with Liz, Kate and George. Kate is an 8 year old retired show Springer Spaniel and was given to Liz as a mentor for George in 2018. Kate was the champion Springer Spaniel in Sweden before coming to England and won her class at Crufts. Kate is a qualified Canine Concern Care Dog and goes to a school in Blenchingly to listen to the children read. Liz told me that Kate has made a huge difference to the confidence of the children she listens too. Sometimes Kate falls asleep when the children are reading but Liz says that’s just her deep thinking and concentrating on the story!
George who is also approximately 8 years old and was rescued after being found underneath a car in a very poor state. George is now fit and healthy but still sees a chiropractor once every three months due to many broken bones from his previous owners.
Liz started the charity in 2008 and over 10 years Liz and her team have rehomed over 260 Springers, they usually rehomed between 25-30 a year. The main reasons for rehoming spaniels is usually due to change of circumstances, how much exercise the breed needs, or death of the owner or if it is a stray dog.
If a dog is found in Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire or Kent the local dog warden will inform Liz. If the springer is not retrieved or reported missing the dog will be fostered by one of the committee members of Just Springers Rescue. The dog will then go through a number of assessments to understand its temperament and the needs of the dog. All dogs under 18 months are tested for service work, 9/10 police dogs are donated or rescue dogs. If the dog is successful it will be trained to identify many different scents, such as drugs, money and explosives.
Liz will then go through her waiting list of potential foster parents, which currently stands at over 50. If Liz thinks she has found a suitable new owner match she will contact them and arrange a time for them to come and meet the dog. It is very important that both the dog and new owners get on and it feels right. The next stage after a cooling off period is a home check to make sure the environment is right for that particular dog.
Just Springers have an Annual Show that they put on in July and organise an Annual walk for all the members of the charity, including all the springers that have been rehomed. Liz says she finds it so lovely seeing the dogs that have been rehomed coming back to the annual show and seeing how much they have progressed.
After my chat with Liz, I helped Liz prepare for her biannual newsletter. I wrote the names and address’ on over 100 letters which will then be sent to the charity members. After another stroke with Kate and George, Liz and I took the dogs on a walk. We gave the dogs a good run around then headed home after Kate rolled in something nasty! I had a great day at Just Springers Rescue, it was great to help a local charity that is close to my heart.
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Choosing Cancer Research as my charity for the Jellybean 12 days of giving was a no brainer. Having people close to me diagnosed with/or sadly losing their battle with cancer was a great reason for me to raise money and create awareness of the charity. Studies show there are now more than 200 different types of cancer and 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer within their lifetime, making this a disease a we all want to beat. Cancer Research’s aim is clear – together we will beat cancer.
Being a graphic designer, I have a very particular set of skills. Not quite Liam Neeson particular, but almost (not really) and these skills might, possibly, be fairly difficult for a charity to source for free. So, for my Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving contribution this Christmas, I gave four hours of focused design time to The Springboard Charity.
For Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving I had a great opportunity to offer my time to a very special charity called the HOPE Charity Project which is based in the beautiful Sussex landscape.
As part of our foodservice agency; Jellybean’s 12 days of Giving campaign I elected to help out at our local Princess Alice Hospice shop. This is a charity that was a great support to my family when my uncle was suffering from Prostate cancer and his stay there certainly helped during a very difficult time for him and my aunt. Their mission is to reach out to more people by delivering outstanding care, nurturing compassionate communities, sharing their knowledge and expertise and influencing the debate around death and dying. They aim to offer local communities the best care and support before, during and after death.
As Jellybean’s furriest bean it was decided (on my behalf) that my talents might be best placed bringing a smile to the residents of Kingswood Court Care Home as part of our 12 Days of Giving initiative. I am oft compared to an animated teddy bear and am rather partial to a tickle, so I was quite happy to pop along and see everyone and I think they were happy to see me too. Here’s a little vlog on what I got up to whilst away from the food and drink marketing agency…
