| Kells Connections A periodic news update from The Kelly FoundationJanuary 2025 |
| A word from the Chairman…… |
| Welcome to our second periodic newsletter. I had thought that wishing you a happy New Year would be current but time passes so quickly and due to other pressures, the New Year seems a long time ago now, but anyway my sentiment is just as valid and I do wish all of our supporters, and donors, readers, volunteers and associates are really successful and memorable 2025!
We provide a completely free, self-referral support service for clients, and also accept referrals from community health nurses and other professionals. We offer face-to-face counselling and support over the normal working day five days per week. We also undertake what we describe as a holistic service, which we believe is unique in the Swindon landscape. The charity does not only support individuals with poor mental health, depression and anxiety in one-to-one sessions. Uniquely, we go further in seeking to uncover the causes of the stresses which contribute to the client’s poor health and then together try to make things better. We become actively involved in seeking to support clients unravel these causes. Illness can arise from severe and prolonged debt, financial pressure, marital or relationship breakdown, loss of job, substance or alcohol abuse, traumatic events or quite often, previous life experiences. We routinely become involved with the local housing department and associations to try and mitigate housing issues. Our involvement can also mean hiring in specific skills and techniques not in the charity, helping clients find the right benefits, joint visits to universal credit, or to GPs, and liaison with drug and alcohol specialists. We help some clients back into mainstream work with supported employment and even speak up for clients in court where they cannot afford solicitors or get legal aid. Whatever it takes, the Kelly Foundation will do its best.
The charity continues to steadily grow and develop but we remain ambitious to properly embed ourselves in the local mental health landscape for the long-term. This will require a significant step up in funding and development in the organisation to broaden responsibility and increased resources. Unlike S & G Mind, we receive no statutory funding whatsoever and despite the Government recently pledging £millions in new money to tackle the epidemic of poor mental health, it's not at all clear how to bid for, or access, any of this funding.
We do have a new initiative we are developing which will require collaborative support from across the community and we have a number of meetings planned to introduce the concept to bodies, that we hope, will be sufficiently enthusiastic, to come on board. More of that in the next issue.
I'm also very keen to put in place a development plan for Kells Kitchen. Whilst the café plays a significant role now in the community as a warm meeting space, somewhere customers can find good basic food and drink at sensible prices, and the opportunity to outreach our services, there is so much more potential. I believe it can do more good across the whole town and there is no reason why it should not be replicated in other areas, providing benefits to those communities and a still wider reach for the charity. It will continue to help more individuals either in recovery or with a degree of learning difficulty, to develop confidence and self-esteem and coincidently learn new valuable skills. We are talking to a few people at the moment about a café development coordinator and I have invited Debbie Raikesmay, who has a lot of experience in this area, to help us with this task.
I continue to be very proud of what the charity is achieving. We could not do any of this without you, our donors, supporters, colleagues and especially our volunteers, who work tirelessly to make the charity the success it is today. My sincere thanks to all of you.
I hope you are pleased to continue to receive this short newsletter. I do hope to meet you personally at one of our events in the future, the details of which you can find by scrolling down.
John Stooke Chair |
| | | Say hello to Dave Southby. Dave writes, “I’m Dave Southby, and I was honoured to be asked to join the Trustee board at The Kelly Foundation in 2024. I originally became aware of The Kelly Foundation through their support of a friend, so I have seen first-hand the positive impact this charity has on the lives of its service users and their families. Anyone can be affected by their mental health so it’s important to understand the signs and where to go to get support. In my day job I am the founder & Director of a local Financial Planning business. I want to use my experience in business to help grow the charity and connect them with more local businesses.” Dave is a trained Mental Health First Aider and he often work withanxious clients as they deal with many clients who are experiencing financialstress, which in turn has an impact on their mental wellbeing. |
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| | The charity relies on many volunteers that you will not necessarily see in day-to-day contact with the Kelly Foundation. In this column we highlight some of those amazing individuals, giving them both a wave and our sincere thanks: |
| | You may have wondered who is behind the fantastic artworks that are produced to advertise the events that we stage for fundraising. The quality of the banners and the creativity in the posters, played a huge part in successfully promoting and completely selling out all the events we have so far staged. In this role we have a very special volunteer, step forward John Willard. John is a local freelance creative designer who is based in Marlborough Road with the business known as J.W.Designs. If you have any requirements in this area do please get in touch and support the volunteers that support us. Everything you need to get John involved, you can find at:
www.jwillard1981.wixsite.com/jwdwsign |
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| Thank You Message… At The Kelly Foundation we don’t seek or expect thanks, but it is nice when people do let you know how they feel …
I first heard of the Kelly Foundation from a relative and was initially reluctant to get in touch but after being falsely accused and arrested, it put me in a very dark place, and at that point I reached out to the charity. They called me immediately and listen to my story, believed in my innocence, and were happy to support me. The team were fantastic both listening and giving me advice and honest opinion. I would give special praise to John who has helped me and supported me through this ordeal during which he has written supporting letters and attending all the meetings I've been called to. I believe without this support I wouldn't be in the place I am right now so I want to say thankyou so much to the Kelly Foundation. They are exceptional in what they do and who and how they support. I cannot thank them enough for what they have done. I'm now in a much better place as a result. Sincerely, KR. |
| | | A new support group was set up to meet in our community café Kells Kitchen, on January 10th. Chronic pain can seriously affect mental wellbeing. This group is offering friendship and support to ladies suffering with any chronic pain related illness (Fibromyalgia etc). Check out of Facebook page for more details. |
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| | We would like to sincerely thank the following organisation for funding grants received |
|  | In November we received some especially good news, an astonishingly large donation which will go wholly towards buying in suitable mental health support services and contribute to the charity administrative costs. The National Benevolent Fund was established in 1812 and it has been supporting people in difficult circumstances and in poverty at a time of crisis, for all those years. It was founded by Peter Herve, who was born in London in 1779 but was living in Bristol when he became aware of the destitution of the sick and elderly and resolved to do something about it, so in 1808 when he was just 29 years old, he established committees in Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham and Gloucester to raise money through subscription and donation. He is just one of a number of early Victorian philanthropists who were not prepared to put up with the conditions that the poor were forced to endure, way before anybody had considered a welfare state. Herve's work and that of his contemporaries,still reverberates in 2025 and are still doing great work to help the dispossessed in our society. They awarded us £15,000 over 2 years which was both a delight and a surprise and we can't thank NBC enough for this generous donation. |
|  | On a warm afternoon in December, Emma Rees was invited to the ‘Haydon Wick Young Wives Group’ to receive a second cheque this year in the sum of £350, raised by the group in support of the Kelly Foundation. When you view the photograph you may be a bit surprised (I really hope they don't mind me pointing this out) that they don't come across as typical young wives? However the interesting thing is that they were indeed young wives, 50 years ago, when the group first began. It started with a plan to raise money to support as many local charities as possible. They have been meeting in Emmanual Church in Haydon Wick regularly ever since. Our sincere thanks to them and I know we speak also on behalf of the many, many charities they have helped over the last 50 years. |
| | The Greenmeadow and Haydon Wick Women's Institute had a great afternoon at the Haydon Wick Community Fun Day with a successful tombola store raising £100 for the Kelly Foundation. We appreciate this donation. We are told that visitors and new members are always welcome. The Institute meets at Haydonleigh School on the second Monday of the month interm time at 7.00 PM but to find out more you can call Linda on (01793) 968212.
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| | The Swindon Society, a well-known local history group were recently treated to a talk by Swindon author and historian Graham Carter, entitled 'Swindon Connections'. Graham very kindly donated his fee to the Kelly Foundation for which we are very appreciative. The popular Swindon history group meets monthly on the second Wednesday of each month at 7.30 pm at Goddard Park School in Welcome Avenue, where guest speakers offer a thoughtful look back at Swindon history. In February Dick Mattick will present all about Harold Fleming, Swindon and England football star from the1920s. Visitors and non-members are welcome. If you are interested go to www.theswindonsociety.co.uk |
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| Huge thank you to Dawn and Craig at BEST (be a better you) for donating a brand-new TV for one of our clients who is suffering with stage four cancer. Your kindness is very much appreciated. When people are alone and have no family and are in trouble, I keep coming back to the mantra “if we don’t do it, who will”. After today’s events with another client in despair at Great Western Hospital, I feel the answer seems to be “nobody”. |
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| We were delighted when Father Christmas arrived at Pinetrees, just before Christmas, with a bagful of goodies for the charity. This was an initiative run by Hillier Funeral Services and did not just apply to us but their bonhomie was spread around all of North Swindon. They really are a progressive and compassionate organisation who are trying to do some good, in this and other ways, even at the times when we hopefully don’t need to call on them professionally!! |
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| |  |  | Get ready for an unforgettable evening as TVs dynamic duo Billy and Louis light up the stage at Christchurch for a spectacular one night only performance, joined by their exceptional six piece band and guests, Billy and Louis will deliver a sensational mix of music from their discography including their EP ‘Manifesting’ alongside timeless soul classics which will have you dancing in the pews! Immerse yourself in a night of powerful vocals, stunning harmonies and a breathtaking production that promises to captivate and thrill. You will recall that late last year, with Tom Jones sponsorship, they very narrowly missed out on winning that series of “The Voice” During the first half we will feature Jasmine Grace and Towanda Mapanda. Jasmine is just 15 years old, but in my opinion, hugely talented and destined for a massive career in the jazz and blues genre She will appear alongside Towanda, who is well known in the Swindon music scene as a highly competent and well versed, easy listening, saxophonist and musician. Billy and Louis will appear at the Wyvern Theatre in February and this was completely sold out long before Christmas, so this is another Kelly Foundation first, to give you an opportunity to see some of the most sought after local talent around at very reasonable prices.
The upcoming Queen Concert is completely sold out and I have a waiting list of 40 people looking for tickets, so do book this event early. Everything we put on so far has sold out and it's terrible to us to have regular supporters coming to us at the last minute looking for seats, when we already have Christchurch rammed to the rafters … so do please book early. Only £15. Doors open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 7:30pm at Christchurch, Swindon, SN1 3HB. Go to www.ticketsource.co.uk and scroll down to ‘Kelly Foundation’. |
| | Walk and Talk
Thanks to Lee Murray, our ‘Walk and Talk’ sessions are continuing into 2025. Stay in touch with our Facebook page in order to check on the next get-together.
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| | | Kells Kitchen continues to be a very popular meeting place, where customers are guaranteed a warm welcome and good food and drink and sensible prices. Presently it delivers no financial surplus but that’s not the reason for this endeavour. It helps the charity meet people in difficult circumstances and, particularly in the winter months, we can ensure no one goes away hungry and can talk about their problems if they want to. Lots went on at Christmas. |
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| | Our friends and supporters at Zurich worked with us to put on a Mad Hatters Tea Party in early December. When Lewis Carroll wrote about Alice, I’m not sure he was writing about Hayley, Siobhan and Emma… and whoever is the Bunny.. my money is on Andy Reeves but no one is saying ??
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| COLLEAGUE OF THE MONTH
We have 22 volunteers who do a fantastic job and enjoy the work as an opportunity to get out and meet people, build self esteem and prepare themselves for the commercial workplace if that is their aim. This month our colleague of the month is Tom Beresford. Tom never fails to have a smile on his face, is popular with the customers and always reliable. We love Tom being at the Kelly Foundation!
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We remain keen to develop the café as a Community hub and not just a place for decent, reasonably price food and drink. We have arrange for Citizens Advice Bureau to attend periodically, Swindon Borough Council housing department often spend an hour with us, and we have occasional visits from the people who run Owens World, the anti-knife crime Charity. We are also a base for a walking club and have a craft day each Wednesday. By contacting us you can find out more about the provision of free vitamins if you are an expectant mother or the mother of young children and also a little further on, you will see details of a new initiative to provide sanitary products for individuals who are in financial distress. These are just some of the things we are doing but we want to do a lot more so if you have ideas do come and speak to us. |
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| Who would steal from a Charity?
When we began Kells Kitchen, we decided we would try to have somewhat nicer coffee cups and salt and pepper sets than the bog-standard, cheapo kit, that lots of cafes use these days. Well, we bought 100 grey porcelain mugs at around £3 each and 12 stainless steel salt and pepper sets at£8 each. In 15 months we have 37 mugs and 6 cruet sets left, (we know we have broken a few mugs ourselves.) So the question is “How has the balance disappeared into the ether”.
These items came from The Range and I had to travel all over the south of England to assemble this quantity. They are now obsolete so the dilemma is now do we replace now with similar quality, something which may be equally pleasing or do we go for the bog standard Amazon type cups or even worse Arcolic? Frankly, I’m unsure John Stooke |
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This is a new initiative from KK, the opportunity to pay for a drink or a meal or both, for individuals who find themselves in severe financial trouble. Please ask our colleagues how this works if you are interested.
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| Heads we win, tails we win! |
| | But sadly new MP, Will Stone didn’t! On Saturday Nov 2nd an excited crowd, small in numbers but big and enthusiastic in support, gathered at Pinetrees to watch, remotely, a martial arts challenge. New member of Parliament Will is an accomplished jujitsu enthusiast however as a result of his election and parliamentary committments his training had slipped somewhat and he was up against Matt Inman, acknowledged to be one of the best around. The Kelly Foundation, however was on a two-way bet as both contestants had pledged their purse to our charity and also the kit sponsor ‘Tatami’ had promised a donation in addition. In the end Inman proved just a bit too much for our Will, although not being a martial arts kind of guy, I couldn't really see who was and wasn't winning but it seems that when you knock on the floor the bout is over? We did however end up £1500 to the good, so we had a good result … even if Will didn’t ! |
| Worried about your home if you go into care? |
|  | Up to 50,000 people have been forced to sell their homes in a single year! We'd like to tell you about Attorney Wills. They are a local family business, headed by Gordon Hogg, who specialise in advice and the preparation of wills and powers of attorney. With so many ‘sharks’ operating in this area, if this is something worrying you or even on your mind, we suggest you have a word with Gordon. He can visit you and explain everything around wills and lasting powers of attorney, how they work and the advantages and any disadvantages, with no obligation whatsoever. We should say at this point that if you decided to commission Gordon then please do mention the Kelly Foundation as we would receive a small donation to the charity in appreciation. Gordon does not undertake any commercial advertising, relying instead on personal recommendation from satisfied clients, to develop his family business. Tel 01793 940661 or mail gordon@attorneywills.co.uk |
| |  | We were especially honoured at Christmas when one of our keenest supporters, Jacqueline Roberts, decided to name a star after the charity. She presented this to us at Christmas, complete with a Swarowski Crystal representation of Kelly's star, and if you visit our offices you can see it proudly displayed in the foyer. This star sits in the constellation of Andromeda and if there are any dedicated astronomers in our readership, we can provide ascension and declination data in order that you can identify the Kelly Foundation star. Astronomy is a much underrated relaxation and with evermore powerful home telescopes having fallen in price significantly, it really does open up a whole new world.
Our thanks to Jackie for such a thoughtful gesture. For representation of the night sky and to locate Kelly’s star visit www.wsr-starfinder.com |
| Can you help us distribute our brochures? |
| | Please let us know if you have premises where these could be displayed for the public and we will arrange a pack for you. Email info@4kelly.org with your contact details. Many thanks for your support. |
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| | We have teamed up with “ALL YOURS” to provide free sanitary products to women in our community. Each box contains 2 months supply. If you think this will help you then get in touch with The Kelly Foundation at our offices in Pinetrees on The Circle in Pinehurst. |
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| | Volunteers are important within our community and vital to our charity! We are looking for the following help and support: Volunteers who may like to work one day in our café, Kells Kitchen or even fill in for holiday cover. Lots of different roles, no experience needed. Qualified mental health support workers or therapists who may be able to spare us just one hour a week or a fortnight to help us with our waiting list and support individuals having a tough time, with nowhere to turn. Want to join our Fundraising Committee? We are currently pulling together a team of fundraisers to handle local events for us. This could be attending a fete, organising a cake bake, managing collection tins in the local community etc
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| Mental Health and The Kelly Foundation
Kelly Foundation supporters come in all shapes and sizes and now we can say… all ages. Step forward, 13 year-old Rosie Brokenshire, a talented pupil at the Swindon Academy, who penned this short poem whilst waiting for mum Sarah, one of our volunteers. We thought we’d share it with you and I imagine you will agree with us, that she has a bright future.
Mental health, a confusing thing
If you're ever in doubt, do give us a ring,
Through hail, or rain, wind or snow
We care about you, and we want you to know,
That no matter how bad you feel
Your feelings are completely real,
They ARE valid, so let this ballad
Be a message to you,
That you ARE a loved person, through and through!
Rosie Brokenshire
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| | | An example of a message which arrived just before Christmas, typical of so many we receive. |
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| |  | | Copyright (C) 2023 . The Kelly Foundation. Registered Charity No: 1200389. Registered Address: Pinetrees Centre, The Circle, Pinehurst, Swindon, SN2 1QR. All rights reserved.
EMAIL - info@4kelly.org
TELEPHONE - 01793 200710
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