TALKSurrey : Keep Talking May 2009

Keep Talking
November 2009

Welcome to our Autumn 2009 newsletter

This month's stories:

Knaphill Group Outing to Denbies Wine Estate

Hanging baskets: Knaphill's answer to Chelsea!

Cranleigh

Garden Design at Ashford

Bouling along for TALK

Jane says Goodbye

Collections

Tuesday Morning Group Says Goodbye To Barbara Quick

Cranleigh Group Celebrated Easter In Traditional Fashion

Ashford Group “It’s a great place to be on a Tuesday morning”

Welcome to our new Volunteers

Congratulations, and our thanks, to Five Year Volunteers

Our thanks to donors who have given since our last publication

Digging for TALK

Knaphill Group Outing to Denbies Wine Estate 6th August 2009

Some 29 recoverers, carers and volunteers met up at Denbies for a 12 noon start on the ‘train’ tour of Denbies’ vineyard, accompanied by a guide to explain the history of the Estate and of wine-making in the UK.

The sun shone and everyone managed to get on board, including the less mobile (with or without their wheelchairs). Lunch was then taken in the busy, but spacious Conservatory Cafeteria and was followed by an inside tour of the wine-making process. This included an ‘all round’ cinema experience, an internal ‘train’ tour through the wine-making stages, and a talk on wine in the wine cellar.

In the cellar

The programme was brought to a satisfactory conclusion with a tasting of two white wines and one ‘pink’ wine. Considerably more wine seem to be imbibed than was discarded into the spittoon! Denbies seemed to be doing its bit to boost our exports, as well as providing us with a most enjoyable day out.

Wine tasting (Peter, Margaret, Jo, Sarah, Ann)

Ben Parker, Group Leader

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HANGING BASKETS – KNAPHILL’S ANSWER TO THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

In spite of having suffered a stroke leaving her without the use of her left hand and with considerable mobility difficulties, Ann Brand, a volunteer at Knaphill has continued to exercise her gardening passion after retirement from the family horticultural business.

At our session earlier in the year she gave a demonstration with commentary on ‘Hanging Baskets’, preparing different baskets for both sun and shade - all done with one hand and answering questions as she worked.

Even the “gardeningphobes” should be inspired to get busy. If reaching that hanging basket to water it is a problem, have it on a pulley or use a lance on your hose and if you have an old colander it might recycle as a basket.

So, remember, even though summer may be fading, be prepared for next year. Get your brackets and liners ready and make your list of compost, Tomorite, trailing petunias, geraniums, Busy Lizzies, lobelias, nasturtiums and so on. Thanks for all the tips Ann and for my bargain basket which developed into a delightful feature.

Anne at work

Ben Parker, Group Leader

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CRANLEIGH GROUP

Among last term’s highlights was a musical morning hosted by Ann Terry, who brought along a wonderful wind-up gramophone dating from the early 1930s, together with steel needles and vintage records.

We sang along with Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland (‘Dear Mr. Gable’) and Richard Tauber, the Hokey Cokey (with movements) and I T’ought I taw a Puddy Tat, finishing up with a musical quiz and some modern snippets on CD.

At the end of June we decided to take advantage of the little enclosed patio garden at Cranleigh hospital where we have our meetings, and a ‘Garden Party’ was organised, with games including Hoopla and the original pin-table type bagatelle (remember all those silver balls bouncing to and fro?). Home-baked scones with strawberry jam and cream were munched and a very good time was had by all.

One of our recoverers was Sheila Singleton, who took a very active part in the Hoopla despite being confined to a wheelchair. We were all deeply saddened when she passed away suddenly towards the end of last term. As always, we send her husband Tom our love and sympathy

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BOULING ALONG FOR TALK

A very welcome donation of £242 came to TALK from the Amities Boules Club of Cranleigh. Two of our volunteers, Valerie Esplen and Hazel Lipman, are also keen members of the club, which this year designated TALK as its chosen charity.

Jane Langley went to Cranleigh to collect the cheque and found herself being introduced to the sport.

Jane tries her hand at the Amities Boules Club

picture by Valerie Esplen

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Cranleigh Group Celebrated Easter In Traditional Fashion,
with lots of bonnets and fun

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Tuesday Morning Group Says Goodbye To Barbara Quick

Barbara Quick is a volunteer at the Guildford Tuesday morning group and is one of the longest-serving of our volunteers. She recalls the beginnings of TALK.

In July Barbara bade farewell to the Tuesday morning group, where she has served so well for so long. She could always be relied upon to bring in the clean tea towels, fetch the milk AND make an interesting presentation.

In 1966 she answered an advertisement for a volunteer to help with dysphasic stroke victims. The then organiser, Jill Bayton met Barbara and briefed her on what the job entailed. She was placed on probation – and has been helping us ever since! “I started by visiting a young man aged 40 at home. I was given notes by the speech therapist that pointed me in the direction of the help that was needed. During this period meetings for volunteers were held at Chertsey Road Stroke Association. An induction course was held on 20th June 1996 in the board room at Farnham Road hospital,” Barbara recalls. She added that after lunch a workshop was held entitled “How everyday objects can be used to help dysphasic support members.”
This was a lesson well learned since we all know how popular Kim’s Game is!

Barbara receiving a farewell gift of a pashmina from group leader Peter Walker

and trying it on!

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Garden Design at Ashford

Ashford group took up garden designing at one of their workshops.

Tricia Golding, group leader, said: “The garden design session went extremely well with a great deal of chatter and input by everybody.

These are some of the designs ....

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... and these are some of the designers!

	Fred Littley and Volunteer Marianne Herne
Iris Gregory works on her garden plans, assisted by Karen Hastie
	Eric Stephens works with our Chairman, Michael Hawtin
Pam Penton with Kat Elton
	Joyce Catterrell works on her design

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Ashford Group “It’s a great place to be on a Tuesday morning”

Now in its second year, we are thriving with 14 recoverers and 16 volunteers plus me. The volunteers are extremely supportive and enthusiastic both to myself, writes Tricia Golding, and the recoverers and we have much fun and laughter during our sessions.

The term’s programme is planned in advance with each week having a themed session. Ideas come from everybody. During these sessions there is plenty of talking but we also try to incorporate different aspects of communication: reading – writing – comprehension – concentration - listening – observation – creative expression. The sessions may include involvement with numbers, money, dates, pictures, craft work, quizzes, worksheets, music and this list is not exhaustive.

Each week we may change the seating arrangements depending on the content of the theme. We may sit in rows, have groups round a table, have a horseshoe table arrangement or have two teams. However we sit, each recoverer is supported by a volunteer and each week that volunteer changes.

We encourage name recognition and interaction between everyone, and sometimes it is the volunteers who have difficulty remembering names! We are lucky to have weekly support from two wives of recoverers (our friends now) who organise the refreshments for us, sometimes for many more than expected. This last term we had visits from three Diploma Nursing Students who just popped in.

We are all so delighted to see increased self-esteem and social interaction amongst the group and there are often spontaneous outbursts of applause.

Tricia Golding

Tricia joined the Ashford group in July 2007 and became group leader the following January, a position she describes as “rewarding and very enjoyable”.

Her career background is in nursing - from District Nurse to Matron/Manager of a 45-bed private nursing home to training and development. Tricia says: I “retired” 10 years ago and currently work three days a week in an administrative role. Whilst volunteering at St Peter’s hospital I read about TALK and the request for volunteers at the new group meeting at Ashford hospital. I was instantly transported back in time to the day my father had his stroke at the age of 47 when I was only 16. I remembered his frustrations at not being able to say what he meant- the strange words; the crossword and pen flying across the floor; my innocent indifference; my mother’s patience and their social isolation.

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We welcome the our new volunteers

Jaswinder Banns

Jill Bowles

Marilyn James

Jennifer Jordan

Anne Probert

Debbie Beach

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Congratulations to TALK five year volunteers

Paddy Kacharia

Jill Holliman

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We are grateful to the those who have donated since our last publication

Mr and Mrs S.T. Shore and others (in memory of Donald Papworth)

Worplesdon

United Reformed Church

Stuart Davies

Coun. Jim Broadbent

Susan Whitely, chambers of T. Mousley QC (in memory of John Whitely)

Rotary

Paul Milne

W.F. Mack

Amities Boules Club

Daphne Weston

Susie Dunsmore

Care Shepperton

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