Sense volunteer newsletter, April 2023
This month, we’ve got loads of exciting events and ways for you to get involved with Sense at the London Marathon.
We’re also celebrating our volunteers of the month, Karen and Bethany, for helping us so much with their thorough feedback and notes. Feedback really helps us provide the best possible service for the people we support. Don’t forget yours!
- Upcoming events
- Cheer at the London Marathon on 23 April!
- Buddying inspo – ideas for April
- Volunteers of the month
- Important information – on-call numbers and feedback form
Upcoming events
Virtual Buddying monthly competition!
Cheer Sense at the London Marathon!
Why not support Sense Marathon runners for one of your sessions? We have various cheer points through East London.
- Cheer Point 1, Mile 6: Greenwich – Cutty Sark DLR, 8:30am – 1pm. Cheer point lead: Harry Wainwright
- Cheer Point 2, Mile 15: The Highway – Shadwell Overground, 9:30am – 2pm. Cheer point lead: Ashra Jayatilaka
- Cheer Point 3, Mile 19: Canary Wharf – Jubilee Line. Early shift: 9am – 12:30pm or late shift: 12:30pm – 4:30pm. Cheer point lead: Jon Stubbs
- Cheer Point 4, Mile 23: Tower of London – Tower Hill District and Circle Lines. Early shift: 9:00am-1:30pm or late shift: 1:30pm – 5:30pm. Cheer point lead: Imogen Kay
- Meet and Greet: Tiger Tiger (yes that Tiger Tiger!) Piccadilly Circus, Bakerloo and Piccadilly Lines, Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Northern Lines. Early shift: 11:15am – 3:30pm or late shift: 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Our cheer point volunteers just need to bring themselves and plenty of enthusiasm! We will be able to provide all the cheer kit you will need.
Buddying inspo
Stuck for ideas for new activities with your buddy? Here’s some inspiration:
Virtual buddying activities
Buddying activities
Remember to send us pictures of any activities you guys do together!
Manchester
Turn it up: the power of music, Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, m3 4FP
Cost: from £6, free carer tickets too.
Dates: Running until 21st May
Prepare to get hands-on, with your ears and hearts open, at the new major exhibition exploring the science of music’s mysterious hold over us and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share. Make music together and play with beat, melody, and harmonies in a newly commissioned musical playground. Find out how music can trigger emotions and memories, whether it can affect what you buy, and even what certain songs taste like. Take part in a musical Turing test and see if you can tell the difference between songs written by humans and machines.
Cheeky Cherubs Soft-Play, 1, Victoria parade, higher rd., Urmston, Manchester M41 9BP
Dates: Monday to Thursday 09:30 – 13:30, Friday 09:30 – 18:00, Saturday 09:30 – 17:00
Cost: £6 children, £1.50 adults.
There’s a big soft play frame with separate areas inside for over and under 4s, each section with fun physical play entertainment. All the modern classics are in there somewhere, from the slides and ball pools to the wobbly bridges and space age tunnels! You can find the early learning zone alongside it supporting different types of play like arts and crafts materials, dolls houses and a great little range of dressing up costumes! Plus, the ICT suite is geared toward the older types so you can take them along for a change!
Wythenshawe Library, Forum Square, Wythenshawe, M22 5RX
Cost: Free
Colouring Club/Lego Club – Alternate Saturdays, 2-4pm. See the Wythenshawe Forum website for other events, including Odd Arts creative sessions.
Museum of Transport, Boyle Street, Cheetham, Manchester M8 8UW
Dates: 22nd and 23rd 10-4:30
Cost: £4 for museum entrance
Special events to celebrate the centenary of the north-western road car company. Classic north-western buses on display and several to travel on. Heritage bus 4 – a free heritage bus link with Manchester city centre – will operate. Hop aboard a vintage bus to celebrate Manchester transport.
London
Ramadan and Eid Arts & Crafts Session at Various locations on Saturdays in April
Create your own Ramadan craft! FREE Drop-in session – no need to book.
Parnhams Funfair at Valentines Park throughout April
Join us at Valentines Park for the Kids World family wristband fair: open school holidays, weekends, and bank holidays. Session times are 1pm-4.30pm and 4pm-7.45pm.
Free Creative Workshop: Exploring Nature with Photography at SPACE Ilford on Saturday 22nd April
Explore the natural world around us with photographer Andrew Brown and science and IT educator Diane Mayers using a variety of photographic and optical equipment and approaches.
Minions: The Rise of Gru Film Screening at Kenneth More Theatre on Thursday 6th April
The untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain, in Minions: The Rise of Gru.
The Railway Children Return Film Screening at Kenneth More Theatre on Saturday 15th April
Picking up nearly forty years after the events of the original film, ‘The Railway Children Return’ will take audiences on an exciting and heart-warming journey, in which a new group of children are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War 2.
Wellbeing Walks at Various locations throughout April
Meeting at various parks and open spaces across Redbridge on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Matilda the Musical Screening at Kenneth More Theatre on Tuesday 4th April
A brand new take on the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical tells the story of an extraordinary girl, with a vivid imagination, who dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.
Come and Get a Henna Style Tattoo at Redbridge Central Library on Wednesday 19th April
Get a henna style tattoo!
Volunteers of the month, Karen and Bethany – Virtual Buddying
A huge shout out to our volunteers Karen and Bethany for always writing thorough feedback and keeping up to date with it!
It is always a pleasure to read about what they have been up to in their sessions. Well done, you are amazing! This month they let us know that they’ve been making a play-doh storyline and making chocolate bars.
Important information
Contact details
Virtual Buddying
If you have any safeguarding concerns during the coming month, please call or email your assigned Sense staff as soon as possible between the hours of 9am-5:00pm.
If your concern is more urgent and you need to speak to someone immediately or during non-working hours, please use the Sense on-call number: 07557220433
Alice Green( Project Coordinator: [email protected], 07518902681
Deanne Echarri (Project Assistant): [email protected], 07816599138
Jerry Dawson (Project Assistant): [email protected], 07816643093
Sam Parkinson (Project Assistant): [email protected], 07816643187
Rosanna Lowe (Project Assistant): [email protected], 07967 274333
Day buddying
Manchester Buddies:
Manchester Buddies – please remember to provide feedback after each session.
On-call number: 07757 220433
Kate Weston (Programme Coordinator): [email protected], 07855 011752
Amy Lasen (Programme Assistant): [email protected]
Redbridge Buddying Programme
Lucy Campbell (Programme Coordinator): [email protected], 07973 792420
Carre Smyth (Programme Assistant): [email protected], 07815 996064
The LEAP Team
Camilla McCready-Pay (Programme coordinator): [email protected], 07876870941
Jane Chanakira (Programme Assistant): [email protected], 07816498781
Niamh Milligan (Programme Assistant): [email protected], 07815996206
Holidays
Email: [email protected]
Got an idea for how to improve Sense vounteering?
Got an idea for how to improve volunteering at Sense? Want to share some feedback? Or do you just want to ask a question and chat about your experience?
Contact us at [email protected].
Buddies – don’t forget your feedback!
Join the Sense mission
We’re always hiring. Check out our latest job listings.