Generosity breeds generosity... 

Back in action after a near fatal heart attack Chris and his wife Dawn re-visit our Foodbank but this time to donate food !
After Chris came out of hospital he was still unable to work and the benefits he was entitled to came nowhere near to matching what his wage had been.
With 5 teenage & adult children still at home Dawn had tried everything to economise but they were still short to the point of not being able to afford to get the family food shop.
They were referred to us for emergency supplies. At the time Dawn said that visiting our Foodbank was like having family to turn to & it was wonderful for us to see her back with happy smiles in place of those worry lines we had seen before. She looked like a different person.
She had always said that she would be back with supplies once they were back on their feet. We said there was no need - our Foodbank stock is an unconditional gift from those who are kind enough to give it - but it was still very heart-warming to see the generosity returned.

Our Foodbank has fed 487 people local people in need

One LW supporter donates £25 a month - with it we bought this !

Thanks to scores of brilliant supporters, donors and 22 wonderful volunteers we have been running a Foodbank for 10 months now which has fed going on 500 local people in need. We have 24 partner agencies who work with vulnerable people in the community & keep a look out during the course of their work for anyone who has fallen into a state of temporary financial crisis so severe that they are unable to afford buy food. At this point of need the issuing agency gives out one of our Foodbank vouchers which can be redeemed each Saturday from our Merstham venue where they are given 3 days worth of nutritionally balanced non perishable food items. It's incredibly rewarding to us all at Loveworks.org to be a source of support for people at a point of real need.  We have come to know that sometimes people cannot even afford to catch a bus to access the project & as a result we are looking to open a second site in Woodhatch.
Also in the pipeline is the provision of hot lunches at our Foodbank & we are soon to launch a suspended coffee scheme in which Urban Kitchen customers in Reigate can pay for an extra coffee which pays for a voucher redeemable in Portland Cafe, Merstham for beans on toast & tea / coffee.   Thank you for helping us make our Foodbank happen.  If you would like to help those in our community with nowhere else to turn you can donate here

Thank you once again to : The Vineking - for buying the free Happy Monday round 

Erik thanks for being such a gent & agreeing to sponsor the free round of Happy Monday coffees for this month. Happy Mondays is the best kind of idea cos everyone wins.
* You the customer recv a magnificent cup of Urban Kitchen coffee / hot chocolate for well below the cost of going to the get it yourself.
* And its delivered FREE with a smile by our volunteers to your place of work in Reigate. Could anything be more fab?
* AND if that weren't enough we have an offer on at the moment : Pay £6 & that covers you for 4 weeks worth of drinks with one free Bargain !
* Plus £1 from every coffee goes to the charity to support local people in need.
Text 07912 628013 if you want to start an order for you and/or your colleagues.

BBQ for Homeless Teens 

Living at Wayside Hostel in Reigate sounds a bit like having the extended family over at Christmas. Sometimes people get on other times it's hard going as people who wouldn't usually live together are thrown together by circumstance.

Then there are the issues & struggles which caused the homelessness to begin with. These can be ongoing for the girls & it is a lot to cope with.

It is wonderful that we have reached the stage where we can lay on an event that instantly bringing the girls together to enjoy simple pleasures & forget their troubles.

"Thank you so much for doing us a BBQ and going all the way to Brockham for the burgers. Everyone was SO nice" Chelsea

Very happy Jack !

Sing-a-long-a-Cuppa Tea Club

Think we all felt it was the best Cuppa Tea Club ever when we responded to requests for a Sing-a-long from the elderly who attend our monthly club for isolated elderly.

It took a surprising amount of time to wade through the astounding amount of variations of those old songs - who knew there would be 55 versions of Any Old Iron !
But come the day when we saw some of them getting euphoric as they sang along to songs they loved & then misty eyed when songs like "We'll meet again" made them reminisce about times gone by & lost loved ones - every minute spent setting this occasion up felt worth while.

We have a such a lovely caring team of volunteers who enjoy listening to the stories of our club members as much they love to tell them ! Thank you Debbie, Laura, Lucy & specially big thank you to Carol for coordinating the project & to Maggie who spent all afternoon filling the office with sounds of songs from yesteryear as we picked out the best version. ( Try getting "My old man said follow the van" out of you head after you've heard it twelve times in a row !)
                           "A VERY HAPPYAFTERNOON. THANK YOU  JACK" ( Age 90) 

Summer Jazz & Wine-Tasting in the Park
Tuesday 18 June   6pm Urban Kitchen Cafe in the Park

Am picturing it now... the sun will be setting over Priory Park in Reigate on a June night
The buzz of conversation in Urban Kitchen Cafe in the Park.
The talented young local musicians A Handful of Jazz will be playing playing away creating a great atmosphere
Erik from The Vineking will be talking us through his summer wine selection ...
There will be cheeses & breads courtesy of Chris the artisan baker & founding father of Chalk Hills Bakery.. & for the carnivores a leg of jamon expertly carved & supplied by local firm Winterbotham Derby.
We will be happily celebrating the fact that Loveworks has reached a staggering 3165 local people in need with our projects !
How great is it to know that just being being there you will be helping to make more good things happen for people in need who only live a short car drive away from where you do !! 
A wonderful evening in a great cause & all for a mere £15 a head
BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE !!

Thank you to Wendi @ Robert Leech...
for sponsoring the "free round" for Happy Mondays this month. We so appreciate your generosity.
Happy Mondays is a coffee delivery service we run every Monday morning. The fab coffee is made by the baristas at Urban Kitchen & delivered by our volunteers to people working in Reigate Town centre. The coffee is the best in town, comes with a discount but £1 per cup goes to charity !! What's not to like !?!

The Cuppa Tea Club : Valentine's Edition : 14 Feb 

Kitty's special Valentine's moment !

Having met the Arkle Manager on her first visit Kitty ( Age 90 ) entered the building this time saying "Where's my toy boy then !"
She didn't have to wait long before he came by for a chat.
The rest of the Cuppa Tea Clubbers were happy with a nice cuppa & a chat !
We laid on heart-shaped everything & did everything we could to make it special.
When you are in your 90's & live alone it's impossible to get out until someone comes to take you out & creating that sense of a special occasion all means the world to them - as we are beginning to learn @ The Cuppa Tea Club.
Thanks so much to our volunteers Carol & Naomi for making the heart-shaped sandiches & prepping the rest of the food, to Arkle Manor for hosting us and to Age Concern for providing the specialist transport needed to get everyone from a to b. This feedback from one of our visitors ...
"Thoroughly enjoyed the Tea Club. You were all so nice & friendly to us old girls & man. Lovely food. Thank you all for a lovely time and your hard work" Margaret 

Order the set menu @ The Arkle Manor : Thurs 28 Feb : £5 per head goes to local people in need 

What a great idea from Vince from Arkle Manor.
The set menu on the evening in question looks lush - something there for everyone.
Cost £27 per head
With £5 per head going to support local people in need via Loveworks.org
Thanks ever so much for doing this on our behalf
Call 01737 842110 to book a table 

Thank you to : The Vineking - for buying the free Happy Monday round 

Erik thanks for being such a gent & agreeing to sponsor the free round of Happy Monday coffees for this month.
Happy Mondays is the best kind of idea cos everyone wins.
* You the customer recv a magnificent cup of Urban Kitchen coffee / hot chocolate for well below the cost of going to the get it yourself.
* And its delivered FREE with a smile by our volunteers to your place of work in Reigate. Could anything be more fab?
* AND if that weren't enough we have an offer on at the moment : Pay £6 & that covers you for 4 weeks worth of drinks with one free Bargain !
* Plus £1 from every coffee goes to the charity to support local people in need.
Text 07912 628013 if you want to start an order for you and/or your colleagues.
We couldn't do it tho without the kindness & commitment of the fantastic team @ Urban Kitchen who put up with us every Monday morning with our coffee orders no matter how busy they are with their own customers. UK We salute you !

Pizza Surprise Night for Homeless Teens : Jan 31

When the homeless girls at Wayside requested a Pizza Night when we brained stormed ideas they would never have guessed in a million years that we would arrange for Tim from The Mobile Pizzeria to pitch up with a clay oven & serve them all made to order pizzas !!
They were so thrilled. The pizzas were sha-mazing & were voted "better than Dominos" praise indeed from teenagers ! Our ace baker volunteer Amelia from Roasted Rose also sent over some truly spectacular muffins - how does she make them like them like that ?!!
Droolsville !
This feedback was written in by one very quiet teen who looked so very unhappy on arrival & was very hard to draw out turning down everything offered but by the end was bouncing about & eating for England "I loved it. Thank you for bringing happiness into my life often. Really. Thank you from my heart"

Thank you Round Table of Redhill & Reigate

One morning out delivering Happy Mondays coffees Erik form The Vineking who is one of our regulars suggested contacting the Reigate & Redhill Round Table as they were looking to allocate funds they had raised doing their Santa drop in Priory Park amongst other things to local causes.
Their kind donation has enabled us to buy urgently needed proper storage cupboards ( the old filing cabinets are starting to buckle under the strain ! ) for the Foodbank. So thank you all you local people who have supported in any way - you are helping some of the most financially distressed people in our community to eat.
Special thank you goes to Mandy of Coburn & Taylor whose coffee was not as hot as it ought to have been that day when I spent those very vital 5 mins speaking to Erik - she was so nice about it too !

Thank you Santander !

We are thrilled to have received a grant from Santander that will help enormously towards the cost of buying a van to help transport food for our Foodbank.
Great news all around !!

The Cuppa Tea Club : First of many...

Absolutely the best feeling ever to see these smiley faces leaving the Arkle Manor in the Age Concern bus after our very first Cuppa Tea Club.

Inspired by the distress we saw on the faces of these ladies at the pampering day in October over the closure of their Redhill centre we put our heads together with Vince from the Arkle Manor who kindly agreed to allow Loveworks to start the Cuppa Tea Club : a monthly get together for all these isolated elderly who rely on the kindness of others to get out & about.
Our mission will be to make them feel as valued as special as they dieserve to feel & it was music to our ears when Brenda ( age 92 ) said on leaving "We are not invisible to you"

Thank you : Fieldhouse & co for buying the round in December !

We would like to thank Nick from Fieldhouse & co in Reigate for kindly agreeing to sponsor the "Free Round" of Happy Monday coffees in December.
Happy Mondays is a delivery service of top quality ( made by Urban Kitchen ) but charity price ( only £1.20 if you opt onto the Regular Scheme : buy 4 get 1 free ).
Nick agreed to sponsor the free round so that the charity does not have to. How kind !!

Christmas Bag Scheme : Saturday 8 December 

Jane & Maggie on the afternoon shift 

Thanks to the generosity of countless M&S shoppers we are able to gather together goods to fill 155 Christmas Bags fulfilling all the agency requests that has been made.
The bags went out to local people & families who will all struggle to afford Christmas this year. They are personally known to Raven Housing Trust Temporary Accomodation units, Salvation Army, Welcare, Reigate & Banstead Women's Aid, East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services, Wayside Hostel for homeless teenagers & Furnistore. 

And of course a thousand thank yous to our fantastic volunteers without who this project would not be happening.
So in order of arrival BIG thank you to Diane ( there by 8am !), Jackie, Amelia, Geri, Emma, Mary, Jane, Maggie & Mo.
In what we call "the sort zone" were a host of people who came along to sort all the donated items into bags.
Jaime, Emma, Christine, Mike, Sonia, Ligia, Amanda & Diane & a particularly humungeous thank you to Mike who was coodorinating & setting up the sort zone all afternoon. 

Also to our bauble wrappers & bag decorators without whom those bags just would not be the same Georgina, Mike, Emma, Anuska, Jackie, Myra, Andrea, Lyn, Clare, Veronica & Amelia 

We have calculated that the Christmas Bag Scheme has reached over 500 local people in need this year !!
That's amazing !! Merry Christmas Everybody 

Tree & Treats aka Santa's Sleigh Day : Wednesday 5 December : Part 2 !

Santa he got the moves !

Here he is on the final prezzie drop of the day Wayside hostel for homeless teens.
By the time he got here Santa ( aka local solicitor Nick ) was actually break-dancing to the songs blasting out of the hostel's sound system.
We went in with a fantastic tree & baubles.
The girls had requested a Secret Santa on Ideas Night ( see below) but they didnt have the money to buy gifts for each other.
So our version of Secret Santa was that we bought all the girls a box of gifts & then kept Santa's visit a secret !
Honestly you ought to have heard the screams of delight when they realised Santa was coming.
Along with the gift packs came LW volunteer Amelia with amazing cupcakes & chocolate brownies. The girls were so thrilled.

Santa's Sleigh Day : Wednesday 5 December 

Brooklyn & Santa in "face off " 

First stop on the journey of Santa's sleigh was to Colne House one of Raven Housing Trusts temporary accommodations.

There the Mum's & children had gathered to see the Christmas wishes they had shared with us the previous week come true.

Thank you all you Belfry shoppers - you have brought smiles to the faces of people who are currently under more grave stress than usual as the unit they live in is being demolished & they are all being re-housed.
Even though all the young Mums & their little ones are moving onto better places it is still very stressful as they are leaving behind their friendships as well as the maternal presence of Dawn Light who is there every day if they ever need a listening ear.  Thank you on behalf of all of the beneficiaries to everyone who bought a gift !

Local Santa Scheme : Sunday 2 December : The Public Ask

We pitched up in traditional fashion to ask shoppers in the Belfry whether or not they would be willing to buy a gift for a local child in need.

These Christmas Wishes had already been gathered by personal visits to the children in refuge & temporary accommodation.

Project Coordinator Karen Neil pictured here had a lovely load of volunteers with her to do the asking & wrap the gifts.
SO many thanks to Rosie, Robyn, Emeline & Carolanne & our gift-wrappers extraordinaire Lyn, Libby & Emma ( those presents looked SO gorgeous )
This year we delivered 59 gifts in a day to the children in Reigate & Banstead Woman's aid refuge & Raven Housing Temporary Accomodation & teens @ Wayside Hostel. 

Our new CUPPA TEA CLUB 

One of my top favourite LW photos of all time

We were so pleased to be able to step in & help the ladies & gents of Age Concern when they lost their Redhill Centre lately.
For many that has left a big hole in their week as they are frail & find getting out & about very difficult without the help of the Age Concern bus.
Thanks to the kindness of Vince from the Arkle Manor we are now able to give the ladies something lovely to do at the monthly CUPPA TEA CLUB.
Lots of tea, lots of chatting & lots of laughing & cream tea, sandwiches & lots of treats were the order of the day. We are scheduling in things they fancy doing in the coming months.
They are such great company too it was a pleasure spending time with them.
In shot on the right leaving with big happy grins & waves are Rose age 82, Vi age 81, Brenda age 92, May age 80 & Kitty age 90

Happiness all around re Waitrose Foodbank Appeal ! 

Everything in shot behind Emma was given by Waitrose customers in one day ! 

The very bouncy team at Avios in Crawley did an amazing job collecting for our Foodbank last Friday. Valerie & a team of 7 asked shoppers going into Waitrose Horley if they would be willing to buy a few extra items.
It took us 3 hours to log, stack & sort the huge amount of carrier bags that got delivered

Huge thanks to Valerie & her team & to Waitrose for giving permission for us to be there.
We've just contacted the Duty Manager @ Waitrose to give her the good news & she said it has made her day to know how well it went.
Happiness all around then !

Fab & Full On @ our Foodbank on Saturday 17h Nov 

Week 6 since our Foodbank opening saw our busiest session yet.

19 people including children & elderly received food they desperately needed at Saturday's session.
We were also very heartened by the fact that everyone felt comfy enough to sit & have a cuppa & a chat.
It actually felt like a busy little cafe for most of the session.  Included amongst the feedback in our guest book was this by Lorraine
"Lovely & kind people, I felt as ease as soon as I got here, as I don't go out & mix & accepting charity is hard but they made me feel at ease about it".
iSo fantastic to read that and others like it whw we were packing away. Thanks to fab volunteers like Carol, Libby, Anuska, Pam, Di, Jaime, Emma & a load more for helping to make this great project possible.

Christmas Card-Making Course for Isolated Elderly : 24 October - 20 November 

Jack's Story : Daring to be different

Happily surrounded by many snowy-haired ladies each week on our Christmas card-making for the elderly is Jack who discovered he had a creative streak very late in life.

In his younger years he was in the Navy & he told us that some us his old navy buddies gave him a bit of a ribbing when they learned he had "gone arty" but he didn't let that stop him.

These days he has several of his own paintings hanging on his walls at home & he says he spends ages looking at the changing patterns in the sky wondering how to capture it in paint.
It took him by surprise that he was able to paint at all
"You never know what you can do till you try do you?" he said.

The wisdom of age ....

Foodbank Donations : An Unbelievable number !

Such an amazing number needs to have its name in lights doesn't it ... well ok then marker pen !
This is the amazing number of items that have been purpose bought by people in our community for others who are struggling to afford to eat.

In an affluent area like ours its hard to believe there are people out there who are going hungry through lack of food. But its true.
The recent BBC programme "Britain's Hidden Hunger" brought the issue to the attention of nation when it was screened & the needs are set to get deeper & worse as costs continue to rise & welfare reform kick in next year.
How brilliant that through the Foodbank there is a simply easy way to do a little something to help.  And as this figure shows a lot can be achieved in a short space of time when enough people who care do something to show it.

Ideas Night  @ Wayside Hostel for Homeless Teens : 1st Nov

Making plans together ..

We got together with the girls from Wayside Hostel in Reigate last night to brainstorm ideas for future projects.
Amongst some unrepeatable suggestions !! were many great ideas to put on the drawing board. The bouncy castle, secret santa, dress for success & karaoke being amongst the most popular ideas each getting at least 8 votes.
Just need to do some creative thinking now with the LW team to see how we can blend some of these great, fun ideas into a lovely occasion / course which will be underpinned with the objective of meeting their emotional needs & lots of additional loving detail & little surprises to make them feel special - in the classic Loveworks way !

The hostel in Reigate where the girls live is a very caring supportive environment but a hard place to live nonetheless as many of the girls arrive with multiple issues that they are trying to live with as well as live alongside each other.  We were bowled over when the girls asked if we could pay them more regular visits.
We were just as thrilled when some of them wanted & did volunteer for us at the Jubilee Street Party in Priory Park in June as this speaks volumes about how their relationship with Loveworks has developed. Young people with troubled backgrounds tend to be wary of anyone new (especially people they see as "do-gooders" !!) It's such a privilege to have become accepted by them.

Handmade Christmas Card-Making - for Isolated Elderly : 30 October

Creativity with a Cuppa !

The card designs these elderly artistes from Merstham will be getting stuck into between now & end November have been craftily ( ha !) created by Carol Cockbain.

She runs a card-making company & has kindly given loads of time for free to prep the all the card components for the ladies ( and Jack !) pictured here so that all it takes is some cutting, sticking & colouring and hey presto they come together layer upon layer into a very impressive looking finished product.

Just out of shot & passing round the sticky strips & the red / green pencils are volunteers Carol, Veronica & Carol H.

This card-making course has been brought back as the elderly who attended last year enjoyed it so much. They were justifiably very proud of their creations which were posted off for Christmas to relatives near & far.

New Project Plans for Isolated Elderly

Lots more tea, chat & special occasions like this..

Really exciting news to report !
Just heard from the Arkle Manor that they are happy to play host to a new regular fixture for local elderly who have just lost their Redhill centre.
The ladies were telling us at last week's Pampering Afternoon what a wrench it has been for them losing their regular weekly meeting place in Redhill. It has left many with a massive hole in their week.  One lady said "Sometimes lately I just find my eyes filling up with tears. Once the housework is done sometimes you just sit there & feel really low"
We are so pleased to be able to lay on something to act as part replacement.  Last week our volunteer beautician Di pictured below texted after the pampering to say "They are such a lovely bunch of ladies". And they are. We are going to enjoying spending time with them & finding out what we can do in the regular sessions will help them to feel valued, special & give them a much needed treat. 

Pampering for Isolated Elderly : Arkle Manor 25th October

The pampering is only part of the story. We know that many of the ladies who come along for the Loveworks treat afternoon at the Arkle Manor struggle to get out and often spend a lot of time alone.
The listening ear of Di Cundell - the lovely beautician who gives her time for free - is just as important on this occasion as her healing hands !

10 isolated & elderly ladies left feeling pampered and cosseted & cared for - and that's just as it should be.

Vince & his team at the Arkle Manor did a lovely job of making everyone feel welcome.  Very many thanks for your hospitality.

Foodbank OPENS !  Saturday October 13th

Our very first visitor.. in temporary crisis following theft

We couldn't have been more delighted to see the doors of the Foodbank open after much collecting of goods, sorting, stacking, holding briefings with partner agencies & volunteers - phew .. and there we were .. all good to go !

First through the door was an elderly lady (pictured here from the back for privacy's sake).
She had her pension stolen from her just after having drawn it from the post office. Her debit card was stolen from her at the same time & she told us she really hadn't eaten much since the incident happened the Tuesday before Foodbank day.
Theft from the vulnerable elderly is something that comes up a lot in conversation doesn't it as so many are upset by the idea of it.
It was an incredible feeling to be able to DO something helpful in a situation that usually we are only able to lament over. To EVERYONE who gave food for our Foodbank  - whether outside M&S Reigate or through your school or via your church's Harvest Festival  -
You have helped this lady.. and doesn't that feel great ?!
She and others in temporary financial crisis, some from fleeing domestic abuse some because needed & legitimate state benefits have been delayed have, this past three weeks since the Foodbank opened left feeling relieved, smiling & especially appreciative of the quality of foodstuffs they have received at the Foodbank.

FoodBank Public Ask : Saturday 6th October

Lots & lots of this ........

The Saturday shoppers going into Marks & Spencer Reigate proved has helpful and generous as they had been the previous Friday.

We left after a few hours with another carload (note to self - must get van - Ford Focus deeply unsuitable for transporting vast quantities of cans !) of lovely non-perishables for the Foodbank store cupboard in Merstham.

313 items were given in just a few hours  - just incredible.
Huge & grateful thank yous to everyone who helped by buying some extra items.
Your generosity will be deeply appreciated by many people the Foodbank will assist in the weeks & months to come.

Followed by lots & lots of this .....

Equals THIS !!!

FoodBank Public Ask : Friday 21st September

LW Volunteer Zoe Baker explains Foodbank donations

We were thrilled at the public's response to our first public ask outside Marks & Spencer Reigate on Friday.

Armed with a photographic shopping list of the kind of items we were looking for volunteers asked customers if they would be willing to buy extra items to add to our Foodbank cupboards.

There was a whole shopping trolley full after two hours and
over £600 worth of goods donated by 2.30pm.

Special thanks to LW voluteer Carol Holden who was there from start to finish & left tired but happy saying "I think I'm going to be saying it all in my sleep !"

One of the reasons that we are so excited about starting the FoodBank is that it is such a simple easy way for anyone who cares to do something for others in our community who are struggling to cope financially to the point that they cant afford to shop for food for themselves & their families.
                                 If you would like to help - we are back outside M&S Reigate on Saturday 6th October 

Jubilation ! Street Party in Priory Park - Sunday June 3 '12
Thank you : The Reigate Public

Spirits undampened by the drizzle !

Thanks to rainproof spirit of our community we had a fantastic day 
Raincoats on and flags a-waving you came in your thousands to Priory Park & with every burger bought and cream tea consumed you gave to local people in need by supporting our charity.
After costs all you wonderful people raised...

     Over £11,000 raised for local people in need !

  We just can't thank you all enough.  Thank you for braving the drizzle, celebrating the Jubilee of our lovely Queen & for what you did for local people in need in the process !

Jubilation ! Street Party in Priory Park - Sunday June 3 '12
Thank you : The Local Organisations

Headline Sponsor : Just Retirement 

Just couldn't have done it without you !
It was wonderful to see the world of local commence come together to get behind our charity event. Really a dream come true for us. Thank you SO much for your amazing support...
Just Retirement - our generous headline sponsor
Market Stores - Richard & the team & Fullers for their amazing sponsorship of the bar.
EE&P - where would we have been with out Toby & the fantastic staging guys
Winterbotham Derby - Karen & co for superb handling of "cream tea carnage" in the tea tent & running the Diamond Circle
Reigate School - Wendy the bursar was quite honestly supersonic !
Avocado Audiovisuals - Mike & Georgina superstars as ever !
OMD TV - for being so supportive & making our big screen dream come true.
Esure - who gave some star prizes & supported so generously
Canon - who gave some star prizes, printed our programmes & came to gazebo rescue !
Barclays Reigate - to Sam & Karla for all your help getting funding & for volunteering
Robinsons Estate Agents - Steve & Christine - you helped so much in so many ways
Priory School - Steve the caretaker - you were our hero of the hour
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council  - for giving us permission to use the park

Also we would like to thank the following for their donations and/or kindly giving us free or heavily discounted goods & services ..
Beacon Hotel - New York, Choro Bandido, Tommy Matthews Traditional Fairground, All Time Catering, Urban Kitchen, Bell Street Studios, Robert & Leech, Arkle Manor, The Pizza Project, All Time Catering, Suzy Radio, Fullers UK, Willows, The Plough - Leigh, The Vineking, Cook, Westwood Rocks, Noa Noa, Cafe Rouge, Laura Ashley, Nutfield Priory Health Spa, Anstruther Hair & Beauty.

Jubilation ! Street Party in Priory Park - Sunday June 3 '12
Thank you : The Volunteers 

Before the bar got busy ! Over the day these volunteers
helped raise thousands for local people in need.

An incredible 102 !! volunteers helped out 

It took serious people power to make this event happen.  So so many people worked so hard & we are grateful for every minute of time given. Without it there is no way a tiny charity like ours could have pulled off an event of this scale.

Humungous thank yous go to the Jubilee Planning Team :  Karen, Claire, Laura, Eve, Veronica, Sue, Maggie, Sarah-Jane, Cora, Lorraine, Stuart & Julie many of whom worked solidly on this for 6 months.

Jubilation ! Street Party in Priory Park - Sunday June 3 '12

Thank you : The Performers 

Harry rockin' it out for Sanctus

The Community Concert 

Was fantastic with a host of local talent who gave their time for free to entertain the thousands who came along to support the event.

Thank you SO much to ...

Redhill Baptist Church Gospel Choir, Charisma, Stagecoach, Reigate School of Ballet, Priory School Choir, Sanctus, Sandcross School Choir, Vocal Dimension, Reigate School & Handful of Jazz.  You all helped to make it a day to remember

Movie Night @ Reigate Cinema : Monday 19th March  

It was such a thrill to see the name of the film we had requested going up on the canopy outside our local cinema.
46 movie fans came watched the wonderful classic The Bridges of Madison County with us.  Everyone who came along had a lovely treat pack as part of the ticket price so we all got to munch on chocolate, cheese & crackers etc with a nice glass of wine as well as see a short DVD showing the work of the charity.
Thanks so much to the lovely Toby @ Reigate Cinema for helping us organise the event, to Marc form Cullenders for donating some of the treat pack goodies and to Eve, Maggie, Bonnie and Veronica for volunteering on the night.
Here's what the guests said
"Just wanted to say well done last night. It was brilliant. Your DVD literally made me cry"  Heather from Bell Street Barbers
"Thanks for last night. It was really well organised and fun" Jane Shakeshaft
"Fab evening. U worked so hard to make it all come together so seamlessly. It's one of my fave girlie films.  Def would come again" Linda Simmons

Project News : Thursday 15th March : Pyjama Party for Homeless Teens

When we were putting up the Christmas Tree with the girls living at Wayside House it was the idea of a pyjama party that made their eyes light up.
As a rule they are not allowed to bring their duvets into the communal lounge but at the Pyjama party everyone snuggled up under their duvets to watch a childhood favourite movie, eat and drink all the food and treats on their wish list which Loveworks volunteers had shopped for with chats and games thrown in.
What the girls said ....

"It was really good. I think we should do it again.

Thanks for Wally  Thanks for my kebab Woop Woop x" Mel

"It's been a really really hard week. I've been feeling like I just wanted to end it all. I wasn't going to come but I did and its taken my mind of everything. I've literally never had this kind of thing given to me before" Stacey

"It was really nice of you guys to do this for us. 

I've enjoyed the night spending it with the girls and doing girlie things so thank you"

Announcing March TICKET RELEASE for 
**JUBILATION**  SUNDAY 3 JUNE - 450 FREE TICKETS !!
Did you see this banner outside Cafe Rouge in Reigate at the end of Jan ??
So many thanks to Darren & Andy from The Shed  by the way for spending hours in the Baltic cold helping me put this banner up.(It's a lot harder than you'd think!) A well deserved hot chocolate on the house for Darren to warm his numb fingers was the order of the day after 3 hours in sub-zero temperatures tying knots up a 30ft ladder ! What a total star !
Anyway .... See where it says "tickets on sale"  - Well ....we deliberated, cogitated and digested and decided to offer the tickets FREE OF CHARGE so everyone in the community gets the chance to come to this event.
This is very much the Loveworks way and we are really excited at the idea that everyone now has chance to attend.
There will be a TICKET RELEASE from 13th - 30th March during which time you can apply for FREE TICKETS to info@loveworks.org.uk  There will be 450 tickets on offer on a first come first served basis. Once they're gone they're gone - 12 days and counting !!!

Mrs Constable - Head of Sandcross School

School's get behind the **JUBILATION**  SUNDAY 3 JUNE
Earlier this week we sent out letters to the Heads of all the local schools and colleges to explain the Jubilation & ways we would love to see them getting involved. ie
- Entering a musical performance in the Community Concert
- Entering a year group in the Paint a Jubilee Paper Plate Competition
-Running one of the Fun Token Stalls which will be there on the day.
We have had great meetings with with Matt Alexander (Dep Head ) and Wendy Farnfield (Bursar) from Reigate School who have been so supportive and helpful  - it was fantastic to hear how excited their school council are about the event.  Rebecca our new admin assistant and parent at Reigate Priory School had a very positive meeting with Head Noel Lellman on Monday. We look forward to collaborating with them further
Today's news is that we had a lovely email response from the Head of Sandcross School an except of which is below..
"What Loveworks has achieved in a short space of time is truly amazing. It was a truly heartwarming experience reading through the literature.  If there is a space for a half hour slot at the Jubilee Concert, please count us in.  Our Infant and Junior children have plenty of time to prepare something special and we have several staff who are keen to help, including myself. I am going to ask the Friends of Sandcross if they would like to run a stall for you as well. We may also be able to lend some tables"  Kind Regards  Judith Constable Headteacher Sandcross Primary School and Nursery

It's so fantastic to see the community start to come together in support of a great day in a great cause. Thank you to everyone we have heard back from so far !

Welcome to the Office Team - Claire Furner - Winner of Vodafone's World of Difference Scheme
We first met Claire when she volunteered for Loveworks when she was doing her A Levels & LW was just starting. She volunteered again when she saw us doing Happy Mondays in Urban Kitchen and began nipping over the road to the LW office after her shifts to update our Facebook page.
We were delighted when she suggested applying to Vodafone's World of Difference scheme and then even more thrilled when she won one of the 500 places out of 5,000 applicants.  Go gerl !!
Claire will spend 2 months with Loveworks coordinating the marketing strategy for
**Jubilation** Street party in Priory Park - Sunday 3 June. Her salary will be fully funded by Vodafone WOD durung her placement with us. She starts work on Monday !!  

**JUBILATION NEWS**
Thanks so much to award-winning RBC Gospel Choir for agreeing to perform in the Community Concert @ Loveworks Jubilation Street Party in the Park Sunday June 3rd. Hoping for a glorious sunny day as a backdrop to those beautiful voices 

**JUBILATION** NEWS !
Thank you Vocal Dimension !
Can't wait to hear you all singing in the 2pm slot of the Community Concert @ Jubilation : Loveworks Party in Priory Park Sunday June 3rd Checked you out on the Chris Evans show - View Clip

Hit the New Year Running...
Fitness for all - in aid of Loveworks.org  - is here !

... More like this but minus the tutus !

Not this kind of boot camp...oh no no..

Thanks to a very kind offer from Paul Murray of Reigate's Fitness Camp based at Old Reigatians Club you can book fitness sessions classes for only £5 ( half price) and the whole fiver will go to Loveworks.org.uk ! for week commencing 9th Jan 2012
And that's only the half of it !
Paul is also offering a Free follow up service of email support and weekly drop in clinics as well as a month end fitness review (all Free !) where you see how far you've come on your road to fitness.
Register Here Numbers of brave and crazy people happy to turn out at 6.30am on Monday 9th Jan are gathering but there is still room for you !
 Back to LW Website

Wonderful Feedback on Christmas Bag Scheme

"Thank you all so much for the lovely bags of goodies that we have distributed to all the families in Redhill and East Surrey that we are currently working with.  This is such a blessing to them; Christmas is a difficult time for those whose budgets are already stretched to breaking.  There is little scope for the extra Christmas treats that many of us take for granted.  The bags were received with much excitement and surprise.  The very fact that people care enough to be bothered is one factor that touches those who receive this gift.  They also comment on the quality of the contents and that the provision enables them to bring Christmas traditions into the home when their expectation had been they would have to go without this year.
It's is an amazing piece of work that you do and it brings so much joy to so many people."
Julie Mitchell  Welcare Children's Centre Corordinator 

Saturday 10th December  PROJECT NEWS  - Christmas Bag Scheme

June ( pictured left )  wins this years "volunteer moved to tears" award ! 

Saturday was Stupendous !!

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of Marks and Spencer customers in Redhill and Reigate who spent £3,205 in one day !! and the time given by Loveworks.org volunteers Mike, Georgina, Jackie, Maggie, Evie, Naomi, James, Geoff, Jane, Diane, Andy, Cora, June, Bonnie, Andrea and Claire we will be able to provide 139 Christmas Bags to local families in need struggling to afford Christmas this year.
Also there will be 30 gifts for the local homeless men who use the drop in centre in Redhill.
This year the bags have been given to families using the following agencies Welcare, ESDAS, RBWA, Salvation Army, Merstem Community Facility, Wayside Keychange, Temporary Accomodation run by Raven Housing Trust.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers and every single person who donated items for the bags and special thanks to Julie and Matt - Marks and Spencer Managers of Reigate and Redhill respectively who very kindly donated the gift bags for us to use. 

Monday 28th November PROJECT NEWS  -  Comfort Cupboard for Local Refuge

The response of the Belfry Shoppers on our two Local Santa sessions this year was just incredible.  That first Thursday I felt as though I literally turned round and all those cards with the names and wishes of local children in need had just flown off the tree !  
Having learned that women and children fleeing domestic abuse sometimes take a rare window of opportunity to run away with their children and literally leave everything else behind we thought especially of the children suddenly finding themselves in the new refuge environment with none of their toys or familiar things around them.  Out of this realisation came the idea of a "Comfort Cupboard" of soft toys so that newly arriving children could pick one out to have as their snuggly for bed that first night and beyond. 
Everyone who bought a teddy also gave it a name which we attached to a ribbon round their necks.
If anyone reading this was one of our "Local Santa's" you may well be able to see the toy you bought for us with the name you chose on his name tag !
The refuge management were delighted with this idea and all those little furry faces peeking out of the cupboard are sure be a welcome sight for newly arriving traumatised children.
THANK YOU SO much to everyone who played a part in making this our biggest and best Local Santa Project ever.  There were over 70 gifts purchased by shoppers, wrapped by our volunteers and delivered our Loveworks Santa this year.

Thursday 17th & Sunday 25th November PROJECT NEWS - Local Santa

Val, Zoe, Linda and Louise  - 4 of the 15 volunteers who ran this project 

This tree started at 10am covered in little red tags.  Each tag contained the name of a real local child living in refuge or temporary accommodation who we had visited to ask for their Christmas Wishes. Belfry shoppers, at our request, then went and bought the requested gifts which we wrapped on the day ready for our very own Santa to deliver to the children.

By the end of the day all the red tags were attached to gifts that had been bought and the tree was covered all the way round and from head to foot in soft toys ! This year the response from the public was so instantaneous and generous that we were able to add on another mini project to meet the needs of children at the refuge.  See blog post above for more.  A thousand thank yous to everyone who took part. Your generosity was moving to us all.