Author: Fran Arnold

DWB were happy to support Healthy Holidays again in Christmas 2020, thanks to funding from People Keeping Well.

We worked in partnership with five local schools – Tinsley Meadows, High Hazels Academy, Phillimore, Acres Hill and Oasis Academy Don Valley to identify families to receive the food hampers and activity packs. Forty two families were identified by schools, with a further eighteen by DWB. These hampers will reach a total of one hundred and seventy-six children this Christmas.

The hampers contained the ingredients for four meals, along with recipes to cook simple, healthy family meals: omelette, pasta and tuna, vegetable curry and jacket potato. The activity packs included board games and Christmas themed colouring sheets and puzzles.

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The Community Champions at Morrisons Catcliffe were very supportive and generous in helping us get the contents of the hampers together. The hampers were then packed by some of our staff and volunteers over the weekend of 12th and 13th December. A huge thank you to everyone who helped us do this, including Graham from Tinsley Forum and Kinder from Attercliffe & Darnall Centre of Mission, who helped deliver the hampers to the five schools!

They came and are lovely. Our families were very grateful. Thank you to you and all the staff who made this possible.

Alison Blakemore, Deputy Head, Phillimore Community Primary School

The schools distributed the hampers directly to families at each school, and DWB staff distributed to other families we identified who would really benefit from receiving one. We were happy to be sent a photo of the first meal cooked by one Tinsley family almost as soon as they received their hamper!

Just wanted to say thank you for the food parcels – our families were thrilled. The parcels will be a big help to families over the Christmas break.

Shanaz Begum, Pastoral Officer, High Hazels Academy

We will be back delivering Healthy Holidays in the February half-term, when we hope to also be delivering some face to face activities. Watch this space!

Update on Darnall Well Being Services – October 2020

South Yorkshire is moving to a Tier 3 “Very High” Covid restrictions area on Saturday 24^th October.

We would like to reassure the community and partners that we will continue to deliver support during this time, in line with our workplace Covid risk assessments.

Support available from Darnall Well Being includes our:

• Covid Community Hub – offering telephone advice and information
• Regular wellbeing phone calls and doorstep visits where possible, for those that need it the most
• Regular activity packs through the post
• Regular (Zoom) conference calls for our volunteers – with the prospect of more opportunities to connect online for our group members before long.
• Link Workers can still offer one to one support for people with long-term conditions like diabetes and chronic pain management, help with improving physical and mental wellbeing, as well as signposting to other services where needed.

To limit the spread of Covid-19, our indoor groups will remain suspended for now, but the team are working hard and talking with local people and partners, to plan what we can do safely outdoors and online to bring people together and stay well.   Some activity has already started including Ladies Cycling and volunteering sessions at two brilliant Allotment plots in the area.

We continue to monitor official announcements and guidance, making changes to our plans if needed.

Council support is available, including a £500 grant for people on low incomes needing to isolate and funding for people needing food. 

Look out for updates on our website and social media pages or contact us for more information, share your ideas or to get involved.

Ways to get in touch:

Email: communityhub@darnallwellbeing.org.uk

Phone: 0114 249 6315

or Text/Call: 07946 320 808

Remember – the basics matter.  We all have a role to play to help our community stay safe:  keep your distance, wash hands regularly, good ventilation, wear a face covering where needed, unless exempt.

The UK Government has decided that Sheffield is at the Tier 2 (High) COVID local alert level This means that additional restrictions are in place from 14th October 2020. The posters below give some general information anout the impacts on our day to day life. For more detailed information, please visit the UK Government website here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-levels-what-you-need-to-know

October 3^rd and 4^th is Fun Palaces 2020 Weekend. Fun Palaces is all about FUN and sharing what we do with our local community. Along with our partners at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and the Canal & River Trust, we’ve put together a number of mini Fun Palaces that are within Covid restrictions, but still enable the community to have fun!

Read on for an outline of each event:

Draw Your Own Fun Palace

Help make your community into a giant art gallery:

1. Print the Scarecrow template below, decorate the Scarecrow, design a colourful outfit that will stand out and draw attention.
2. Draw or paint a picture, that tells us what COMMUNITY means to you and how you feel about it.

Display your pictures in your front window to share with your friends and neighbours.

If you can, please take a photo of your pictures and email them to us at dwb.enquiries@darnallwellbeing.org.uk or post them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tag us @darnallWB

(Prizes for the ones we enjoy most!)

Food and Flowers: Spot The Scarecrow

Located at Infield Lane, S9 4PE, behind High Hazels Park, Darnall Allotment Project invites you to explore the site and discover the fun you can have growing and eating your own fruit and vegetables https://www.facebook.com/darnallallotmentproject

FREE seeds to plant and grow at home.

To book a slot on Sunday 4^th October please ring 07495 548 929.

Children under 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult but everyone is welcome

Discovery Trails

Follow the map around one or both of our trails and discover more of Attercliffe and Darnall. Download the maps here:

Attercliffe Adventure

High Hazels Park

Follow one or both routes, and send us your photos and drawings of things you see on the way. Email dwb.enquiries@darnallwellbeing.org.uk or post them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tag us @darnallWB 

(Prizes for the ones we enjoy most!)

Canal Canoeing Experience

Have you ever fancied trying canoeing? The Canal & River Trust are hosting FREE 1 hour sessions on Saturday the 3^rd October on the canal near the Olympic Legacy Park.

To book your place and for more details please email jade.wilkes@canalrivertrust.org.uk. Places are limited and on a first come first serve basis.  No experience necessary. This activity is suitable for children aged 8+ and adults of all ages. Children under 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult. This event is for pre-booked tickets only.

For more information about Fun Palaces in general and to search for other Fun Palaces, please visit their website.

In August 2020, we worked in partnership with Manor & Castle Development Trust to deliver the Healthy Holidays project in Darnall and Tinsley.

The project operated from 4th – 25th August with 2 distribution centres – Church of Christ, Darnall and Tinsley Forum, Tinsley.

Staff and volunteers dedicated their time to supporting families by distributing food hampers and activity resources. All families received a cricket set, hula hoop or skipping rope alongside their hampers.

A total of 733 food hampers were distributed in Darnall and Tinsley. Families received fresh ingredients and 2 recipes each week for a different food theme – Mexican, Italian, Curry and English Omelette.

Families also attended sports activities which were delivered by Sheffield City Trust staff. SCT facilitated 2 hour sessions in Darnall and Tinsley on Wednesday and Thursday, providing the opportunity for families to enjoy playing football, cricket, athletics and basketball.

In Tinsley, other activities included free 1 hour cycling sessions for group of 5 children. Steam Works staff facilitated family workshops with parents and children, featuring different topics each week, such as programming with OZOBOTS (mini robots), slime making and bath bombs.

We were so happy to see the expressions on parents’ faces as they collected their hampers, with produce ready to prepare meals for their families. Watch our video to see more of what we got up to!

This has been (and remains) an intense time for us.

We did not shut our doors during lockdown – in fact, though our usual face to face activity paused, the team have continued to work hard to maintain contact and provide alternative ways to support people to stay well, maintaining regular contact with our 1to1 clients and group beneficiaries where possible. 

If you feel you or someone you know would benefit from this support, please let us know

Please know that we are still here, doing our best to support the community remotely and maintain our Covid Community Hub phone line 07946 320 808 for those in need of a helping hand.  

The pandemic is in a new phase but it is still with us, affecting our day to day lives, the impact we all feel in many different ways.

DWB are navigating the next few months with the knowledge that we, our partners and beneficiaries will be at different stages of how they feel about what is happening and the need to move forward collectively is really important and to do this at the pace that feels right for us, to protect ourselves and community.  This pace may not always match people’s expectations.

We need to build time to reflect, for respite, to re-connect and to recognise what we are achieving.

The Summer has been exceptionally busy owing to the delivery and operational demands of the Healthy Holidays Project (part of a wider citywide delivery) and from the demands of engaging in the city’s Covid response.

Whilst we continue to suspend face to face delivery for now, we are planning and taking steps to build an activity offer that is manageable, safe and a positive experience to support people to stay well whilst we our community still grapples with a pandemic.

It is likely, however, that we will continue some new ways of working for the foreseeable future and are not able to restart everything the way it was before Covid 19 began.

We realise you may feel disappointed but we hope you understand we are acting in the best interests of our community.  We will make every effort to keep you informed.

A few highlights from over the past few months;

• We have stayed in touch with 262 activity participants & 32 volunteers
• Our Link workers have received  58 referrals from 5 GP surgeries
• We’ve made 160 Food bank referrals
• And in addition to the above, we’ve made regular contact from our EU Settled Status Project client list of 1,000 contacts
• To the end of July 2020 we have taken 101 phone calls/emails through the community hub phone line.

Ways to stay informed:

• You or a family member or friend could follow us on Social Media for regular updates.  Please search for @DarnallWB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Check www.nhs.uk website regularly for the latest guidance
• Sheffield’s voluntary sector has useful updates here:

https://www.vas.org.uk/covid-19-coronavirus-information-signposting-and-guidance-for-voluntary-sector-organisations/

Thank you for your continued support in this difficult and challenging time.

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Volunteer Coordinator

28 hours per week
Funding available for 4 years, ending August 2024
Annual Leave pro rata – 25 days plus bank holidays
Salary £21,166 pro rata

Are you passionate about community engagement and helping people develop their skills and reach their potential?

We are seeking a dynamic and committed Volunteer Coordinator

The post holder will:

• Be responsible for the engagement and personal development of volunteers
• Develop and adapt a volunteer led activity programme to include a digital element
• Promoting and showcasing the volunteer programme

The successful candidate will work in the Darnall, Tinsley and Acres Hill areas of Sheffield (S9).

You will have a passion for engaging and motivating the community, excellent communication skills and strong, thorough organisation skills.

You will work in a way which empowers others to develop and fulfill their potential.

You will join a strong team of dedicated, skilled workers.

To make an informal enquiry or to request an application pack, please contact Natalie on 0114 249 6315 or email dwb.admin@darnallwellbeing.org.uk

For further information regarding Darnall Well Being please look at our website www.darnallwellbeing.org.uk

Closing Date:
Midnight on Monday 7th September
Email Applications to dwb.admin@darnallwellbeing.org.uk

– Interviews scheduled for week commencing 14th September
– Ideal start date October

10th to 16th August 2020 marks National Allotment Week, which is a great opportunity for us to share some of the brilliant things that On The Plot participants have been growing!

We sent out “Let’s Get Growing!” packs to everyone who would normally come along to our Dementia-friendly sessions at Darnall Allotment Project, and it has been fantastic to see the results from our green-fingered friends. Thanks to Johnny, Cookie, Pat, Nikki, Verena and Bill for letting us share photos of what they have grown. We’d love to see more, if you have shots you’d like to send us!

As well as the vegetables and seeds we sent out in July, we also sent out sunflower seeds and instructions for growing them a couple of months ago, to enable people to join our sunflower growing competition. We’ve been getting some positive reports of plants growing well – as well as news that some, unfortunately, haven’t worked out. We’re looking forward to seeing all of the outcomes later on in the season – when Jo will be judging the tallest one!

We held a special Zoom call for staff, Board members, volunteers and group participants on Monday 3rd August – our Virtual Cuppa.

The call was a belated celebration of Yorkshire Day – so we sent out tea bags and biscuits with our latest activity packs, so that everyone could join us. We’re very grateful to Yorkshire Tea for donating a huge number of tea bags to help us with this, and ensuring we were able to drink proper Yorkshire tea on this momentous day!

On the call, we enjoyed a chat over our cuppas, and then everyone joined in a little Yorkshire-themed quiz put together by Fran, our Communications & Engagement worker, to explore what we knew about Yorkshire – and learn a couple of fun facts about the region along the way!

We asked people who weren’t able to join us on the Zoom call to share any photos of themselves enjoying their cuppas at home or with friends, and we’re really happy to see these photos.

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In July, we decided to send out Craft Packs to our Craft Group participants, as well as to half a dozen of our clients and volunteers, who we felt would most benefit from a craft boost. Each pack was put together specific to the recipient – just one of the advantages of us knowing our community well. As you can see, the packs were happily received, and we look forward to seeing some of the beautiful creations that are made from them!

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We were fortunate enough to be nominated for a donation by Sheffield-based charity 500Together at the end of April 2020, and wanted to put it to good use helping local people who we knew were struggling during Covid-19. We decided to match fund the donation, so that we had £500 in total to share with the community. So we asked our staff, who are in regular contact with members of the community, to nominate families and individuals who they felt could really benefit from a Tesco gift card during this difficult time.

We sent out gift cards to 8 families and 4 individuals, and have had some heartwarming feedback and thanks from the recipients:

I thank the donors and all staff who helped the voucher to be dispatched. We are grateful we feel that are not left behind.

Individual on low income

, the £50 Voucher its make a difference financially  , we bought things which we wish to get it before  , Thanks a lot for the donor . 

Family recently arrived in UK, with a baby due

The voucher was very helpful as my benefits were stopped 6 weeks ago, so I appreciate it.  Helpful to me and my 5 children as a single parent.  I have been finding it hard to prepare food and going out to buy stuff so I really appreciate the token and thank you and Darnall Well Being for support.

Single parent with 5 children

Don’t know what I would have done otherwise. A big thank you DWB for the lovely gift – words cannot express my feelings.

Single parent who has had a number of illnesses

It made difference in our life so that we could buy more food. For the children, while they are at  home eating more food all the time, it gives them a little extra treat.

Family on low income benefits