Charity News
Fund-raising from across the Island
Conservation volunteers celebrated
in 2017 High Sheriff’s awards
A group of young people who are making a big
difference to our Island environment were celebrated
in this year’s High Sheriff’s Awards for Children &
Young People. French Barlow and William Phillips
were nominated in a joint application with the
Foyer in Ryde and have each won individual awards
for Outstanding Achievements while as a special
dispensation, the Green Army have won a group
award in recognition of the whole team!
The Green Army is a nature conservation volunteer
group for 16-25 year olds, run by Vectis Housing
Association’s Wild About Wight programme as
part of the HLF-funded Down to the Coast. Many
of its volunteers are young people in supported
accommodation. Over the last year alone, the team
have taken part in a huge range of projects aimed at
conserving unique East Wight habitats.
Warning
from RNLI
In 2016 more than 2,000
people were rescued from the
seas around the South East
coast of England prompting a
plea from the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for
people to take more care at
the coast and respect water.
Volunteer lifeboat crews from 39 lifeboat
stations around the coast launched a
total of 1,981 times in 2016, rescuing a
total of 2,013 people in distress.
RNLI lifeboats on the coast of Norfolk,
Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex and
Hampshire were on hand 24/7 every
day of the year to help those in need,
while the charity’s lifeguards patrolled
36 beaches in the Summer.
And there appears to be no let-up
in the number of people needing the
charity’s lifesavers, as figures show
lifeboat launches are up by 13 per
cent on 2015. Similarly, the number of
people rescued increased by 3 per cent.
Whilst the RNLI is primarily a frontline
rescue service, the charity isn’t just
about rescuing people when they find
themselves in danger. It aims to equip
people with the knowledge and skills to
avoid trouble in the first place and know
what to do should they find themselves
or others in danger in the water.
WEST WIGHT SWIMMING POOL
CELEBRATES 40 YEARS
In April 2017 the West Wight Sports and
Community Centre celebrates 40 years since work
started on the first West Wight swimming pool.
To mark this special occasion they will be holding
‘An evening with Shirley Miles and friends’ on
Saturday 29th April. Shirley was one of the original
team who helped get the pool built back in the 1970s
and is still teaching youngsters to swim today.
“The creation of the West Wight swimming pool
and how it has become the Sports and Community is
such an inspiring story. We want to celebrate it with
all those people who made it happen and anyone
who has been part of our story over the last four
decades” explains Centre Manager, Clare Griffin.
Tickets are £10 and include drinks upon arrival,
and light refreshments. There will also be displays of
archive material.
Wool appeal for Knit & Natter group
Earl Mountbatten Hospice’s ‘Knit and
Natter’ group is fast becoming natter
only, as the keen crafters are hampered
by a shortage of wool to use for their
community projects.
Every Thursday morning, the Chelsea
Garden room in the John Cheverton
Centre is taken over by the group who
come armed with knitting needles at
the ready. The group is made up of
volunteers and patients and has proved
to be a valuable asset to the hospice.
For several years, they have come
together to not only support each other,
but to support others by making ‘twiddle
muffs’ and ‘twiddle blankets’ for people
living with dementia across the Island.
Any donations of wool can be
dropped off at either the main Earl
Mountbatten Hospice reception or
the John Cheverton Centre reception.
Anyone is welcome to join the Knit and
Natter group, which meets between
10am and midday.
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