Helping Hands

Thursday, 07 July 2011 16:52

Many thanks are due to a number of people. Sarah Humby, graphic artist, has designed our new logo, featured at the top of this Newsletter. Steve Morberly, a local artist is going to put forward a design for the outside of the building and local painter and decorator Roly has volunteered to help with the outside decor and bring along his ladders and other equipment.

Southbourne-on-Sea Magazine have given us another free article. The next edition should be hitting the streets at the end of June, and you can also find the magazine and a page for the Hub on www.southbourne.net. The magazine and website carry listings of local events, so contact Tom via their website if you have an event you want listed.

Southbourne-on-Sea Business Association continue to help and support us, and we are keeping involved with them on a number of initiatives locally – so watch this space as news unfolds. They will also be hosting a page for the Hub on their forthcoming website.

Lynne and Dave of D L Computer Solutions are helping to source a refurbished p.c. for the hub and have offered input into creating a Hub website in due course. So if you have thoughts of what would be useful to have on the website, let us know.

Sue Pain, from Ideal Business Consultancy, has donated an amazing amount of equipment and furniture, including filing cabinets and bookcases.

Hilary Grainger has delivered her unique collection of Sotheby’s ‘Art At Auction’ books into our custody to form the corner stone of our Resource Corner.

Sam Acton of Domestic Angels has become our first corporate member and is starting to work with us on a special project. Future Arts & Crafts (working title) is a collaboration between the Hub, charity Knightstone Futures, who work with residents to combat isolation, and Domestic Angels.

Many of Knightstone Futures’ clients, often faced with isolation in their homes if they do not have support to get out and about or need encouragement to build up confidence to meet new people, or are recovering from illness, and any number of other barriers, have expressed a wish to take part in arts and craft activities. The project will identify what practicalities need to be in place in order for people to attend, and will talk to clients further to find out what sort of arts and craft activities in particular they would like to do. The longer term aim of this project is for some of those who take part in these activities to become mentors themselves, helping others in the future to be able to take part.

There are many others to thank this month too – you know who you are!

POLICE ON THE PLOD – Hub Director Cathy joined police officer Julia Huish and a number of Southbourne Crossroads residents and businesses recently to help carry out an Environmental Visual Audit – to identify the sorts of things that can be done to clean up, brighten up, and make safer, our immediate neighbourhood. Julia will now collate the information and report the findings to, amongst others, local ward Councillors. Issues that residents brought up included cars speeding on Belle Vue Road and ‘jumping’ the pedestrian crossing, the poor state of a number of empty shop units, rusty litter bins, graffiti, dog mess and fly tipping.