KCN Spring/Summer 2018 Newsletter

Spring/Summer 2018

Also inside:  Carers Week  News from our CEO  AGM Save the Date  Young Carers’ Project  Wellbeing Activities  Support Groups

Walk for Peace 29th April Kate and the KCN Team will be participating in the Walk for Peace and we will receive match funding up to £2,000.

AMEA will match everything we raise up to £2,000, so support us by joining us or donating at:

https://charitywalkforpeace.org/guide-charity-walk-peace-2018/

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Kingston Carers’ Network

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News from the Chief Executive More support for carers of people with dementia thanks to new funding from Lloyds Bank Foundation We are very grateful to Lloyds Bank Foundation who have awarded KCN funding to develop our services for carers of people with dementia. We are delighted that Vanessa Mooneeapen will be taking on the new role of dementia carers adviser and will working part-time within our adult carers advice team. Vanessa will also work alongside Ruxi in Kingston Hospital to offer advice to carers identified in Derwent and other elderly patient wards. This funding will help us to support more carers, many of whom may have been hidden from carer support services. Our advice will cover issues such as planning for discharge; welfare benefits; social care and financial assessments; housing; employment; carers’ rights; Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection issues.

We will continue to work in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society who provide advice and support to carers and patients with dementia. The funding will also enable us to provide more wellbeing activities and Vanessa will be developing a range of workshops, peer support groups and social activities for carers of people with dementia. Vanessa will be starting in her new role on 3rd April.

Lloyds Bank Foundation will also provide us with specialist in-kind support to help strengthen our organisation for the future. A massive thanks to Lloyds Bank Foundation.

Kate

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NEW - 6 Monthly Newsletters Due to the high costs and time involved in printing and sending out paper newsletters, we have taken the decision to produce a newsletter every six months instead of every quarter. Although we know that many of you prefer to receive a hard copy through the post, with over 3,500 carers to support, we need to ensure we are spending our funding in the most efficient way, and where it is needed most.

Want to get news and updates about KCN events faster and more frequently?

It’s easy - you can sign up to email updates via our website and even get a copy of the newsletter that you can download and print any time!

Visit https://www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/ and click on this box :

You can select exactly what you want to receive emails about, and be the first to know about events, activities and workshops.

Privacy Policy New GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) rules are coming in May, so we have updated our privacy policy.

You can find it on our website at: https://www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/who-we-are/privacy-policy/ or read it on page 21 of this newsletter.

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AGM - Save the Date The KCN Annual General Meeting will be held on: Wednesday 3rd October at 7.00pm Further details will follow once confirmed Don’t forget, only signed up members will be able to vote at the AGM. You can apply for membership using the form on page 6

Carers Rights Meet and Greet

Carers’ Week 11th - 17th June Your opportunity to meet David Still and the Adult Carers Team, who will be talking about carers’ rights and the wide variety of support work the KCN Team do. You’ll get a chance to chat and ask questions, followed by lunch.

Wednesday 13th June, 10am - 12 noon followed by lunch KCN Office, Tolworth Lunch Included Please contact admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk to confirm attendance or call 020-3031-2757

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Self-Care Kingston

Healthy Eating: A well-balanced diet is one of the most important factors for your health. It provides the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep the body and mind strong and healthy.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is also important for avoiding serious illness.

Learn about how to stay healthy in Kingston and find out about the free or low cost healthy lifestyle services available near you. https://www.kingston.gov.uk/info/200388/self_care_kingston

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Kingston Carers’ Network

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Become a Member of KCN Kingston Carers’ Network is committed to ensuring that carers are involved in the running of the charity.

We are seeking new members who will be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and to approve the appointment of Trustees to the Board.

If you apply to become a member, we anticipate this membership to be continuous whilst you are associated with KCN. However, you can resign as a member at any point in the future. There is no fee to join but in the event of KCN’s insolvency, all members might be charged a nominal fee of £1.

Membership entitles you to: A vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) Receive the Annual Reports Appoint Trustees to the Board Invitations to special events A KCN membership card

Membership form

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Spring /Summer 2018

Staff News New Dementia Carers’ Adviser Congratulations to Vanessa who is our new Dementia Carers’ Adviser!

Some of you will already know Vanessa through the work she does in organising Wellbeing Activities, but she will now be taking on an extra role to support our Dementia Carers Vanessa will be running a monthly support group for Dementia Carers on the first Thursday of the month. See page 19 for details

KCN Volunteers Our lovely volunteer Aisha will be leaving us at the end of March to join Princess Alice Hospice full time. Good Luck to Aisha and thanks from all at KCN for all her hard work while she’s been with us. We’ll miss you Aisha!

A warm welcome to new volunteers Shelly, Cristina and James who have all joined us this year, and are helping our with office admin.

YAC Support Worker Hi I’ m Liz and have recently taken over the Young Adult Carers Peer Support group for young carers.

If you are aged 16-19 years and would like to pop along to our monthly drop in please do or contact Liz on 07551 647 448 Various workshops, time to chill and socialise with refreshments!

See Page 8 for dates and venue

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News from the Young Carers’ Project Young Carers Project We are as busy as ever here at YCP! We have had a wonderful February half term, with lots of exciting activities such as swimming, dinosaur golf, Avondale gym and arts and crafts sessions!

We

are

already

making preparations and planning a jam packed Easter holidays, with more fun activities.

All of this alongside our regular term time drop ins, youth groups and lunch clubs!

If you would like any information on YCP or would like to speak with us, please contact Diane on: youngcarers1@kingstoncarers.org.uk.

Young Adult Carers Support Group Drop in for 16-19 year old Carers: Friday 16th March , Friday 27th April then every 3rd Friday of the month.

Please meet at : The Basement, John Bunyan Church, Queen Elizabeth Road, KT2 6RJ 6-8pm.

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Wellbeing Workshops & Social Activities Hi Everybody, We have had some great socials at the start of this year, our lunch at Sorrento’s was popular and despite the weather, we enjoyed the Brewery Tour and a couple of pints at Twickenham Fine Ales.

We had the lovely Susan from Sassy Stirrers run a bread making workshop. We made soda bread and pizza to take home, enjoyed flatbreads with some lovely cheese and meats and a ginger and pear loaf at the end of the session.

For this newsletter, I would like to focus on our fitness classes, as we have a few changes to some of them: Stretch and Strengthen: Our popular Stretch and Strengthen class facilitated by the lovely Kat was run in partnership with Kingston Adult Education. We have had a lot of feedback that the time of the class was not working for our carers so we have made the decision to no longer run this class in partnership with KAE and we are now running the class at a different time and location. For more details, please see page 16.

Dancercise and Ener-Chi: The Dancercise classes run by Don’t Tone Alone will be replaced by a new class called Ener-Chi. Ener-Chi is described as being a fusion between Tai Chi and Qigong and is an energising class that comprises of mindful movements and breath work.

Chris Robertson from Don’t Tone Alone has plans to make this a class that will change every 6-8 weeks. This will offer variety to the carers and if there is a particular class that is enjoyable, it can be returned to. See page 15, for more information of when and where this class is held.

Yoga: Our funding for our yoga classes will be coming to an end mid-April. We are in the process of looking at continuing these classes and will keep you posted. The yoga classes have been really popular and we have excellent feedback from our carers who attend these. Rachel who facilitates these sessions ensures all abilities are catered for. See page 17 for more information.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming wellbeing activities and we always welcome feedback, please do contact me on 020 3559 2824 or by email at wellbeing@kingstoncarers.org.uk.

Vanessa

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Did you know that you can now book all of our activities online?

Visit www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/wellbeingKCN project/activities to book. You can still book by contacting Vanessa on 020 3559 2824 or wellbeing@kingstoncarers.org.uk or by sending a letter to “Kingston Carers’ Network, FREEPOST RTYH-RCZJ-XZYS 418 Ewell Road,, KT6 7HF.

B.Y.O.C. (Bring Your Own Crafts) Coffee Morning Our monthly coffee mornings are a chance to take a break, meet new people and make progress on your latest project.

When? The third Friday of the month, 10:00am – 12:00pm, 20th April, 18th May, 15th June 20th July, 17th August, 21st September Where? KCN Office, 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth, KT6 7HF £FREE – tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided

Wellbeing Workshops and Social Activities April

Strawberry Hill House

This month we shall be visiting Strawberry Hill House.

Strawberry Hill House is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival architecture with a wonderful story to tell through its inhabitants, design, collection and restoration. There will be a guided tour of the house and the opportunity to visit the gift shop or have a tea or coffee in the café.

Tuesday 17th April, 10:00am -2pm, £5 towards transport, entry and tour

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May Craft Club – Modern Calligraphy At this month’s Craft Club, we will be practising the art of Calligraphy.

Karen will be supporting you practice calligraphy and writing words of inspiration. You will be provided with a calligraphy set which will be yours to take home.

Friday 4th May, 10:00am – 12:00pm KCN Office – 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth, £4 towards your resources. Tea/coffee and biscuits/cake will be provided.

Royal Albert Hall – Friendship Matinee

This year’s Royal Hall Friendship Matinee is earlier than usual and the theme is ‘Symphonic Rock’.

Hear your musical heroes come to life in this must-see show of classic rock anthems and hit songs performed by the amplified Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and rhythm section. This rocking celebration will feature the iconic music of: Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Queen, Take That, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, *Bon Jovi*… and many more!

Tuesday 1st May, 1pm until 5pm £5 - which includes transport and entry to the matinee Limited availability

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June

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Afternoon Tea Carers Week Special

Let’s kick off Carers Week with a lovely treat. Join us for Afternoon Tea at the Jack’s Kitchen at the Holiday Inn, Portsmouth Road Surbiton. You will be treated to an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and jam, pastries and cake and of course, tea!

Monday 11th June, starting from 2pm, FREE Please arrive at the Holiday Inn - Kingston, Kingston Tower, Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, KT6 5QQ for 1:45pm.

Wellbeing Day Carers Week Special We are currently in the process of organising a Wellbeing Day for our carers for Carers Week 11th - 17th June More information will be available nearer the time to receive updates sign up to email alerts at https://www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/ or contact Vanessa or Jo on 020 3031 2757

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July

Craft Club - Beach Huts printed onto a Fabric Bag This month we shall be printing beach hut images onto the fabric bag using acrylic paints. We shall be providing the bags for you to print on and to take home.

Friday 6th July, 10:00am - 12:00pm KCN Office – 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth £4 towards your resources. Tea/coffee and biscuits/cake will be provided.

Seaside Trip This year we are going to revisit lovely Whitstable.

Whitstable is a beautiful seaside town on the north coast of Kent.

Lovely cafes, restaurants and boutique shops - there is a lot of character in Whitstable, which is famous for its colourful beach huts.

Thursday 19th July Coach leaving Tolworth Broadway at 9:45am and returning for 4/4:30pm, £5 per carer.

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August

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KCN Summer Party!

We are still finalising our plans for the Summer Party we are hoping to hold a BBQ somewhere lovely in the borough. We have booked in our date, so if you would like to come, book your space so we can let you know what’s happening nearer the time.

Thursday 9th August, £5 per carer, Venue and Time TBC

September Craft Club - Basic Crochet At this months’ Craft Club, we shall be learning how to crochet a small flower. This is ideal for first timers and you will be taking home your crochet hook and some wool too.

Friday 7th September 10:00am - 12:00pm, KCN OFFICE - 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth, £4 towards your resources. Tea/coffee and biscuits/cake will be provided.

London Museum of Water and Steam This month we shall be visiting the London Museum of Water and Steam in Brentford. There will be a guided tour of the museum which will look at the history of the London’s waterworks system, to the present day and future technologies to make sure water reaches the growing population of the city. You will also have a chance to see the museum’s collection of famous steam pumping engines.

Monday 17th September, leaving KCN office for 10:30am £5 towards transport, entry and a guided tour.

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Weekly Wellbeing Classes Weekly Wellbeing Fitness Classes Our weekly wellbeing fitness classes, run in partnership with Kingston Adult Education and Don’t Tone Alone, are an opportunity to take time out and improve your physical wellbeing.

Kingston Adult Education Please note – you must complete an enrolment form at the King Charles Centre (either in person or over the phone) before you will be able to attend these classes.

Zumba - Tuesdays, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Tolworth United Reformed Church, KT5 9JR, £3 Meditation – Back by Popular Demand - Fridays, 1pm – 2pm, King Charles Centre, KT5 9AL, £3 Kingston Adult Education contact details: King Charles Centre, Surbiton, KT5 9AL / 020 8547 6875 Don’t Tone Alone Pilates - Wednesdays, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club, KT5 8JT, £FREE Dancercise – Tuesdays, 5:45pm – 6:45pm, Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club, KT5 8JT, £FREE – until Tuesday 27th March Ener – Chi – NEW CLASS – Tuesdays, 5:45pm – 6:45pm, Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club, KT5 8JT, £FREE, starting from Tuesday 10th April Circuit Fitness - Saturdays, 11:15am-12:15pm, Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club, KT5 8JT, £FREE No need to book - just turn up and give it a try!

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Weekly Wellbeing Classes Introduction to Pilates Don’t Tone Alone will be running a ‘one-off’ Introduction to Pilates for KCN Carers. This will be ideal for you if you have never tried Pilates before and interested in finding out what it is all about or perhaps it has been sometime since your last Pilates class and you would like a refresher.

All of our Don’t Tone Alone sessions (see page 15) are friendly and really popular with our carers.

Wednesday 11th April, 10:45am – 11:45am, Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club, KT5 8JT, FREE For more information contact Vanessa on 020 3559 2824

Stretch and Strengthen Class Our Stretch and Strengthen Class has moved to a new location and a new time - hopefully making this class much more accessible to our carers.

We are also opening this class to ‘Carers and friends’ so if you have a friend, who you would like to join the class, please do invite them!

New location: Surbiton New Life Baptist Church, 6 Langley KT6 4NG Starting: Thursday 29th March Time: Arrive 12:30pm until 1:30pm Cost : £3 for Carers and £4 for friends of Carers

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Spring /Summer 2018

Yoga Class Thanks to the Carers Trust, we have secured a grant to enable us to run a yoga class for 10 weeks. These classes are run by the lovely Rachel – friendly, experienced and able to tailor the session to ALL abilities.

When? Every Wednesday until 11th April Time? 11am – 12 midday Where? Surbiton New Life Baptist Church, 6 Langley Road, KT6 4NG Cost? £3 a session For more information and to book a place, contact Vanessa on 020 3559 2824 or email wellbeing@kingstoncarers.org.uk

Working for Carers Project Thinking about getting back into work?

The Working for Carers project supports unpaid carers to return to work. The programme is available to carers who are aged 25 or over, who have the right to work in the UK and are not in employment.

Carers can access free support, designed to meet their individual needs. This may include:     

One-to-one support and advice Group activities and training workshops Support with writing CVs and interview techniques Help with job searching Work experience opportunities

The project is led by Carers Trust and delivered by its network of 24 partners across London, and is jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fun and European Social Fund.

If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to be referred to the project, email: wellbeing@kingstoncarers.org.uk or call: 020 3559 2824. Initial appointments will take place at our offices in Tolworth.

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Better Bones Talk This talk will be looking at how to maintain good bone health by diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. The talk is being delivered by The Royal Borough of Kingston’s Better Bone Service.

Monday 23rd April, from 10.30am, until 1pm KCN Office Ewell Road FREE, tea/coffee and cake/biscuits afterwards

Carers’ Support Group Welcome to Wendy who is a new Volunteer who will be facilitating the monthly Carers’ Support Group.

The group runs on the third Wednesday of every month, 10.00am to 11.30am at Merritt Medical Centre, Chessington.

It is a small and supportive group for all carers.

Contact admin@kingstoncarers.org for more details

Volunteers Needed Admin Volunteers Needed We are looking for reliable, computer-literate volunteers to provide administrative support to our team. Our office is based at: 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth, KT6 7HF Contact Lyndsey at volunteering@kingstoncarers.org.uk or call 020 3375 8226.

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Support Groups Carers’ Support Group Merritt Medical Centre, Chessington, 10.00am to 11.30am Third Wednesday of each month

Carers of Adults with Asperger's Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder KCN Office, Tolworth, 10.00am to 12.00pm First Wednesday of each month

Parents and Carers of Children and Young People with ADHD KCN Office, Tolworth, 10.00am to 12.00pm Second Friday of each month

Mental Health Carers Group Tolworth Hospital, 6.00pm to 7.15pm Second Tuesday of each month

Parents and Carers of Children and Young People with Additional Needs Tolworth Children’s Centre, School Lane, Surbiton, 9.15am to 11.15pm One Monday a month: Please contact Clare for dates this will take place: Email: carers3@kingstoncarers.org.uk Tel: 020 3375 8227 Dementia Carers’ Support Group KCN Office, Tolworth, 10.00am to 12.00pm First Thursday of each month For more information on any of the support groups, contact: 020 3031 2757 or admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk

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13th April 2018 11th May 2018 8th June 2018

www.kingstoncarers.org.uk

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Spring /Summer 2018

What we collect

KCN Privacy Policy

We collect information about you when you register with us or request for information to be sent to you. We also collect information when you voluntarily complete surveys and provide feedback. We may collect the following information from you:

  

Name and contact information including full address Demographic information as age,Policy ethnicity, gender, sexual KCNsuch Privacy orientation Other information relevant to the support and advice we provide to you including details of your caring role

What we do with the information we gather We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with our services, and in particular for the following reasons:

  

Internal record keeping and evaluation of our services We use the information to ensure that we can provide accurate and relevant advice.

We use the information to update you with our activities, newsletters and other relevant information

Security We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

How we use cookies A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to

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monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Links to other websites Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement.

You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:



We will not use your information for any other purposes other than providing information, advice and support to you  If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at [info@kingstoncarers.org.uk] We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties.

We may use your personal information to act on your behalf in dealing with other organisations such as the local authority. However, we will only pass on your personal information with your consent or where there is a legal or safeguarding need.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee may be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to (Kingston Carers’ Network, 418 Ewell Road, Tolworth, KT6 7HF).

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

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The Alzheimer’s Society in Kingston provides a range of support services for people with dementia, their families and carers.

Our Dementia Adviser service supports people living with Dementia in Kingston from the point of diagnosis onwards.

Our Dementia Support Worker provides practical and emotional support to people caring for a family member, friend or partner with dementia; Our Support Group for Carers is held on the first Tuesday of each month and provides the opportunity for carers to share practical information, advice and personal experiences with others who understand what they are going through.

We also offer our Carers Information and Support Programme (CriSP) which is a series of workshops looking at information and support on topics such as: What is Dementia, Support and Care for someone with Dementia, Legal and Money matters and Planning for the Future.

Please contact us for further details of our next workshop.

Singing for the Brain is held every Friday for people in the early to moderate stages of dementia and their carers.

For information on our future sessions or any of our services, please get in touch. We’re here to help.

Alzheimer’s Society Kingston Woodroffe House Tolworth Hospital Red Lion Road Surbiton KT6 7QU Tel. 0203 513 5147.

Dementia Connect, the easy way to find support near you. alzheimers.org.uk/dementiaconnect

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Complementary Therapies and Beauty Treatments Complementary Therapies with Mitsuko Alternate Mondays, 10.00am to 2.00pm Alternate Thursdays, 10.00am to 12.30pm Aromatherapy Body Massage, 1 hour (including consultation) £20 Facial Massage. 1 hour, £20 Reflexology, 45 minutes, £15 Indian Head Massage, 30 minutes, £12

Hairdressing with Kelly Second Monday of each month, 10.00am to 3.00pm £5 per haircut

Healing Touch Massage with Roman Alternate Thursdays, 10.00am to 12.30pm £12 for 30 minutes, £20 for 1 hour Therapies include full body massage, deep tissue massage, natural lift face massage and back, neck and shoulder massage.

For more information or to book an appointment, please contact Jo on admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk or 020 3031 2751