Heartbeat Autumn 2023

HEARTBEAT

AUTUMN 2023

Dear Colleagues

Welcome to the autumn issue of Heartbeat!

We had a very special summer at Revitalise. Our centres were full to the brim and our guests enjoyed a marvellous time with exciting excursions to the seaside and popular tourist destinations. Thank you to our colleagues for working hard and making these summer holidays memorable for our guests.

Our Give me a break appeal, aimed at increasing awareness of the current respite crisis, raised over £66K. We achieved significant media coverage, including features on ITV Network, BBC Northwest and GB News. We owe the success of this campaign to our guests, who generously shared their life stories and challenges with us.

This year’s Early Bird campaign has launched with a bang with Sandpipers achieving close to its record-breaking results from last year and Jubilee Lodge receiving a 44% increase in bookings so far. The campaign offer up to £500 discount to our guests and has attained bookings worth £734k as of 2 October.

A massive round of applause to our Rewards and Recognition scheme nominees for the second quarter of 2023. Congratulations to Emma Dorrity from Sandpipers and Bobby Hollick from Jubilee Lodge for winning the top-notch ‘Colleague of the Quarter’ award.

A quick reminder to all to complete the ongoing Have Your Say – Follow-up Survey. This survey will Your insights and experiences are valuable in shaping Revitalise and therefore your participation is vital for this survey.

Best wishes and bye for now

Janine Tregelles, Chief Executive

What’s on at the Centres

Excursions Galore

Summer holiday season at our centres was nothing short of extraordinary, with an exciting and delightful excursions programme that left our guests smiling.

From the hustle and bustle of cities like London and Liverpool, to tranquil boat trips on the Grand Union Canal and Lake Windermere and from the heartpounding adventure at iFLY to a day out shopping at the Trafford Centre, our guests were spoilt for choice.

Here are some glimpses of the excursions that filled the holiday season with laughter and created cherished memories for many of our guests:

Jubilee Lodge puts on a fantastic afternoon tea every Thursday, much to the enjoyment of guests staying with us. This is complete with all the trimmings of teas, specialty coffees, sandwiches and cakes.

Tea at Jubilee Lodge

Afternoon

In August, The Carer magazine featured Jubilee Lodge’s afternoon tea in their special edition dedicated to National Afternoon Tea Week.

Garden Makeover for Sandpipers

B&Q Southport has recently announced its support for Revitalise Sandpipers. B&Q Southport’s generous support will help refurbish Sandpipers’ gardens and will go a long way in making the centre’s outdoor space even more inviting for guests, colleagues and volunteers.

Southport Flower Show

Team Revitalise had a wonderful experience at the Southport Flower Show this year. We proudly stood as the official charity of the Ladies Day at the event. Our commitment to positively impact our community was showcased through this partnership.

The highlight of the Ladies Day was undoubtedly the touching speech delivered by the remarkable Toni Marie. Her journey serves as a testament to resilience and independence.

A Special Celebration at Jubilee Lodge

This year, Jubilee Lodge is hosting a special festive week from 6 to 13 November, inspired by Diwali, India’s Festival of Lights.

This week is co-produced with our guests. Guests staying with us during this week will spend their holidays in a cheerful, festive and accessible environment, experiencing Diwali’s traditions, vivid colours and aroma of sweet spices in the air.

This celebratory week can be enjoyed by everyone! Whether guests celebrate Diwali at home or are curious about taking part in this festival for the first time, they’ll surely have a wonderful and joyous time.

Discover more about this celebration here: Diwali Lights and City Delights

The Give me a break Appeal

This summer, we launched the Give me a Break appeal. This appeal aimed to raise awareness of the current respite provision crisis and to safeguard funding so that more disabled people and carers can take a break.

The Give me a break appeal was launched at a special parliamentary event. The event was hosted by Southport’s MP Damien Moore to celebrate Revitalise’s 60th anniversary.

We achieved significant media coverage including five news stories in national and local television news. Starting with a segment on ITV Meridian about the impact of the closure on guests of Netley Waterside House and followed by segments broadcast by GB News, ITN, BBC Northwest and ITV News London and ITV News Northwest.

Guest stories were at the heart of this campaign. Many of our guests participated in interviews across television, newspaper and radio and generously gave their experiences to highlight the broader challenges faced by disabled people and their carers.

The Atkinson in Southport and Blackpool Tower in Blackpool lit up their buildings pink night to draw attention to the fact that whilst so many people are jetting off on their summer holidays, a huge proportion of disabled people and carers will have no opportunity for a break.

The advocacy message was supported by fundraising and we raised over £66K from our crowdfunding summer appeal and story-led donations.

People and Culture Update

Have Your Say - Follow up Survey

Last year, we ran a detailed employee survey, called ‘Have Your Say’, in which 81% of our colleagues participated – an excellent response rate. The survey asked questions against every aspect of the employee experience including pay and terms, learning and development and diversity and inclusion.

On the basis of your inputs, we came up with an action plan for the things that needed improving. We shared the results and action plan with you.

You will be glad to know that we have completed nearly all of the actions. This year, we are requesting you to participate in a much shorter survey to see how things have changed as a result of the actions put in place. To participate, please scan the QR code on the right.

A link to this survey has also been sent to your Revitalise mailbox. It should take you about 10-15 minutes to complete, and your manager will enable you to do this in paid work time. Please note that the results of the survey will be analysed anonymously - we guarantee that it won’t be possible for any individual’s name or job title to be matched to their scores or comments.

New Policies Relating to Wellbeing and Inclusion

In line with our commitment to diversity and inclusion and supporting the wellbeing of all our colleagues, we have created the following new policies which are all available on the documents section of People HR. Please do refer to the policies if any of the issues covered are relevant to you or if you need guidance on advising and supporting a colleague who may be affected:

• Alcohol and Drugs Policy

• Domestic Abuse Policy

• Infertility Treatment Policy

• Trans Inclusion Policy

• Neurodiversity Policy

We have also produced guidance for managers on Neurodiversity at Work and how to include and support neurodivergent colleagues.

HEART BEAT

Colleague of the Quarter

We had some wonderful nominations for the Colleague of the Quarter award for second quarter of 2023. Thank you to everyone who is working hard to go above and beyond to provide an exceptional service to our guests, customers and colleagues. Usually, we only have one winner but on this occasion, there were two people whose contribution was so outstanding that it was too difficult to choose between them.

Congratulations!

Emma has gone above and beyond her job role by:

• Using her local knowledge and contacts to help make the Give Me a Break campaign as visible and impactful as possible. This included organising for Blackpool Tower to be lit up in Revitalise pink.

• Supporting national media visits to Sandpipers by ensuring journalists’ visits and experience of the holiday centre is positive

• Achieving widespread community support for Revitalise by securing signatures and memorabilia from Liverpool FC which have been used to thank long standing volunteers, interest and excite guests or for auction and raffle prizes.

Thank you so much for all your hard work Emma, you are making a tangible impact, widening and deepening the connection with the local community.

Bobby has gone above and beyond his job role by:

• Making a transformational contribution to the success of the excursion and activity programme at Jubilee Lodge. Bobby has produced an exciting and varied excursions programme that runs into the next financial year!

• Always willing to go the extra mile for guests and colleagues, Bobby ensures everyone is happy before he leaves work

• Being part of the Diwali Week co-production group. He has gone the extra mile in producing a Diwali-themed excursion programme and even supported the development of a new menu for the week that reflects the festival.

Thanks to Bobby’s commitment to the excursion programme Jubilee Lodge have been inundated with positive comments about the trips and excursions!

Volunteer of the Quarter

Revitalise would not be able to provide the service that we do without the help of our hard-working volunteers, who selflessly give up their time to help provide our guests with enjoyable respite holidays.

We are delighted to announce that the winner for the Volunteer of the Quarter for Q2 2023, has been awarded to

Neil Crouch

Neil has made an impactful contribution to Revitalise by:

• Developing a partnership with Phab, a national network of clubs for disabled people. This partnership brings us into contact with 12000 disabled individuals and carers - doubling our reach.

• Giving a speech at our 60th anniversary parliamentary event and being a Revitalise media spokesperson for radio and BBC.

• Contributing to the development of the 2024 Holiday Programme.

• Coordinating and managing Revitalise representation at national and local events for disabled people.

• Amplifying the voice of guests and helping us improve our holiday offer and the guest experience.

Thank you Neil, for all your hard work and dedication to Jubilee Lodge, you are a valued member of the Revitalise family.

Quick Data Protection GDPR Tips

• Data Subject Access Request: Don’t forget, if you receive a request from anyone to see their data, the clock starts ticking right away. Email Rebecca Young at ryoung@revitalise.org.uk and copy in dpo@revitalise.org.uk immediately – we only have a month to process the request.

• Think privacy: When you step away from your desk, lock your screen. Even if you are just making a cup of tea!

Update from the Shops

New Shop Opening

This August, we opened our newest shop, in Eastleigh. Located at 48 Market Street, the shop has a great location in the heart of town. Our team were thrilled to greet shoppers to the store after opening.

New Milton Team Member Featured

Trevor Davis has been working at the New Milton charity shop for nearly three years. According to his colleagues, he has demonstrated a huge commitment to his various tasks in the shop.

From sales to sweeping floors and hanging clothes, Trevor is known to take initiative and carry out his responsibilities with enthusiasm. In addition to his work ethic, Trevor’s personality shines through in his interactions with both staff and customers.

He embraces the opportunity to go above and beyond, always willing to lend a helping hand wherever needed. Speaking about his experience of working at the store, Trevor said: “My favourite part about working at Revitalise is the friendships at work and helping others. I also enjoy hanging the clothes and working on the till.”

Another shop worker, Vicky, works closely with Trevor in case he ever needs help. She added: “Trevor is such a lovely human being and a joy to work with. We adore him and he brightens our day. We’re lucky to have him.”

Fantastic figures from our charity shops in August! A heartfelt thank you to our supporters, volunteers and colleagues for always keeping sustainability and community at the heart of what they do.

The Daily Echo featured New Milton shop volunteer, Trevor Davis this summer.

A Warm Welcome!

Please extend a warm welcome to these new Revitalise colleagues, who have joined us in the last few months. We look forward to meeting you all soon!

Abena Barnor Jubilee Lodge

Alethia Jean-Marie Jubilee Lodge

Alexandra Salkeld Sandpipers

Claire Tait Portsmouth South Shop

Esme Snyman

Portsmouth North Shop

Faizal Salamut Jubilee Lodge

Irina Costinela Jubilee Lodge

John Edwards Jubilee Lodge

Justine Joynson Lymington Shop

Katie-Mae O’Brien Lymington Shop

Kim Timperley Sandpipers

Lisa Boursnell Central Office

Munizah Ali Central Office

Natalie Mullan Sandpipers

Oluwatobiloba Oke Jubilee Lodge

Rachael Oladuja Jubilee Lodge

Rosanne Advaney Eastleigh Shop

Ryszard Rychel Sandpipers

Sarah Kirwan Jubilee Lodge

Sarah King Sandpipers

Sharon Cottam Sandpipers

Terence Scarr Jubilee Lodge

Tina Bird Chichester Shop

Valerica Sultan Jubilee Lodge

Important: Covid Booster Programme

The Department of Health & Social Care have issued a directorate to bring forward the Autumn booster campaign following the discovery of a new COVID variant, BA.2.86, which is a sub-variant of Omicron. Individuals in the categories listed below are being urged to get their booster jab as soon as they become available. You can book from Monday 11th September. Attached is a letter from the Director of Adult Social Care Delivery which contains more information.

• Residents in a care home for older adults

• All adults aged 65 years and over

• Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book

• Frontline health and social care workers

• Persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts, as defined in the Green Book, of people with immunosuppression

• Persons aged 16 to 64 years who are carers, as defined in the Green Book, and staff working in care homes for older adult

Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself from becoming seriously ill with COVID. Please also remember as we go into the colder months that hand hygiene becomes even more important.

Sales & Marketing Team Updates

What a busy summer we’ve had!

In May, together with fundraising, we launched the hugely successful Give Me a Break campaign, co-led by Rebecca Young and Alex McDowell. The campaign, which advocated for better access to respite, received an outstanding amount of both regional and national press. The success of the campaign comes down to our many guest stories, which we couldn’t have sourced without the dedication of Emily, Elaine, Janet and Libby.

Back in June, Kenz and Bhawna visited Sandpipers to direct a photoshoot with guest Abi, and took photos of their own to freshen up our content library. Check out one of the great shots on the right!

Throughout the summer we worked hard to ensure both centres were full and guests enjoyed a huge variety of excursions, which you can see on our Facebook page . Together with Jubilee Lodge, the sales team also helped initiate a free transport trial for former Netley guests that proved very popular.

We proudly onboarded Guest Ambassador Neil Crouch to our team, who has made great strides in local marketing in Essex. He also introduced us to Phab, a charity with over 130 clubs for disabled people in the UK, with whom we have launched a new partnership.

Bhawna and Debs have led the coproduction group, for the Diwali-inspired Week taking place at Jubilee Lodge in November. We cannot wait for this special celebratory week and need just 6 more guests to hit our booking goal!

Michelle Harwood has joined us as a business development consultant. She is working to help generate contracts for emergency respite and step down care. These contracts are vital to helping those who need our breaks the most.

And of course, we have launched our annual Early Bird campaign, which introduces our prices and themes for 2024. This involved collaboration across many teams, including both centres, finance, and IT. This year we created a brand new 16-page leaflet, which you can view online — we hope you’ll agree it looks fabulous! So far, we’ve seen an increase in bookings during this Early Bird period and are hopeful of smashing last year’s record.

Autumn Recipe

Make the most of autumn season with this comforting recipe guranteed to usher the snuggly feel of autumn. This classic cool-weather dish with sausages, apples and potatoes has all the makings of British comfort food.

Sausage, apple and potato one-pan roast (recipe courtesy of Delicious magazine)

Method

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 210°C/fan190°C/gas 6½.

STEP 2

Serves 4

Cooking time 60-70 minutes

Ingredients

8 pork sausages

3 large baking potatoes, unpeeled, chopped into 3cm chunks (about 900g)

2-3 braeburn apples, cored and sliced into wedges

20g unsalted butter, melted

A few fresh thyme sprigs

10-12 fresh sage leaves

In a large roasting in, toss the sausages, potato chunks and apple wedges with the melted butter and a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make sure everything’s coated in the butter and has enough room in the tin to go golden.

STEP 3

Roast in the top third of the oven for 35 minutes, adding the thyme sprigs and sage leaves after the first 20 minutes and turning everything over at the same time.

STEP 4

When the sausages, potatoes and apples are golden and caramelised, serve straightaway, making sure everyone gets 2-3 crispy sage leaves. Serve with Dijon or English mustard.

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