News & Views
Thursday, 8 April, 2021April 2021 Newsletter
Lockdown Lowdown
It is now over a year since the start of Lockdown, which has provided the Community with the most serious and demanding challenges that we are ever likely to face. I am proud to say that with your support everyone has stayed safe and we have weathered the financial storm which has engulfed us.
They always say that, in a crisis, great people rise to the challenge. Certainly, our Companions, Staff and yourselves as Supporters have achieved this in abundance, and for that we feel blessed and most grateful.
Of all the enforced Lockdowns, this latest winter period has undoubtedly been the toughest one yet for our Companions. They have lacked the purpose which the stores, collections and delivery responsibilities provide to help their wellbeing. Furthermore, the winter weather and shorter daylight times have restricted our ability to provide them with a wide choice of alternative activities.
However, as always, the staff team rose to the challenge and developed some interesting projects to make the most of the Companions time.
Each Companion has now undertaken a series of mandatory training courses to support their return to work and improving their knowledge in an array of subjects utilising i-Hasco online training. The Companions have completed over 200 individual courses since January.
We also erected a temporary upcycling workshop in our warehouse. This has been beneficial in identifying which Companions wish to work in the new Repair Shop and who are ready to undertake additional training in restoration and recycling of furniture.
Companion Aldo
I am sad to report that one of our dearest Ex-Companions,
Aldo Muncis, passed away peacefully in December. Aldo retired to St John’s in Winchester during 2019. His unexpected death left us all in deep shock.
When Aldo was with us, he was the embodiment of a great Companion. Many of you will recall how he modestly collected his award for being chosen as Companion of the Year in 2018 for his outstanding efforts in DIY that kept the Community running that year and reduced our costs. He also made the best bean soup imaginable and we always wondered if we could bottle it, given how good it was. We believe his great work in the kitchen was down to the motivation of 70s rock music which would blare out across the Community. His 70s photo says it all!
Companion John represented Emmaus at Aldo’s funeral whilst the rest were there in spirit, due to the Coronavirus limitations. The family kindly asked for donations to be passed to us which was a thoughtful gesture.
As a matter of solidarity, the Companions helped Aldo’s family with the house clearance of his furniture. It is our intention to remember Aldo in some way when the Repair Shop is completed, in which he would no doubt have been involved.
Tony’s Day
On March 4th we celebrated Companion Tony’s 10th anniversary at the Community. It also happened to be his birthday, so we held “Tony’s Day”.
In addition to the Companions cooking Tony’s favourite breakfast and dinner, we held a reception for him in the morning. In attendance was Alison Thompson our President who presented Tony with a cake and card. Alison spoke fondly of Tony’s time and success within the Community. Anyone who witnessed Tony speaking at Winchester Cathedral in 2019 and his journey to Emmaus Hampshire, would have been moved by his every word. We know how much Tony appreciates the positive impact that Emmaus has had on his life.
Retail Stores Re-Opening – April 12th – HURRAH!
We shall be opening all our stores from April 12th which is a great relief to us both personally and financially.
We plan to reorientate the stores back to their pre-pandemic layouts to maximise the choice of stock we can hold. Face masks, hand sanitising and social distancing will be maintained when the stores reopen.
In addition, the Winchester Café will be reopening from May 17th. All these arrangements are, of course, subject to Government confirmation of the staged plan.
Furthermore, how many retail stores will be able to advertise that all their Companions/staff have been coronavirus vaccinated and regularly tested. An assurance I am sure you will all welcome.
The Repair Shop
We are excited that our plans for a new Repair Shop have finally been approved. Construction will take place this Spring and be completed by the end of June.
The Repair Shop will enable our companions to recycle, restore, up-cycle donated items and produce new furniture. We will also have Repair Shop Weekends where you can bring items in for repair. It’ll be just like the television programme!
A formal opening will take place later in the year once we are confident that it is safe to do so. We are delighted that we have secured the funding of the construction and are now searching for an additional £15k to purchase new machinery to deliver all of the services that we wish to provide.
Donations Centre
We are also introducing an on-site Donations Centre through a reconfigured entrance to our car park and the use of a recycled storage container converted for our needs. Customers can drop donations directly into the Centre without coming into the store. The Donations Centre will be manned throughout the day, seven days a week. Both the Repair Shop and Donations Centre will be clad in wood to blend into the existing community and reflect our environmental philosophy. We are aiming for the Centre to be ready when we re-open.
Onwards and Upwards
As always, we are very grateful for your interest and support over the last year. Knowing that we have such a committed and enthusiastic group of supporters makes a huge difference to our Companions and Staff. We now look forward to seeing you all once again in person from April 12th to say hello, maybe donate or buy and see our Companions progress towards their goal of independent living.
May we wish you a happy and healthy return to a post Lockdown World.
Best Wishes
Nigel
Nigel J Samuels – Chief Executive