Bristol news

Friends having a cup of tea together

Connection Matters: Loneliness Awareness Week 2023 Encourages Harnessing of Everyday Connections 

AdmireAdmin

Loneliness is on the rise. 1Almost a third of people in the UK already feel lonelier since the pandemic. 2Disconnected communities could be costing the UK economy £32 billion every year. This can be exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, which hinders social interaction.

A leading loneliness charity, Marmalade Trust, is launching its 7th annual campaign, Loneliness Awareness Week 2023, dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness across the UK and worldwide. Taking place from June 12th to 18th, this year’s campaign, ‘Connection Matters,’ aims to get people to notice and encourage small everyday connection moments to reduce feelings of loneliness and increase connection. 

By highlighting the need for people to reach out to each other and share even the smallest moments of connection, we can support ourselves and others to feel acknowledged, happier and reduce loneliness.

Marmalade Trust calls on everyone to strive for a future where open conversations about loneliness are commonplace. This empowers individuals to share their emotions and strengthen social connections. 

During Loneliness Awareness Week, we encourage individuals, businesses, organisations, and community groups to join us in creating supportive communities by harnessing and sharing moments that matter and initiating conversations about loneliness with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. 

Alice Peperell, Campaign Director of Loneliness Awareness Week, describes three simple ways people can get involved,

“We are asking people to join in by spreading the word, building connections by organising or joining an activity or event, and following us on social media and sharing stories of connection.”

Minister for Loneliness Stuart Andrew said: 

“Loneliness is something that can affect anyone at any time, but it’s important people know that they are not alone and that support is out there. This Loneliness Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to encourage small moments of connection, whether that be arranging to go for a walk with a friend or inviting them for a tea or coffee. By opening up the conversation about how we are feeling we can better support each other.”

For free resources on how to make social connections, check out the list on our website https://www.marmaladetrust.org/connectionideas 

References

  1. King’s College London, The Policy Institute and IPOS “COVID Anniversary Survey 2022”
  2. Eden Project initiative The Big Lunch and funded by the Big Lottery “The Cost of Disconnected Communities Report”, 2016
14 Runners raise more than £22,000 for Jessie May

14 Runners raise more than £22,000 for Jessie May 

AdmireAdmin

14 fantastic runners raised more than £22,000 for Jessie May tackling The London Marathon last weekend.

Jessie May is a charity that provides free specialist nursing, respite and bereavement care for terminally ill and life limited children and their families. They can give care in a family’s own home, where they feel most safe.

£22,000 will provide nearly 400 hours of specialist nursing care for the children Jessie May support.

Lloyd Kembrey, who ran the London Marathon in aid of Jessie May as part of his 12 challenges in a year, has raised more than £8000, and it’s only April! In addition to his running success, he has also done a triathlon and an ice marathon.

James Toft is proud to have completed the challenge.

“I knew the training would be a challenge, but didn’t realise how much it would take over my life… It’s been very demanding, but occasionally rewarding.… I managed to run [The London Marathon] and it was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. It’s been an amazing experience, and I’d like to thank all my friends and family that have supported me along the way.”

Emily Dye from long-time Jessie May supporters Blackstar Communications got her place in The London Marathon in 2023 through the ballot. 

“It was my fourth year of entering, and I nearly fell out of my chair when I found out I was in.  I knew right away I wanted to run for a charity. 

 I know Jessie May through my employer, Blackstar Solutions.  We have looked after Jessie May’s telephony needs since 2016.  We like to be involved with the charities we look after, through fundraising and volunteering. Huge thanks to my colleagues at Blackstar for their support through sponsorship, sharing my fundraising story, and well wishes. This was especially motivating in the gritty miles, when all I wanted to do was stop.

Running the London Marathon for Jessie May was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s an emotional day to begin with, but even more so knowing every step you’re taking is helping families in your area. I was nearly in tears running down The Mall into the finish. If you haven’t entered the ballot for 2024 yet – do it!!  It was a bucket-list experience, made all the better by being part of Team Jessie.”

Kim James Coggins, Community Engagement Fundraising Officer for Jessie May, was in London to support them:

“It was a chilly damp day, but as soon as I saw our runners charging past in their Jessie May tops with enormous smiles on their faces, I forgot the weather. I know each and every one of our runners have their own reasons for supporting our wonderful charity, and I admire them so much for what they have all achieved. It took them months of training and sacrifice for them to be ready for the London Marathon 2023. We were all in tears when they made it over the line. Thanks guys, we are so proud of you!”

“Our amazing runners are already thinking about their next sporty challenge in aid of Jessie May in 2024. That is such dedication, we can’t wait to see what they all do next year!”

Laura Tomlinson Joins Jessie May as Ambassador

Laura Tomlinson Joins Jessie May as Ambassador

AdmireAdmin

We are pleased to announce that Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has joined Jessie May as an ambassador. Laura has won many international dressage competitions, including team gold and individual bronze at the London 2012 Olympics.

Dressage Rider Laura Tomlinson joins Jessie May Trust

Jessie May is a hospice at home service for children with life limiting conditions in the south west of England. Jessie May nurses help to provide essential support for families from the point of their child’s diagnosis, for respite, for end-of-life care for their child, and offer 5 years of bereavement support. The Jessie May Trust was established by parents Chris and Phillipa Purrington following the death of their baby daughter, Jessie May, in September 1994. Jessica died when she was only four and a half months old, and she was cared for by her family, in her own home, throughout her illness. The Purringtons knew that they wanted other children, like Jessica, and their families, to have the option of receiving treatment at home, and to have the choice to die at home when the time comes.

 Over the last 25 years, Jessie May has helped support families in final and important moments, offering emotional support and specialist nursing care.  It is a charity started by a family, for families, and is now shaped by families. Jessie May bases all their treatment and care on the principle that a parent always knows what is best for their child, so their work always aims to support and uplift these relationships. Laura heard about the work that Jessie May carries out, and as a mother of four young children herself, wanted to help raise awareness for the charity that helps so many young children and their families.

Jessie May has been a lifeline for so many, and as a fellow parent, Laura knew she needed to use her voice to raise awareness of something so close to her heart. 

“I am so delighted to be an ambassador for Jessie May and to support the incredibly important work they do. The support they provide to children and their families through such difficult times is invaluable. I hope that with this partnership, I can help widen Jessie May’s audience so that more people can see and support their wonderful work.”

The inside of the Hippodrome in Bristol

Baltimore Consulting announce partnership with Bristol Hippodrome

AdmireAdmin

Baltimore Consulting, a leading niche recruitment provider to the public sector, has announced an exciting new partnership with one of Britain’s most renowned theatre companies – The Bristol Hippodrome. 

Extending its membership with The Bristol Hippodrome, Baltimore Consulting will include an additional box to be used exclusively for children’s services and schools within Bristol. This will allow disadvantaged children and young people the chance to attend the theatre for the first time.

The recruitment provider has committed to sponsoring one of the theatre’s career insight sessions later this year. Each session will give young people an understanding of the various career opportunities available in theatre, such as sales, marketing, administration, programming, maintenance, sound, electrical, costume, automation, and carpentry.

By sponsoring a career session, Baltimore Consulting are supporting 30 young people and allowing them to explore 21st Century STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts & Mathematics) skills and roles in the theatre industry. The consultancy, which works with vulnerable young people and children with special educational needs, has also announced plans to work with local children’s charities in a bid to grant “final wishes” for terminally ill children who want to visit the theatre.

“After successfully launching in 2019, the career insight sessions are part of the theatre’s creative learning programme, which aims to deliver excellence in all educational and community engagement initiatives that it offers,” said Ben Phillips, Theatre Director at The Bristol Hippodrome.

“As part of the theatre’s continuing commitment to the community, the tailored career sessions are an effective way to help inspire a diverse audience and future workforce whilst helping more and more young people to access performing arts, whether they are interested in a career on or offstage.”

The partnership will bring together the best of both worlds, helping Baltimore Consulting provide children with opportunities to visit and learn about careers in the theatre and the chance for Bristol Hippodrome to nurture the next generation of the industry’s workforce.

“After 10 years of successfully supplying staff into vulnerable subject areas within the public sector, we’re absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with The Bristol Hippodrome,” said Charmaine Vincent, Owner and CEO at Baltimore Consulting. “We’re extremely passionate about making a difference to people’s lives within the community.

“Our additional pledge this year to supply a theatre box to disadvantaged children and young people, as well as sponsoring a career insight session, demonstrates our commitment to increasing our local community footprint whilst being fully aligned with our values, business intentions and responsibilities as a small and medium-sized enterprise in children services. Small acts of kindness make such a big difference.” 

NOCO Hair offer 100 free haircuts to local charities

NOCO Hair offer 100 free haircuts to local charities

AdmireAdmin
The NOCO salon

The team at NOCO Hair on Whiteladies Road are again supporting local charities through the thing they do best – cutting hair!

This year, they have chosen 10 local charities to give 10 haircuts to each. The recipient charity can use these ten haircuts however they wish, whether that be to staff, those they support, or use them as a raffle or auction prize to raise money. NOCO’s gift is enabling each charity to spread a bit of joy, and it is their way of giving to those they think are most deserving. 

The charities chosen are Women’s Aid, Jessie May, Penny Brohn, BillyChip, St Peters Hospice, Paul’s Place, Community of Purpose, Empire Fighting Chance, Children’s Hospice South West and FareShare South West.

Amy Kington is the CEO at Community of Purpose,

“It’s amazingly generous of NOCO to give their super powers and give complimentary haircuts to our incredible volunteers. We’ve helped tackle holiday hunger by supporting over 1000 young people this year to access our break free programme and we couldn’t do it without the support of our volunteers. It’s amazing to be able to thank them in this way!  NOCO is a wonderful force for good in our City.”

NOCO Hair was founded in 2018 by Noel Halligan and Corey Taylor. They’ve built a team of talented stylists, trai the new generation of hair experts, created three bespoke cuts (the Clifton Cut, the Cleo Cut and the Vitality Cut), and brought sustainable beauty to Bristol. 

Arobase Creative win at UK Packaging Awards with branding that supports Falklands veterans

Arobase Creative win at UK Packaging Awards with branding that supports Falklands veterans

AdmireAdmin

Arobase Creative have recently won two categories in the UK Packaging Awards 2022, taking home the first-place position in both Branding Project of the Year and Retail Limited Edition of the Year. Arobase Creative worked on the Falklands 40th Anniversary Commemorative Spirit Collection, creating the branding and packaging design for this special new launch. 

The launch of the Falklands Collection marks 40 years since Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas territory inhabited by people who had no intention of being ruled by Argentina. The Spirit Collection reminds us of the sacrifices made by so many, and the immense challenge of the deployment of the task force, sailing 8000 miles from the shores of the United Kingdom to liberate the Falklands. 

Alongside Dropzone Brewery, Arobase Creative worked to create the brand and packaging for a set of limited-edition spirits. Using the three themes of Land (whisky), Sea (rum), and Air (gin), they took inspiration from uniform colours, military insignia, battle maps, authentic letters, and historic photographs, to create a premium and modern brand that recognises the importance of such an event. 

To commemorate what can be a largely sad anniversary due to the immense losses due to war, Arobase Creative were diligent to remain sensitive to the suffering of the invasion of the Falkland Islands. Therefore, their research focused mainly on the positives. They drew inspiration from the heroes, the brave, and the brilliant tacticians and engineers who helped to successfully liberate the Falklands. To commemorate these important people, each bottle features a metallic foil neck label that resembles the design of the South Atlantic Medal awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands War.

The launch of the Falklands Collection was especially notable because all profits of the launch went to the South Atlantic Medal Association 82 (SAMA82). This is an organisation formed by veterans of the Falklands War, with the aim of establishing and maintaining contact with other organisations involved in the welfare of the Armed Forces. They help ensure that due consideration and support is given to the interests of South Atlantic veterans, meaning their work is essential, and a poignant part of the ongoing efforts to commemorate the War. Each spirit in the Falklands collection was limited to the production of 258 bottles, one bottle to mark every person who lost their life in the liberation of the Falklands. 

Not only is the collection hugely personal and poignant, but it was also incredibly successful, with one set sold at auction for £3000. This is only a further reflection of Arobase Creative’s strong work, which was lauded by the judges of the UK Packaging Awards as a “well thought through project with excellent research and an all-round inclusion of the whole story”. It was also noted how the collection was a “truly unique limited pack with a story to match”. 

The Jessie May Christmas Appeal

A Day in the life of a Jessie May Nurse 

AdmireAdmin
Jessie May nurses bring smiles and expert care in their daily visits

As part of this year’s Christmas Appeal, Bristol based children’s hospice at home charity Jessie May share an emotive story about the realities of a day in the life of one of their nurses. Jessie May nurses visit children and young people with life limiting conditions in Bristol and the South West.  

Nurses work a 10-hour day, generally visiting two families a day for 3 hours at a time and focus on being a support to the families, any siblings and their Jessie May child. Ahead of the visits the nurses check on any relevant medical history. This could include seizure management plan, emergency care plans and drug charts, looking at recent hospital admissions or anything from the wider multi-disciplinary team.  

“Having this knowledge before we enter the home gives parents a sense of reassurance and confidence in our abilities and also highlights that we have an eye on things outside the immediate team, it is not always obvious however we do work and communicate regularly with other professionals from other services.” 

The first visit of the day is 45 minutes away, with the increase in petrol prices the nurses are careful to be organised so they don’t get caught out at an expensive petrol station.  

“The first visit is with a little renal patient with a big personality. I know this child well as I previously cared for her on dialysis. My main concern is that she has a blood thinning drug regularly as part of her dialysis treatment therefore trips can result in a bump to the head which can lead to a bleed which can be catastrophic.”  

“I arrive and have a brief catchup with mum, she knows me well and time is precious. Mum heads off to run errands and we begin baking. It’s a good morning with no hiccups, our Jessie May child does tire from baking and playing with the doll’s house. We play dolls and dress ups quietly and wait for mum to come back before hospital transport arrives to take them in for a long afternoon of dialysis.” 

“The morning has flown by it has been a morning of fun and play however recently I received a distressed call from mum to say that after a dialysis session our Jessie May child had two seizures. This is totally new for her and obviously a really worrying time for mum. Despite how it looks there is always a subconscious awareness that our Jessie May child is on a tightrope of stability.” 

Lunch is generally taken on the road as the nurses have an hour to get to their afternoon appointment. 

The second visit of the day is to a teenager who has been on the Jessie May caseload for over ten years. For this visit the nurse has the assistance of a first-year student who up until now has accompanied her on some fairly routine respite visits. Today things were different.  

“We arrived to mum at the front door still in her dressing gown, this in the first instance is highly unusual. We go through to the child’s bedroom and it is quite evident that our Jessie May child is unwell. She looks pale and lethargic and has a nebulizer (inhaled medicines over her face). This is the first time that I have seen this child unwell and, in these situations, it is really important to be guided by the parents as they have often seen their children extremely unwell many times.” 

“We begin with a full assessment and as I have a student with me it’s helpful for them to see what respiratory distress looks like and the levels of respiratory distress we may encounter. Guided by mum and with regular observations recorded to give us a clinical picture we continued back-to-back nebulized medicines, paracetamol for a high temperature and comfort and assisted with her respiratory effort by repositioning and patting (mum was able to perform chest physio). At this point mum who is very sensible was not at the stage where she felt an ambulance needed to be called. Once our Jessie May child’s respiratory effort settled slightly mum even took herself off for a quick shower to prepare herself for a busy night with her daughter. We took that as a nod in the direction of trust and continued to monitor and provide comfort to our young lady.” 

Following on from that visit mum informed the nurse and another team member of how unwell her daughter had been.  

“She had managed to avoid a hospital stay thanks to her dedication to managing her medicines and chest physio, however it highlighted that you never really know what you are walking into with our families until you get to their houses. It is important to draw on clinical knowledge and skills, remain calm and above all listening to our families wants and needs is essential to providing the much-needed support they have come to depend on.” 

The end of the day for the Jessie May nurses involves completing paperwork and travelling home. These skilled nurses draw on all their knowledge on a daily basis. If you feel able to support us or want to find out more about our work you can read more HERE.

BRAVA Talent Database

Bristol Academy of Voice Acting launches new Talent Database 

AdmireAdmin
BRAVA Talent Database

Bristol Academy of Voice Acting (BRAVA) launched a brand new Talent Database this month to help local, national and international producers, casting directors and content creators find Talent for their projects: www.brava.uk.com/casting-database. 

All featured Talent have been trained to BRAVA’s high standards and have cut professional voice reels, with high quality home studio capabilities to deliver work. Functionality includes the ability to download mp3 reels as well as view individual profile pages and submit full casting calls online. 

Commenting on the launch of the new BRAVA Casting Database, founder & director, Melissa Thom, said:  

‘Over the last year, we have been overwhelmed with calls from producers, casting directors and content producers and we have created the BRAVA Talent Databaes in direct response to this need. Our Talent have been trained to the highest possible standards across narration, commercial and characters and are voicing across a range of client projects, with enquiries increasing significantly. We are thrilled to showcase and support out Talent in this way.

BRAVA has already successfully cast a range of roles, including feature films, national commercials, online radio, audiobooks and more. We will continue to add further functionality and Talent this year as we grow. Our aim is to continue to connect our highly skilled voice actors with clients locally, nationally and beyond, in Europe and America’. 

BRAVA works alongside some of the most prestigious global names in the industry to offer personalised online training in the art and business of voiceover. The Academy is specifically aimed at professionals from the fields of broadcast, digital, corporate and commercial, who are interested in adding voice acting to their skillset. 

Core learning takes place online, meaning students can learn at their own pace, wherever they are. Training is offered as personalised 1-1s or group sessions and covers a wide range of topics, including Getting Started in VO, Corporate, Commercial and Narration, Characters, Audiobooks, Performance Techniques, Home Studio, Marketing, Vocal Health, VO & Shakespeare and Presentation Skills. 

Find the database at www.brava.uk.com/casting-database or contact us at hello@brava.uk.com to find out more. 

To find out more about BRAVA go to www.brava.uk.com   

Celebrating Jessie May (Barbara Evripidou)

Jessie May Celebrate 17 years of Leadership 

AdmireAdmin

On Thursday 1st September, Bristol-based hospice at home charity Jessie May held a special celebration day at Bristol Zoo. Joined by families, supporters, trustees and staff, it presented a fabulous opportunity for a first in-person meeting since COVID and a chance to give thanks to this unique charity.  

©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com

The event marked the retirement of CEO Chris Roys after 17 years at the helm, and gave new CEO Daniel Cheesman the opportunity to set out the next 5 Year Strategy for the charity.  

Jessie May provides specialist palliative care in the home for children who have terminal and life-shortening conditions. The charity has family at its heart, and that family spirit was ever present on the day.  

New CEO Daniel Cheesman described the celebration event as being like a family coming together, 

“Having just completed my first month, I’m really enjoying getting to know this amazing charity and I have been so impressed with the passion and commitment shown by the whole team. We have launched a very strong strategy, with big aims to support even more families, through innovative new projects as well as expanding the geographical reach of the charity – I am looking forward to working to fulfil this over the next few years. 

I have been so appreciative of Chris’ guidance over these last few weeks, as he graciously hands the reins and responsibility of Jessie May over to myself. I hope that myself and the team can continue to do him proud, and take his achievements and steady platform from over the last 17 years” 

Outgoing CEO Chris Roys was thankful for the opportunity the event gave, 

“To be able to have the opportunity to say goodbye in such a public way, to a group of individuals who I have collectively known for over 17 years, was a difficult but incredibly heart-warming moment. It was made particularly special with the attendance of some families and children that we have supported over the last 25 years, seeing them interact with their Jessie May nurses and the beaming smiles on their faces is exactly what makes this charity so special. 

Knowing that Jessie May has been passed over to Daniel, who has such a sincere motivation and passion for seeing the new strategy through, allows me to leave with the confidence that Jessie May will continue to thrive and grow.” 

The new 5-year strategy ‘No Place Like Home’ sets out the 2022 – 2027 aims for the charity and encompasses 6 key objectives. The overarching vision for Jessie May is that all children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions are supported to have the very best quality of life possible, and to choose to live, and to die, in their own homes with their families.  To read or download your copy visit wwwjessiemay.org.uk/news/our-publications   

New CEO Daniel Cheesman

Children’s hospice at home charity Jessie May are delighted to announce their new CEO will be Daniel Cheesman

AdmireAdmin

Daniel joins Jessie May following 3 years at disability charity Paul’s Place, stepping into the role after current CEO, Chris Roys, announced his intentions to retire after 17 years at the helm. 

New CEO Daniel Cheesman

Daniel is relishing the opportunity to take on a new challenge; “Jessie May has been providing children and families with vital emotional support, end of life care and bereavement support for over 25 years and the work of the trust is as important now as it has always been.  

I am excited to be starting as Jessie May’s CEO, taking over from Chris Roys who has faithfully led the charity for 17 years.  I am honoured to be joining a committed and passionate team and look forward to working to fulfil the charities strategy over the next few years – supporting more families, through innovative new projects and expanding the geographical reach of the trust.”  

The decision of appointing a new CEO to lead Jessie May was not an easy one.  

Tiggy Atkinson, Chair of Trustees, was a key part of the process; “We are all incredibly grateful to Chris, who has devotedly led the team for the past 17 years.  Through his drive and commitment, we are now able to offer our services of providing exceptional hospice care in the home to so many more children and families who need us than when he joined us back in 2005, and he has created a real legacy, which we will drive forward.  We would like to sincerely thank Chris for all his efforts, and we wish him a very happy retirement.  

Looking ahead, we are incredibly excited to welcome Daniel to Jessie May.  His key focus will be helping us implement our new strategy over the coming years, which includes developing our existing service offer and also influencing the national children’s palliative care agenda. During the interview process Daniel demonstrated such passion for the work Jessie May does and we all look forward to working closely with him when he joins us in August.” 

Daniel will be joining Jessie May in August, closely supported by the entire team and Board of Directors as he settles in his new role.