NEWS

Going Ape for Chaseley   (July 2008)

Eight members of Chaseley's staff, plus some family and friends, will be swinging through the trees at Bedgebury Forest's Go Ape course on Saturday 12th July, in the hope of raising enough funds to complete our Diamond Jubilee Appeal.

With just over £3,000 to raise, it is a tall order but with the support of the Ostrich Hotel in Robertsbridge, who are also sending a few brave participants along to help out, and will provide a free BBQ afterwards for all those completing the course, it is achievable.

Our fearless team would really appreciate sponsorship and if you could pledge a sum to one of our team, please contact Christine on 01323 744390 or email me  here and put Go Ape in the subject box.  You can sponsor Helena, Sue, Kate, Noel, Rachel, Lynda, Wendy or Sophie, and of course, they must complete the entire course to collect the sponsorship!

Learn more about their task at  www.goape.co.uk 

Chaseley's Garden Party   (July 08)

Traction Engines, Belly Dancers and Bunnies!

Great weather, lots of visitors and just over £2,000 raised towards our Diamond Jubilee Appeal made our Garden Party a huge success.  We are extremely grateful to all the members of the Eastbourne Silver Band who gave their time and talent for free, and also the very entertaining Sea Gypsies Belly Dancers who drew quite a crowd.  The traction engines were also a great hit, as were the Cuddle Bunnies and Care Dogs.  Thank you so much to everyone who came on the day and spent most generously, to all the staff and volunteers who helped out, to the companies and individuals who donated prizes and the members of the Eastbourne Allotments and Gardens Society who grew and donated so many fine plants and fresh produce.  A full report will appear in the Autumn/Winter edition of Chaseley Chat.

Chaseley shortlisted for Fundrasising Award  (May 2008)

The Chaseley Trust has been short listed for a National Award organised by the Institute of Fundraising, the UK's professional membership body championing best practice in fundraising.

Entries were judged by a panel of twelve senior professionals from the industry, and Chaseley is one of three charities shortlisted for Best Local/Regional Campaign, for its Diamond Jubilee Appeal that aimed to raise £500,000 in two years.  This appeal was to enable the Eastbourne based charity to make substantial improvements to its residential, respite and day care home for people with severe physical disabilities.   

Chaseley is just £27,000 shy of its target, and hopes to conclude the appeal at its Garden Party on 28^th June.

The Awards ceremony will take place alongside the Institute of Fundraising’s National Convention in July at the Hilton London Metropole.

Going Ape for The Friends of Chaseley   (April 2008)

Two intrepid young ladies, Naomi Clifton and Crystal Greenfield, scaled the heights of the daunting ‘Go Ape’ high wire adventure course in Bedgebury Forest near Goudhurst, to raise almost £1,000 for The Friends of Chaseley.

Organised by Tony Robins, proprietor of The Ostrich Hotel in Robertsbridge, there are two more Go Ape adventures lined up for June and July, with some of Chaseley’s staff participating in the latter.    Sponsors are very welcome for these brave individuals, as are other daredevils who fancy approximately three hours of monkeying around on rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zip slides.   Email Christine to request further information.

Cheers to The Ostrich  (April 2008)

Proprietors Tony and Rosemary Robins of The Ostrich Hotel in Robertsbridge, East Sussex have raised an astonishing £8,779.80 during 2007 for The Chaseley Trust.  With the help of staff, customers and friends, they have put on a number of fund-raising activities and Tony has personally contacted local businesses to persuade them to contribute.   Many of the donations were gift aided, which means the true value to Chaseley will be nearer the £10,000 mark.

Chaseley’s Chief Executive, Sue Wyatt commented “We are extremely grateful to everyone at The Ostrich for such a tremendous effort on Chaseley’s behalf.  The contributions have been put towards our Diamond Jubilee Appeal, which now stands at £473,533 towards the £500,000 target.”

Rosemary and Tony are pictured receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from Chaseley Trustee Patrick Salmon, Chairman of the Diamond Jubilee Appeal, while Vice-President Dr Peter Greenfield and Chief Executive Sue Wyatt look on.

Charity Auction a Great Success (March 2008)

Chaseley would like to give a very big thank you to everyone who participated in their recent Charity Auction, which raised the amazing sum of £5,089 towards our Diamond Jubilee Appeal.

Special thanks must go to Auctioneer Pippa Deeley, whose enthusiasm created a brilliant atmosphere, and also Eastbourne College for allowing us to use their fantastic Big School.  We had some fantastic helpers on the day, with duties ranging from pouring the cocktails, serving the canapes, parading the auction lots, wrapping them up afterwards, making teas and coffees in the interval, washing up, car parking and so on!   We could not put on these events without your help.  

We also appreciate everyone who donated an auction lot and special mention should go to Colin Pitt of DP Interiors.  His fantastic lot of two men, for two days, plus materials to do those DIY jobs around the house attracted two strong bidders, and to avoid disappointment, Colin generously offered a second identical lot to the losing bidder.    

Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you is due to all the people who turned up on the day and bid most generously on our lots, and also to those absent friends who left bids with us.  Congratulations to all those who won their lots - we hope they give you much pleasure.

Design a Christmas Card Competition (October 2007)

Norman Clark and Roger Blackwell are the winners in our Design a Christmas card competition, and their designs are adorning Chaseley's Christmas cards this year.  Norman's traditional snow scene is 100 x 100 mm approx. in size, and Roger's penguins is 136 x 85 mm.  Both are available in packs of 10, price £3.99, including envelopes.  The message inside the card is 'Season's Greetings', with Chaseley's details on the back.  

Chaseley's Annual Awards (August 2007)

Every year Chaseley invites staff and service users to vote for the employee and department they feel has provided exceptional service throughout the preceding year.  This year the title of Employee of the Year goes to Sharon Cassar, who works in the Training Department, where she has expended much time and effort in carrying out auditing, leading on the review and update of policies as well as conducting regular training sessions.  Appreciation for all that the team in the Training Department has achieved was marked by the fact that they also won the Department of the Year Award, in recognition of their continuing development programme, excellent training opportunities and innovation, as well as the maintenance of mandatory training for all staff. The Volunteer of the Year Award was won by Zak Buckley, a young man who has recently joined Chaseley and who, with his enthusiasm and bright personality, has brought such joy to our service users through the various activities he engages in.  Zak is pictured with (left to right) Sue Wyatt, Mitch Kerry and Kate Gammon.

All Award winners received their prizes and certificates at a small ceremony at Chaseley in August.  Mitch Kerry, Chairman of the Friends of Chaseley who sponsor the Department and Employee of the Year Awards, presided and Kate Gammon, Trustee, presented  the Chaseley-sponsored Volunteer of the Year Award.

Loyalty Awards were also presented to Maria Sinclair, Steve Lacey and Dave Monaghan.

The Spring/Summer 2007 edition of Chaseley Chat is available to download here (the file is 2.2MB).  Alternatively email your name and address here, and we'll post one to you.

Airbourne comes to Eastbourne (August 2007)

Distinguished guests enjoying Eastbourne's annual air spectacular from the vantage point of Chaseley's balcony included (L to R), Group Captain Martin Armstrong RAFBF, Chairman of the Friends of Chaseley Mitch Kerry, Chaseley Trustee Jeremy Howes, Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson, Chaseley Trustee Kate Gammon and (front) Mayor's Consort Olive Woodall, Chaseley's Chief Executive Sue Wyatt and Eastbourne's Mayor, Councillor Mary Pooley.

Balloon Race winner  (August 2007)

Despite the rain weighing down our balloons, most managed to escape from Chaseley and the £100 cash prize, sponsored by G M Monk Ltd and Sussex Cars, was won by Mrs Bartter of Eastbourne.  The balloon made it as as far as Silverdale Road in Eastbourne, which was a pretty feeble effort.  However the finder, Mr Mullens, was rewarded with a £10 Boots gift card.  Winner Mrs Bartter is the grandmother of one of our residents, Sarah Wren, and very generously donated half her winnings back to Chaseley.

Awards For All Grant for Chaseley (July 2007)

Chaseley has been granted £5,000 towards a volunteering project, thanks to the Lottery Fund's Awards for All Scheme.   The grant will enable Chaseley's volunteer coordinator to give talks to local groups about volunteering, fund a training programme for our volunteers, host open days at the home and produce professional leaflets and display equipment to encourage more volunteers to help out with many aspects of the home's activities and outings.

Garden Party survives the rain (July 2007)

Despite appalling weather, Chaseley's Garden Party was well supported and raised almost £1,000 for the charity.  There were lots of attractions, including Canine Concern Care Dogs and Cuddle Bunnies and a demonstration of Tai Chi. (Pictured below).  Chaseley would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the day, including Canine Concern and Cuddle Bunnies, the Eastbourne Silver Band, the Eastbourne Allotment and Gardens Society, the Eastbourne Historical Society, Care Homes Insurance Services, the Red Cross, Falklands Veteran Con Cronin, the Territorial Army, all the local businesses who contributed prizes and all the volunteers who helped out.  A full report and acknowledgement will be in the next edition of Chaseley Chat, due out in October.

Eastbourne Open Art & Sculpture Exhibition a success  (May 2007)

Fantastic variety, great quality and very professional.   These were just some of the comments received about the Eastbourne Open Art and Sculpture exhibition held at Chaseley over the bank holiday weekend.  

Baroness Fookes, who officially opened the exhibition to the public on Friday commented, “I did not know quite what standard to expect and I was very impressed by the quality of the exhibits and their range.  Eastbourne and the county of Sussex can take justifiable pride in the artistic talent on display at the Exhibition.  I hope that it will go from strength to strength and remain an ever more valued event in the town's calendar.”

The prizes, sponsored by PlanAhead Fine Art & Graphics Suppliers, were won by Lorna Holdcroft (Best Professional), Zan Stevenson (Best Amateur), Christopher Furner (Best Sculpture) and nine year old Brett Tatham-Wood (Best Junior).  Highly Commended awards were also given to Jackie Hurwood and Suzanne Rudd for their paintings and collages respectively, St Dunstan’s for their impressive sculptures, and junior entrant Katharine Thompson, also aged nine, for her computer generated artwork.

One of the judges, Roy Donaldson said, “The standard was very high and the professional work was first class.  Some of the amateur exhibits also showed enormous promise, including the winner of the Best Amateur prize.”

More than £2,700 worth of paintings and sculptures were sold during the exhibition and Chaseley will receive a commission on all these works.  Thanks to a community grant from Eastbourne Borough Council, the event raised just over £1,000 for the charity, and Chaseley would like to thank all the artists, sponsors, volunteer helpers and visitors who made the event such a success.

EODS Cheque for Chaseley   (April 07)                                                                

The Eastbourne Operatic and Dramatic Society, a long established Eastbourne institution, raised £500 through sales of programmes during their season of shows last year and decided to donate it to The Chaseley Trust, another organisation with a long history in the town.

Chaseley’s Chief Executive dropped in on the Society’s rehearsals for "Thoroughly Modern Millie" to receive the cheque, which was presented by EODS Chairman Nick Reynolds.  The donation will go towards Chaseley’s Diamond Jubilee Appeal, which will significantly improve the physiotherapy and occupational therapy department, a facility available for both Chaseley residents and the local community through outpatient referrals.

Minister for Veterans visits Chaseley (March 07)                 

Derek Twigg MP, the Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence, visited Chaseley this week to see for himself the facilities and treatments on offer for ex-service personnel and other members of the community.

Chaseley’s management has been concerned for some time that ex-service personnel are not being referred for rehabilitation, respite or residential care at Chaseley.   This situation has arisen since specialist military hospitals have closed down and war casualties are now being treated under the National Health Service.   The Minister’s visit was therefore an opportunity to voice these concerns and ask that he look into the current treatment of our war veterans, and consider how Chaseley can be kept in mind as one of the few facilities that specialise in the care of all ages of paralysed or brain injured veterans, as well as those with neurological conditions.

The Minister was also informed of Chaseley’s Diamond Jubilee Appeal progress and the additional facilities a successful appeal would create for all of Chaseley’s Service Users.  He was invited to officially unveil Chaseley’s Commemorative Diamond Jubilee Gate, and is pictured with (left to right) Trustee Robin Harrison, resident Mary Tester, and Trustees Patrick Salmon, Jeremy Howes and Kate Gammon.  The Appeal fund is approaching £300,000, with a target of £500,000 and all donations are very welcome.

The Winter edition of Chaseley Chat is available in printed form, which you can order by emailing here and providing your name and address.  Alternatively download a pdf here.

Four stars for Chaseley in Business Excellence Awards.   (January 2007)

As a result of independent assessment under the EFQM Recognition Scheme of Levels of Excellence, Chaseley has attained 4 stars in the Recognised for Excellence (R4E) strata of Business Excellence Awards.

Chaseley’s management has always been dedicated to ensuring best practice is maintained at all levels, and since 2003 they have been using the EFQM Excellence Model as a means of coordinating and focusing an improvement programme.  Having gained the Committed to Excellence award in 2005, managers and staff were spurred on to apply for the next stage in their journey towards recognition as being among the best in the country.

CEO, Sue Wyatt, said 'We are dedicated to the pursuit of Excellence and continuous improvement in all that we do, and it is very encouraging and rewarding to receive this recognition.  Our aim now is to apply for a National Award within the next 2 years. I would like to commend and thank the committed and conscientious team of staff for their hard work; everyone's efforts have really paid off'.

Picture shows Chaseley's Business Excellence Team.

Diamond Jubilee Grand Raffle Winner(Dec 2006)

Many congratulations to the first prize winner in our Diamond Jubilee Grand Raffle, Lynda Boyle, seen here with Chaseley's Registered Manager Helena Barrow receiving her prize.

Lynda runs the Rosedale Hotel in Eastbourne, since moving from London six years ago.

Second prize winners were Mr & Mrs Fryer from Heathfield in Sussex, who win a 5 night cruise for two on the QE2, thanks to the generosity of Personal Service Travel.  Mr & Mrs Fryer are seen here receiving their prize from Nicky Taylor from PST (right), and Helena Barrow.

We are very grateful to East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service who provided some very able bodied men from the Eastbourne Station to perform the draw for us.  They are pictured here with Chaseley's Chief Executive Sue Wyatt and Fundraiser Christine Ellis (left).