Tag: success

This years holiday was a great success!

In May a group of our members and staff went to Scarborough and stayed in the Grand Hotel for the second time. The weather was beautiful, fun was had, memories were made and chips were eaten.

 

 

Here’s Sue’s account of the trip:

“This year for the SPARC holiday we returned to the Grand Hotel Scarborough by popular demand. The holiday was facilitated by staff Sue and James and 9 members went along. Travel was with National Coaches from Stockport; it was a great way to travel.

Whilst we were in Scarborough we spent time exploring the area and we visited places of interest in Peasholm Park, South Cliff Gardens, the castle area and the church where Ann Bronte is buried. Midweek we had a coach excursion taking us to Whitby via Goathland where the popular TV programme Heartbeat was filmed. Everyone had a great time and the weather was fantastic. At Whitby we all enjoyed delicious fish and chips. Meals were provided in the hotel as part of the package and we were treated to nightly cabaret and bingo. The holiday was a great success and enjoyed by all.”

Nick has done his run!

Nick: one of our very generous members ran the Manchester half marathon in May raising money for SPARC and achieving an impressive feat of athleticism. If that wasn’t enough Nick also donned a Forrest Gump outfit. Adding the insulation of a hat and fake beard to the already hot day.

We’re still getting sponsorship  money brought in so we are not sure how much has been raised yet but we will be sure to keep everyone updated.

However much is raised, we can all agree that Nicks generosity and dedication is an inspiration to us all.

Keep on running Nick!

SPARC United is top of the league!

The Cheshire Ability Counts Football League that is!table

 

 

 

 

Ability Counts was formed as part of the FA’s strategy for developing football for people with mixed abilities. SPARC United have been training hard and honing their skills and have finally made it to the top. Lets take a moment to bask in the glory of being at the top; and keep our fingers crossed for the rest of the season!

Click here for the official webpage.

Lets Look Again: Table Top Gardeners!

Its been a while since we’ve had a check in with the Table Top Gardening Group. A lot has happened since we had a look in July (click the words in bold to read that article). James Campbell; the facilitator of the group has written a little about whats been going on:

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“The tabletop gardeners summer display at the entrance to Runnymede court proved a great success and received lots of positive comments which was good for the gardeners to hear.

As the summer came to an end and the days became colder the dying flowers had to be replaced. this provided the opportunity for a new project which was to create a spring bulb display.4

The bulbs were planted in four troughs with all the bulbs being chosen by the gardeners- everything from hyacinths, crocus, narcissus and tulips. The troughs were also planted with conifers and ivy for ongoing interest as the troughs will be a permanent feature.1

What was salvageable from the summer display such as pelargoniums and ivy were used as pot plants for Runnymede.

I’m halfway through the funding period which has seen the completion of 2 blocks of 10 sessions, with a further 2 blocks of 10 to do. this will take us up to the middle of April.
I’m really enjoying facilitating the sessions as it takes our work providing therapeutic activities out into the community and advertises SPARC. The gardening season has proved popular with the participants and it also compliments Runnymedes existing activities.”

Here’s a couple of photos of the finished troughs in place for the winter.

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A great success story form one of our members!

We’d like to say a big well done to Nick; who wrote the below article and asked us to share his success:

Nick

My name is Nick and I am a member of the football group. In April I ran in The London Marathon raising money for the mental health charity, Mind. I have bipolar disorder and I find that keeping fit really helps me manage my illness. The marathon was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. If you had asked me 2 years ago whether I could run a marathon I would have laughed at you. I was unfit, drinking heavily at the weekends and eating all the wrong types of food. I decided I was unhappy with the life I was leading so I did something about it. I began running short distances and then gradually increased the miles. I love the feeling I get from running especially the runners high. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who sponsored me and to those who wished me luck, I really do appreciate it!