Christmas 2021 Newsletter

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“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ” Matthew 25 v 35-36

EVERGREEN LEAVES Welcome to our Christmas Newsletter!!

Welcome to our CHRISTMAS Newsletter for all our amazing Volunteers.

We have an update from our lovely founders Pete and Diane, letting us know about their life in Suffolk and some great pictures from our Elderberries Christmas lunch.

We’re really pleased we’ve been able to reopen Elderberries and our Evergreen Friends Together events this year and we even managed to hold some of our Christmas events. Let’s pray we can keep things going in 2022!

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and have a safe and happy Christmas.

Dates for your diary

Evergreen Friends Together @ Earl Haig, Tuesday 18th January: 11.30am to 1.30pm

Evergreen Friends Together @ Blackfen Library, Wednesday 26th January: 11am to 1pm

Carer's Support (Bexley) Cafe/Drop in for carer's, Friday 14th January: 11.30am to 2pm at Crayford Manor House, Mayplace Road East, Barnehurst, DA1 4HB

Elderberries Christmas lunch

Our Christmas lunch on the 13th of December was a great success! The guests really enjoyed the day, from the food, to the entertainment and a visit from the big man himself! It was great to see people joining in with the dancing and singing!

We would like to say a huge thank you to all our Elderberries volunteers for their ongoing support and commitment. In the new year Tanya will become the Team supervisor for our Belvedere volunteer team and will be there to support them and to help with any queries or concerns.

Our Elderberries café in Belvedere will resume on 10th January 2022 and we are planning to set up some more Elderberries cafes in different locations in 2022 so if you would like to be part of the Elderberries team please get in touch.

News from Suffolk

Hello from Sunny Suffolk

Well, another year is almost over. 2021 hasn’t been the year we had all hoped for with the many challenges that face us all.

Again I would like to thank you all for your commitment and dedication to your clients and Evergreen. You are all amazing.

On the 10th December we held our first Evergreen Family Christmas Party for two years, and what a wonderful evening it was. The band were excellent, food lovely and our special guest Father Christmas made the evening complete. We were blessed to see our office staff coming together and carrying on with the Evergreen tradition of thanking all our staff and volunteers with the Annual Christmas Party. A big thank you to all those involved.

Our Elderberries Centre reopened some weeks ago and the Elderberries Christmas Party was held on the 13th December and was well attended. Thank you to all the volunteers for making this happen and a special thank you to Carol Bearfoot and her friends for the musical entertainment. Our special guest also managed to take time out from his busy schedule to pay a visit.

In 2022, we are hoping to open a further three Elderberry Centres across the Bexley Borough so if you think this would be something you’d like to be involved in please give the office a call. Your help would be very much appreciated.

Evergreen has become very busy over the last few months with many referrals for help being received. The effect Covid and the lockdowns have had on our older generation, their mental health and confidence are now being seen and our expectation for the coming year is the need to continue to rise. We have waiting lists for all our services but do not have the staff or volunteers to help everyone. Please share with friends and family members that Evergreen are always looking for people with a heart for the elderly to join our teams of volunteers or staff. You never know, it might be just what they are looking for.

So Christmas is almost upon us. It’s a time of excitement for children, for families to come together, and the time of year where there’s a feeling of joy and good will. In this uncertain world we are all living in, let us be grateful for each day, strive to reach out to others in love, and rest in the knowledge that your actions or words have made a difference to someone.

My prayer for you all is this:

May the Lord bless you

and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.’

Merry Christmas everyone,

Pete & Diane.

For anyone alone this Christmas

If you, your client or anyone you know will be alone this Christmas, please let them know about the following events:

The Village Sandwich Bar would like to invite you to a free CHRISTMAS DINNER & PUDDING at the Belvedere Baptist Church, 50 Nuxley Road, Belvedere DA17 5JG. Doors open at 12.30pm, dinner served at 1.30pm. To book please 01322 440066 or pop into the sandwich bar.

Bexley Christian Life Centre, 17 Upland Road, Bexleyheath DA7 4NR are hosting a Boxing Day meal at 12.30pm, please book using the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bclc-boxing-day-meal-tickets-206668339567?aff=ebdssbdestsearch