Newsletter summer 2014

Daniel’s Den

Newsletter Summer 2014

Beautiful hot summer days when you can get out and about, exploring parks and others places. Having a simple picnic or playing in the garden – it makes such a difference. If you don’t know what to do or where to go do check out various links on this website

Sports days, end of year concerts, summer fairs etc

are just some of the delights of local schools. At Daniel’s Den we have had our annual sports day, cake sales and soon our teddy bears picnics. It will be a time to say goodbye to some of our children as they move on into nursery or reception classes. We wish them well.

A break for Daniel’s Den. I know many of you are sad

and disappointed that we don’t meet during the summer but our groups are run by volunteers, and most of us have our own children to look after. We need a ‘rest’ and are then ready to start again in September.

Whatever you do this summer, we hope you have a fun family time. Even if you can’t get away for a holiday, do plan some days out and make the most of the weather. Make memories and don’t forget to take some photos! My son recently turned 18 and it was wonderful to make a short movie showing the things he had done over the years. God bless

Joanna Gordon Managing Director of Daniel’s Den

Cut down all the weeds outside and a

clean of the whole building Painting inside and outside Building a garden area where flowers and

vegetables can be grown. Creating a play space outside IKEA have donated furniture Tesco are donating kitchen equipment and

so much more.

We are delighted that Tesco have chosen to do a DIY makeover of the old scout hut at St Andrews in Sudbury (one of our venues). The project is being led by Beckie West, the customer care manager at Tesco, Brent Park.

It is such a blessing not only to St Andrews and Daniel’s Den but all the other user groups too.

Tesco have made the following improvements:

Built a ramp to improve the access to the hut.

Built a shelter for biggies, allowing more space to play in the hut.

In the summer term we base all the crafts on animals. So

this term we introduced sensory play into a number of our

sessions and children had the opportunity to dig ‘insects’

out of compost.

We even had animals playing in real grass – the smell

and textures enhance the children’s learning

One of our aims for our crafts is that we use simple materials – ones

you often have lying around at home. Why not create a making box

and put things in it – a source of interest on a wet day.

We also consciously introduced more stories into the sessions and we

will carry this on next term. The children loved looking at the pictures

and joining in … we even made edible caterpillars (it’s not everyday

you can say you ate a caterpillar!)

We have also introduced some new crafts

too and I know people loved making the

tiger masks and caterpillar puppet.

One activity that caused lots of fun was

making the sock puppets. A few pieces of

wool, buttons, googly eyes, paper and a

new character was formed.

This is such fun for everyone. Whether it is

balancing quoits on your head, throwing beanbags

in a bucket, potato and spoon race or the sack

race – there is the opportunity to take part.

Keeping children active is so important and this

certainly happened on this day.

Thank you to everyone who took the

time to fill in this form. We do listen to

what you say and even though we

can’t accommodate all the

suggestions i.e. opening more days,

we do try to make some changes.

Watch this space.

One thing that people suggested was

to have a cake stall to raise funds for

Daniel’s Den. There was an amazing

array of cakes brought in and we

raised over £100.

At one venue, there was a parents sack race and one little girl ran to her mum,

hugged her and said ‘I am so proud of you mum – you are the best’. Children

learn what they live! I am sure there are many certificates on the fridges around Brent as a result of this day!

‘These took place in two venues – Tesco, Brent Park

and the playground outside the London Designer

Outlet (LDO). They are a mini version and incorporate

at least one element of Daniels’s Den whether it is

play dough, singing or a craft activity. One thing is for

sure – there will always be a genuine welcome!

.

Sadly we had a scalding accident at one of our venues where a cup of

coffee was spilled on a child’s arm. The wound was run under a cold tap

for 10 minutes and the little boy received some medication from the

doctor. He is fine but it was a shock for him, his mum and the whole

group. It highlighted a couple of things:

o Drinking in the HOT SPOT is so important and even then, you

need to take care when little ones are nearby.

o It is so important we have trained first aiders in our groups –

most of our volunteers have had training form the Red Cross.

o We do regular risk assessments for all our venues to ensure the

safety of all attendees.

Trustees During National Volunteers week, we took all our

volunteers out for a thank you meal at Jimmy’s in

Wembley. At the meal, two of our trustees (Angela

Anterkyi and Cheryl Tate) officially ‘retired’ after a

total of 25+ years volunteering at Daniel’s Den.

They were there from early days and had helped

Daniels Den develop into the registered charity it is

today. They were each presented with one of

Funny Bunny’s cousins as a thank you and will be

treated to a day at a spa as a thank you.

We are welcoming two new trustees - Phello

Ekango who started coming to Daniel’s Den 15

years ago when her children were little and Peter

Kearney who has shown a keen interest in our work and has lots of charity experience.

Postcards

We have had some very attractive postcards

designed (by our very own Joanne Wright) and

printed. These can be used to invite people to

our groups. They are sturdy and can easily be

carried in pockets, bags etc. Why not pick up a

few and give to people you meet Down Your

Street, on the bus, whilst shopping etc. That

personal invitation is so key and these cards are

a tool you can use to spread the word.

Congratulations go to Joanne Wright, our admin volunteer, who successfully gained a BSc first class honours degree in forensic science. I recently caught up with her to ask her a few questions Jo: Why do you volunteer at Daniels Den? Joanne: I believe in what Daniels Den stands for and I want to help that others like me. Young mums who maybe alone at home with there small children and need a way to meet others in the community. Jo: What do you do for Daniel’s Den? Joanne: I do some of the administration including posters, advertising, maintaining the website, statistical analysis, helping with banking, data base etc. Basically I love to provide Jo with whatever she wants (and Joe does – she is brilliant. Joe also offers good, practical advice and this is very welcome). Jo: How did you find out about Daniel’s Den? Joanne: I received a leaflet about a new group starting in the school. I was a bit shy, so I sent my friend along to the first session. She said I was good and there was a really nice lady there. So the following week I went with my daughter and that was nearly 7 years ago. My daughter gained lots of confidence through the sessions and it really helped her settle in to nursery, as she already knew some of the children from her time at Daniels Den. But I got more out of it than my daughter. My confidence in myself grew and I realised I could more than just be a mum. I went on to volunteer, then do an access course. I don’t think I would have done this if it hadn’t been for my experiences at Daniel’s Den. Jo: And now you have graduated! How did you manage a first class honours degree when you have three children and you volunteer at DD? Joanne: I had a lot of support from my husband, my friends and family, especially through some of the harder times. I have always loved science and investigations – even at the age of 7/8 I my favourite show was Murder She Wrote! And of course, it took a lot of hard work! Jo: What is your highlight for your time at DD? Joanne: The one thing that stands out and makes me proud is the DD group we ran at Wykeham Primary School. Out of this the parents there started their own group – out of a small seed it has grown into what it is now. Jo: Do you have a vision for the future of DD? Joanne: There are lots of great parent and toddler groups out there and I would like to see them recognised for what they are and the huge benefits they bring. I also think you should rent the shop at the end of your road, for DD to have its own office that is accessible to many. More than one computer where people can come and work together. And a huge table where people can sit around and share biscuits! And for it to be a place where people can have a prayer session when they want!

Finally......

Daniel’s Den is a parent and toddler organisation with a simple mission – to encourage and

enrich family life. For more information why not go to the web at to

see all the things we do!

Daniel’s Den is a registered charity 1147172 and a registered Company 5303714. It is

independent and fully reliant on donated money, grants and fundraising activities.

We believe strongly that we should do all we can to encourage and support family life,

especially those who stay at home to look after their children. The project is faith based and is

based on biblical principles. It is open to all and is faith based, not faith biased.

In November Daniel’s Den will be 18 years old! We will be

marking this milestone birthday in a number of ways.

All suggestions welcome …