Life Summer 2014 Dear Friends of Oakleaf,
Welcome to the Summer 2014 edition of Oakleaf Life!
I can’t believe I have been working with this fantastic charity for a year already! I’ve had an absolute blast and the time has flown by. Mental Health is not always a very popular topic, and can be difficult to fund. We are very lucky to have you, our fantastic friends, and I would like to personally thank you for welcoming me to the Oakleaf Family and supporting us through what was a very difficult start to the year, thriving into the sunshine now!
We were very proud to take part in Volunteer’s week this year and celebrate all of the wonderful people who help at Oakleaf! Supporters have also been helping by taking part in the Sponsored Walk, and Annual BBQ & Cake Sale. Not to forget all the love from our corporate and community sponsors as well!
We are currently planning an Open Day event at Oakleaf to mark World Mental Health Day on 10th October, so make sure to watch this space!
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Oakleaf Life! Have a great rest of this summer and thank you once again!
Best wishes,
Deepti Parmar, Events & Marketing Executive
5 Yoga and Wellness5 Job Club Success5 Social Activities5 MH Awareness 5 Give as You Live 5 Community Support 5 Hort at G Live 5 Events Diary
We’ve all heard that yoga is good for you, and for those of
us that have tried it have discovered that it makes us feel
better. Regular practice can offer all kinds of mental and
physical health benefits. Some, like improved flexibility, are
clearly evident. Others, including mental clarity and stress
reduction, may be more subtle but are just as powerful.
When put together, all the benefits contribute to an
increased feeling of well-being.
Find your inner yogi at Oakleaf! Yoga Classes are every Friday at 10:00am.
For more information, please contact Client Services at
01483 303649 or [email protected]
OUR CLIENT TRAINING & ACTIVITIES
Yogis at Oakleaf
Job Club Success
The Oakleaf Job Club is thriving and we are
very excited for our most recent clients who
have found part-time work!
Congratulations to Lucy and Barry for
securing part-time volunteering positions,
and Stephen for his new full-time role - we
wish you all the best!
The Oakleaf Job Club runs three times a
week, and aims to support clients looking
for full-time, part-time and voluntary work.
With the skills they have gained through
their vocational training at Oakleaf, the
club provides support in job searching,
creating a CV, writing cover letters,
completing application forms, contacting
potential employers and developing
interview skills.
Job Club Times:
Tuesdays at 11:30am
Wednesdays at 3:30pm
Thursdays at 10:30am
Please contact Tina for more information at
01483 303649 or [email protected]
Client Bites the Blues Horticulture client, Julian Parratt has been attending
Oakleaf for the last year and has written a book of poetry,
songs and short stories titled ‘Blake’s Blues - Caring for the
Earth’. An achievement he is particularly proud of, the
book along with numerous records and other publications,
has been a creative process for Julian, allowing him to
manage his mental health problems and steer him away
from alcoholism. Attending Horticulture 3 times a week at
Oakleaf, Julian has learnt both soft and hard landscaping
skills, but he particularly enjoys the hard labouring work,
‘mixing cement, building and filing the wheelbarrow are
great exercise for me and I really enjoy that aspect of my
training’, he states. He finds gardening and his creative
pastimes a form of therapy and also attends art courses at
the Guildford YMCA, aiming to share his creativity to make
a difference to the community.
Social Inclusion Activities
Enjoying a great BBQ & Cake Sale at Oakleaf!
Dance Therapy At Oakleaf we are continuously introducing
new Social Inclusion Activities that aim to
promote wellbeing. Dance is a dynamic
way to exercise the mind and express
yourself through movement. If you are
interested, please speak to Client Services.
Keep an eye on our activities calender,
Sessions take place twice a month!
Upcoming Client Activities:
• Yoga Sessions - Every Friday at 10:00am
• Mindfulness - 14th August at 11:00am
• Big Breakfast - 18th August at 10:00am
• Dance Workshop - 21st August at 1:30pm
• Bank Holiday - (Oakleaf Closed) 25th August
• Mindfulness - 26th August at 11:00am
• Happy Health Cooking Group - 27th August at 1:45pm
• Film Night - 27th August at 4:00pm
• Dog Walking Group - Starts 1st September at 2pm
• Confidence Course - Starts 8th September
• Oakleaf turns 17! - 19th September
Summer Fun-draising in the Sun! The annual Oakleaf BBQ & Cake Sale took place on 18th June and was a huge hit! We were lucky to have
such great weather, all in all making for a wonderful day of homemade burgers, sausages, and lots of
yummy cakes and treats. We would like to thank all of our clients, volunteers, trustees, staff and supporters
who helped and joined us for the event! We look forward to hosting the next one!
PLEASE SUPPORT US!5 By organising or taking part in
fundraising events/activities
5 By becoming a corporate or community partner
Confidence CourseThe incredibly successful 10 week
Confidence Course at Oakleaf returns
on 8th September and will take place on
Mondays, 1:30-3:30pm. To enrol, please
contact Client Services on 01483 303649 or
5 By making a donation
5 By donating time, services or products
5 By supporting our activities or events
Exercise and physical activity can provide a
positive effect in your life. Something that you
really enjoy, that gives you a goal to aim for
and a sense of purpose. Walking in particular
has been seen to reduce physical symptoms of
depression and anxiety associated with minor
stress resulting in improvements in individual
quality of life
For the fifth consecutive year, the Oakleaf team
took part in the Guildford Rotary Annual 10K
Sponsored Walk. With a new route, the team of
staff, clients, volunteers, trustees and supporters
have raised over £2300!
OUR DONORS, SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS
The Oakleaf team at the Annual Sponsored Charity Walk!
Walking for better Mental Health
Classic Car ShowOakleaf has been nominated as one of 4 charities
that will be supported at this year’s Cranleigh Lions’
2014 Classic Car Show!
Taking place on Sunday 17th August 2014 the
show will feature around 1,700 classic vehicles of
all shapes and sizes, from motorcycles to massive
commercial and military vehicles. A great day out
for the whole family!
For more details, please visit: http://www.cranleighlions.org/classic-car-show.php
Trinity Folk Festival Folk, roots and acoustic music rang out from the heart of Guildford on 3rd May as the annual Trinity Folk
Festival took place. Over 300 people packed Holy Trinity Church for most of the day and eventing to enjoy
the tunes. Set at a fantastic venue, the church provided a stunning backdrop and amazing acoustics.
Carolyn Graham, the festival organiser was ecstatic, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and
support for the festival! And besides being a great day of music, we were delighted to raise money for
Oakleaf; it wasn’t just about fundraising as the festival goers were very keen to learn more about the work
of the charity as well, helping to further raise its profile. The event raised an incredible £1050 for Oakleaf!
Thank you to everyone who was involved with this amazing festival and for supporting our work!
BTU Group of Companies will be at the A3 Car Boot
Sale on 7th September, to raise funds for Oakleaf
as their nominated charity of the year. They will also
have some great raffle prizes up for grabs! Be sure to
visit their stall and support Oakleaf!
You may also purchase raffle tickets from Oakleaf
(£1 each or £10 for 15). Contact Deepti on
01483 303 649/[email protected]
For directions & details, please visit: www.oakleaf-enterprise.org/ btu-car-boot-sale-
raffle/
BTU Car Boot Sale
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that took part for their support and for promoting
better mental health in the community and to those that sponsored the walk! We look forward to next
year’s event!
Could you Consider Leaving a Gift in your Will for Oakleaf?Many large, national charities rely heavily on gifts left in the Wills of their supporters, to fund their ongoing
work. Having made provision for your family and friends, could you consider supporting Oakleaf in this way?
We would be hugely grateful if you might support our work with this sort of gift and there could be
considerable benefits:
1. Charitable gifts in a Will (bequests) are free of Inheritance Tax. They may also reduce the rate of tax
payable upon death. All estates are assessed for Inheritance Tax and any estate over the nil rate band
threshold (currently £325,000) is taxed at 40%. However, the law changed in 2012 so that when someone
leaves more than 10% of the net value of their estate (i.e. After the deduction of any debts, liabilities, reliefs
and the nil rate band) to charity, a reduced rate of 36% for Inheritance Tax may apply to the taxable part of
the estate.
2. Oakleaf is a small, local charity and a gift could have a comparatively substantial impact on our work
with local people, instead of going into the huge resources of a national charity.
3. Having come into contact with Oakleaf, you will know that the charity is well-managed and continues to
make a genuinely positive impact on our local community. Mental illness is not a typically ‘popular’ cause,
and by contributing to Oakleaf, your gift will have a direct and valuable influence on the lives of Oakleaf
clients for many years to come.
We strongly recommend that anyone considering making or amending their Will, contacts their solicitor for
legal advice. However, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions with which
we might be able to assist.
RAISE MONEY FOR OAKLEAF JUST BY SHOPPING! Do you Give as you Live? Every purchase you make online can raise funds for Oakleaf, at no extra cost!
Give as you Live works with thousands of stores that have signed up to donate a commission on every online purchase. Install a simple app, choose Oakleaf as your charity and shop away!
Through Give as you Live, our supporters have raised over £300.00 this year, just by shopping online!
Visit:
www.giveasyoulive.com/join/oakleafenterprise
to donate to Oakleaf while you shop!
We would like to thank the wonderful
ladies of the Godalming Meadrow WI for
organising two fantastic coffee mornings
in aid of Oakleaf, raising over £215! Your
support is greatly appreciated!
OUR DONORS, SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS
Moving forward with MH ‘Everyone is human; only with understanding of
personalities and support in our daily life are we able as
individuals to prosper and develop. The message is simple…
We don’t want to be put in a societal box, because to us,
there is no box, only a person looking to move forward.’
Thomas Duncan Bell shares his experience of MH and how
he has now got involved with our work.
“I came across Oakleaf by pure coincidence while at a
networking event and was immediately enthralled by their
work. I was pitching my company Team Tops at the event,
because we specialise in printed and embroidered clothing
in Surrey and Oakleaf had asked us to produce some aprons
to be used in their coffee shop and for the upholstery course.
The more I began to explore what they did, the more I was
keen to support. As I personally suffer from a form of Bipolar
disorder, I found that by investing my time in the charity, I was
more able to deal with the anxieties I face on a daily basis.
Through working with Oakleaf I was asked to become a
Mental Health Ambassador for an initiative called ‘Time to
Change’ where my role is to talk to Doctors, schools, larger
local companies and the likes, to make people more aware
of how mental health can affect an individual and show that
we shouldn’t fear the subject as a taboo.”
For more information, contact Oakleaf or Thomas at: [email protected] or 07799050303
Santander Grant Oakleaf Enterprise has received a £5,000
grant from the Santander Foundation to
help people suffering from mental ill-
health in Surrey.
The donation, which will benefit over 130
local people, will cover the Oakleaf’s
core day-to-day costs as well helping our
recovery from the disruption caused by
the December floods.
We would like to thank the Santander
Foundation for supporting Oakleaf
Enterprise!
Our friends, Stevens & Bolton
LLP solicitors in Guildford
have had another successful
golf day, raising £1560 for
Oakleaf! Thank you to all
those that organised and
took part in the event! Along
with this, a fresh team of
runners are training hard to
support wellbeing and raise
awareness of better mental
health at the BUPA Great
South Run later in October.
Godalming Meadrow Coffee Mornings
S&B show their support for Oakleaf
S&B Swing into Action
Lloyds Bank FoundationWe are delighted to share the wonderful
news that a two year grant has been
awarded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation
for England and Wales towards the salary
of an Upholstery Assistant for Oakleaf!
This level of support is substantial for us
and will make a genuine difference to
the services we can offer our clients.
OUR CUSTOMER SERVICES
Hort at G Live We are proud to announce a new partnership
with the Guildford based entertainment venue,
G Live has just been secured! Our Horticultural
Team will be taking over the ground and garden
maintenance from August 2014 to ensure the
surrounding grounds complement the quality of
the award-winning architecture.
By working with Oakleaf, G Live is helping to
support local individuals with mental illnesses by
enabling them to gain valuable work experience
and work towards achieving qualifications.
The venue hopes that by working in a busy
entertainment venue, participants will be able to
gain confidence in the work environment, as well
as keep G Live’s outdoor areas which are popular
with visitors and picnickers, beautifully green.
G Live’s Building and Facilities Manager, Charlotte
Sleven, said ‘It is genuinely wonderful to be able
to work with Oakleaf. We are proud to support the
local community in this way and look forward to a
long working relationship.’
We are very excited about this new partnership
and thank you for your support and helping us
promote our services in the community!
Yuletide UpholsteryBelieve it or not, there’s only 19 weeks until Christmas!
Granted this is the Summer edition of Oakleaf Life, if
you’re hosting this festive season, and are looking to
freshen up your home or want to get an early start on
gifts, there’s no better time than the present!
Oakleaf’s experienced team can reupholster and
supply new seat interiors for a wide range of modern
and traditional styles of furniture including:
5 Sofas/Armchairs 5 Reclining chairs
5 Dining chairs 5 Headboards
5 Chaise longues 5 Nightclub seats
5 Office furniture 5 Matching cushions
We can supply and work with both fabric and leather,
and have a range of colours and styles to choose
from, or you can purchase your own!
By using our service, not only will you be delighted by
the workmanship, but you will directly provide work
experience to our clients in the programme!
For more information contact Steve on: [email protected] / 01483303649
We are excited to announce that we have
recently had another new member of staff join
Oakleaf!
Marika Rantala, has just joined the staff team as a
full time Upholstery Assistant! Marika has 7 years of
experience in upholstery and soft furnishings and
looks forward to taking part everything we do at
Oakleaf to help raise awareness and hopes her
experience will help our Upholstery department
thrive and gain many new customers! Welcome to
the Oakleaf Team!
Volunteers Needed! We are always after volunteers to help us out with
running our Coffee Shop, helping in departments
such as IT, Horticulture, Packing and Upholstery and
teaching new skills!
Contact us if you are interested in volunteering or
sharing a new skill with us at Oakleaf!
Contact: 01483 303649 / [email protected]
New Staff at Oakleaf!
Our Forthcoming Events:5 Cranleigh Lions’ Classic Car Show
5 BTU Car Boot Sale & Raffle
5 Oakleaf WMHD Open Day
5 Great South Run 2014
5 Charity Pub Quiz
For more information, please check our website, phone 01483 303649, or email [email protected]
Registered Charity Number: 1064524
Company Limited by Guarantee Number: 3388671
Give while you Save!Do you want to save money on your
household bills? Then switch to Utility
Warehouse and get one simple monthly
bill, at a cheaper price. For every
customer who joins Utility Warehouse,
Oakleaf gets 5% of your household bill
each month. Who said donations had to
come from your own pocket?! Call 0800
131 3000 today for more information,
quoting ‘K34376’, or visit:
www.costfreegiving.org
MEETING AND KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH OAKLEAF
Happy Customers“A very professional service, the office
chairs have a whole new lease of life! I
would strongly recommend your service
to other local businesses and friends.”
Upholstery Customer
“Excellent service, would definitely
recommend to others!”
Horticultural Customer
Oakleaf Social Media
Get your Oakleaf news first from these
sources and you’ll gain a real insight into
what goes on here without even moving!
Follow us on Twiiter @_oakleaf and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn & Instagram!
Farmers’ MarketCome see us at the Guildford Farmers’
Market, the first Tuesday of every month!
We’ve got some great buys - cushions
and plants from our Upholstery and
Horticulture departments! Find us located
by WHSmith!
Sunday 17th August Cranleigh Showground GU6 7DW Come and check out the 13th annual Cranleigh & District Lions Club Classic Car Show and support Oakleaf as a nominated charity partner! Entry is £6 for adults, and free for children under 16.
Tuesday 4th November, 8:00pm to late The Keystone Pub, Guildford GU2 4BL Join us for charity pub quiz at The Keystone, in aid of Oakleaf! A fun night for all. £2 entry, and meal and drink specials on the night!
Sunday 17th August, 7:30am-1:00pm A3 Car Boot Sale GU23 7LW BTU Group of Companies will be taking part in the car boot sale to promote Oakleaf as their nominate charity of the year. Support us and make sure you pop by! There will also be some great raffle prizes up for grabs!
Friday 10th October, 10:30am-2:00pm Oakleaf Enterprise GU1 4UQ Oakleaf will be celebrating World Mental Health day on 10th October and holding a Open Day at our premises. Watch this space for details! If you would like further info, or would like help sponsor the event, please contact Deepti on 01483 303649 or deeptiparmar@oakleaf-enterprise,org
Sunday 26th October, 10am Portsmouth We’ve only got 4 spots left for this 10 mile run around the iconic sites in Portsmouth. You’ll receive a running vest from Oakleaf, t-shirt, medal and finishers’ pack, along with accurate chip timing from run organisers. Entry fee: £41, Sponsorship Target: £250. For more info contact Deepti at 01483 303649 / [email protected]