Turbo-charged Trustee

Lawrence Avery, one of Rathbone's Trustees, completed the London Marathon in a super quick time of 2 hours and 49 minutes. He has also raised £1,193 for the charity so far which will be close to £1,500 when Gift Aid has been added.

Well done Lawrence!!

The garden progresses...

Major work on the back garden at Chatsworth Way is progressing. We have our annual summer BBQ in July and we very much hope that the garden will be transformed and quite lovely in time for the much anticipated event.

The last couple of weeks have seen the boundaries largely cleared of ivy and various unwelcome undergrowth and saplings.

One major surprise was when an old minibus roof rack was found and dug out of the ivy and hedge next to the patio area. It took several people all day to cut it out, but the most surprising thing was that it is still in pretty good condition - we're pretty sure it has been in there for at least 15 years!

Feedback Event

Today Rathbone arranged for independent facilitators to meet with a diverse group of service users to explore their opinions and feelings about some issues and policies which affect them.

This morning the group discussed Rathbone's smoking policy and this afternoon the group watched some films about the Mental Capacity Act and talked about how it affects people with disabilities, particularly within the context of Health Action Planning.

2013 Staff Conference - April 5th

On Friday afternoon almost the whole organisation was able to get together in the Chatsworth Baptist Church hall very near to our offices in West Norwood.

Items discussed included proposed and upcoming changes to terms and conditions in our Staff Handbook, and a number of group exercises and very lively debate and vote on the organisation's Smoking Policy.

Staff Conferences are very useful for sharing ideas and information, and for ensuring that all employees get a chance to have their say.

(Tree) Surgery

On yet another bitterly cold 'spring' morning work continues in the ongoing rejuvenation of the outdoor spaces at Chatsworth Way.

Our trusted tree surgeons, AN Rowland Ltd are very quick, professional and tidy. Today, battling the inevitable snow showers, they removed three trees at the back of the property and 'pollarded' the horse chestnut tree you can see in the photograph.

The three removed trees are part of a major redevelopment of the back garden which, though lovely in summer, is largely unused and unusable in winter, partly because of drainage problems.

Former trees

2 years ago we were able to sell an unused and overgrown patch of land at the bottom of the garden - beyond the fence you can see in the next photograph. 

The money is being invested in making the garden more attractive and usable all year round. There will be raised beds to grow fruit and vegetables, where we will draw on the skills and experience of Rathbone's thriving Gardening Group. Have you visited their blog yet?

Pitching in

Rathbone has a small but capable and highly versatile management team. Like many smaller charities the managers have to be able to turn their hands to a wide range of tasks from publicity and marketing, to recruitment and a wide range of HR duties. Here is a picture of the Deputy Director, Shaun, with his metaphorical maintenance hat on fixing a new digital keypad to the office door at Chatsworth Way yesterday. 

Pictures of our Head of Support Services unblocking a toilet will no doubt follow soon!