Manor Gardens Newsletter

Manor Gardens Newsletter
Autumn 2013
Welcome to the re-launched Manor Gardens newsletter where
Friends of Manor Gardens can discover what’s happening. In this issue:
News, Events, Training and Volunteer Opportunities
Get the inside scoop from Manor Gardens Street Fair
Find out about our Summer with Palace for All
Hear Lee & Karima stories from Community Kitchens’ Life Skills Courses
6-9 Manor Gardens, London, N7 6LA
Call Norma on 020 7561 5263 or visit www.manorgardenscentre.org
@Manor_Gardens www.Facebook.com/ManorGardensCharity
Mercers Road Local
Charity of the Year
News, Upcoming Events, Training
and Volunteer Opportunities
News
Manor Gardens Campaigners in Channel4 Doc. Sarian Kamara and Leyla Hussein, Community Workers in our
Health Advocacy team, led Channel4’s hard-hitting doc, The Cruel Cut, on 6th November: available now on
catch-up TV. Within 2 days of airing, the duo’s petition to stop FGM had tripled in signatories & over £200
had been donated to our work ensuring no more girls need worry about FGM Read more.
Our Mental Wellbeing Champions Celebrated World Mental Health Day with a bang. Guest Speaker and
Champion Jules Evans, BBC New Generation Thinker and author of bestselling book Philosophy for Life, gave
an engaging talk and really got us all thinking about our mental health. Read more.
Young People raise £130 for people who have had a stroke, as we welcome our 100th social work student
to the team. 10 enthusiastic young people from The Challenge Network spent the day bucket-fundraising on
the Holloway Road, then later raised more through sponsored smiles! Plus, our newest social work students,
Safi and Dianne, have just joined the team—welcome! Read more
Events
Time-Out Critic’s Choice Restaurant Raising Money for Manor Gardens Friendship Phone Network. Highbury’s fabulous Trullo Italian Restaurant, run by Manor Gardens volunteer Jordan, is generously hosting a
(sold-out!) fundraising dinner in aid of our on-going support of older people living in Islington. The six-course
Veneto Tasting Menu includes dishes like Black Tagliatelle with braised cuttlefish! Read more.
Training
Coming up: FREE training delivered by the Community Kitchens team at Manor Gardens, Holloway, N7 6LA.
th
 Gain a Vocational Qualification in Preparing Food Safely (Level 1): Thurs, 30 Jan, 10am-2pm @ Manor Gardens
th
 Discover The Secrets of Keeping Your Heart Healthy: Thurs, 13 Feb, 10am-1pm @ Manor Gardens
To book a place for either course, call Gabriel on 0207 561 5281, or email Gabriel@manorgardenscentre.org
To qualify for free training, you should be 1) Living in Islington or 2) Have a child in an Islington School, as well
as being either a) Registered unemployed or b) In receipt of means-tested benefits.
Volunteer Opportunities
Christmas Volunteers: you could make a real difference this Christmas. This Christmas, over 2,000 older people could spend the day alone. If you can put aside just a few hours during Christmas Week, we can connect
you with an older person whose Christmas you could make a real difference to! Read more.
Manor Gardens Street Fair
Happy 100th!
On Saturday 27th July, 2013, Manor Gardens came
to life as 1,000+ people and 50+ businesses, charities and independents joined in our actionpacked community event marking one hundred
years of service to the community by Manor Gardens Centre.
Musical Numbers
Music for People opened the show with a bang,
followed by the Pearly King of Finsbury, John Walters, and The Pearly Kings & Queens Society. The
sing-along (front-cover) was hugely popular, and
at one point Cliff Parisi (of Call The Midwife and
Eastenders fame) joined in (below, left)! Next
came The Whittington Steel Band (middle right)
and Farah Noah, getting everyone into the
summer spirit.
4 generations of the Keen family meet alongside
Catherine West at Manor Gardens to unveil our
founder, Florence Keen’s, memorial plaque
Entertainment
Rabbie the Entertainer (bottom right) went down
a treat, along with the rabbits and farm animals
from Freightliners. Popular too were Arsenal FC in
the Community’s (another centurion!) penalty
shoot-outs and face painting, run by parents of
Manor Gardens Pre-School!
Cliff Parisi remembers visiting
Manor Gardens as a child
The Whittington Steel Band
Rabbie really brightened the day
Tasty Treats at Manor Gardens Street Fair
Ruby Violet’s Ice Cream went down a treat, as did Hunt &
Darton’s Pop-Up Café, supported by Islington Exhibits. Community Kitchens gave away free smoothies, & both Yum Yum Thai &
Soghi’s Caribbean were popular!
Heritage Learning Centre Opening
Siobhan & Manny from the Community Kitchens team give out free
healthy smoothies, funded thanks
to Cllr Kaseki’s LIF grant
William Gaminara then opened the Manor Gardens Heritage
Learning Centre which documents past achievements and
struggles of Manor Gardens. William has fond memories of taking his son to preschool at Manor Gardens.
The Next 100 Years
Dr. Andrew Turton, Chair of the Board, gave the Manor Gardens
Centenary Speech, thanking our predecessors and emphasizing
the complementary role Manor Gardens plays and will continue
to play in relation to the NHS.
Andrew emphasized how over the next 100 years, Manor Gardens will expand and develop, firstly by welcoming new “Friends
of Manor Gardens” and secondly by redeveloping the Eastern
side of the Centre into an even more inclusive and progressive
community hub.
Very special thanks go to:

William Gaminara (left), actor of
“Silent Witness” fame, opens the
Heritage Lottery Funded “Manor
Gardens Heritage Learning Centre”
Islington Mayor Barry Edwards &
Jeremy Corbyn, MP, host the
Manor Gardens Volunteer Awards
The Pearly Kings & Queens Society for £300 in support of Manor Gardens Stroke Project
 Stallholders for generous donations totalling £210
 Islington residents for donating & raising over £1,000 purchasing Manor Gardens books, raffle tickets & bric-a-brac
 Wonderful volunteers & staff who gave their time, making the
day not only possible but a huge success!
The day was
popular among
local residents!
Visit our website manorgardenscentre.org for more photos and stories!
To become a Friend of Manor Gardens and receive this regular newsletter, please complete
the attached form & email to norma@manorgardenscentre.org. Thank you!
Manor Gardens Pre-School
Playscheme provides holiday respite for families
At Manor Gardens, we feel strongly that holiday
schemes can have a vital role to play in improving
families’ wellbeing and quality of life.
This summer, Manor Gardens Pre-School facilities
accommodated Palace For All’s Holiday Scheme,
supporting the families of 20 children with physical
and/or learning disabilities to have a few hours of
holiday respite each day.
Manor Gardens Pre-School, 2011
We look forward to supporting Palace for All’s
valuable work again, helping more Islington families to enjoy a good quality of life.
For more information about Palace for All, visit www.palaceforall.org.uk or call 020 7561 1689
Community Kitchens Team
Helping Young People Develop Life Skills
Karima’s Story
Lee’s Story
I usually get
takeaway; it’s
easy. Chicken
Chow Mein is
my favourite.
A group of young people gain cooking skills
Lee, 18, is a young care leaver living in a hostel in Islington. Lee wanted to gain the right life skills to live
independently and, after a conversation with his social worker, took part in several Life Skills sessions.
6
months
later
A group learn about use-by and sell-by dates
At 17, Karima is both a refugee and a young
care leaver. Karima was hoping to gain her
first qualification. She chose Community Kitchen’s Food Safety and First Aid courses.
Lee is confident cooking healthy Chicken Chow
Mein from scratch and is saving money!
Karima is proud to have gained her first two
qualifications: Levels 1 & 2 in Food Safety!
Community Kitchens courses are helping young people to develop life skills and confidence.
For more info, contact Gabriel on 0207 561 5281 or Gabriel@manorgardenscentre.org