2024-04-25T11:24:41+00:00
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Christmas Message to Our Members

From the Charity Director

I was reflecting on what Christmas means to a secular charity such as The Ripple Pond.

The Charity doesn't join in with Christian celebration, and we are careful not to go too overboard on upbeat “happy-happy let’s have fun” Christmas messages.

But the practical message of the “Christmas Spirit” rings true for us as a charity, and as a community. We do practice unity, generosity, kindness, and unselfish love for one another, not only at Christmas but daily the whole year round.

I see examples of this spirit every day, members supporting members, volunteers supporting members, staff supporting members and volunteers, and yes members and volunteers supporting staff!

So, I wish you and your loved ones the best Christmas possible and next year I can’t promise you any miracles, but I can guarantee support of The Ripple Pond spirit from the whole community.

I would also like to thank you all for your support. Over the last year, the charity has grown from strength to strength and the key to that success has been the ideas, energy, and faith of our members.

Thank you and Happy Christmas, from all the staff and volunteers at The Ripple Pond.

Rodger

The final new member of staff to join the team to support the Midlands Op COURAGE partnership is Sarah Parkinson.

Sarah joins us with a background of providing pastoral care to individuals who are struggling, and with a wealth of lived experience with supporting an injured Veteran. We're delighted to welcome Sarah to the team, and know already that she will be a great asset.

Vital Nutrition's Jane McClenaghan joined us live from her kitchen, to show us how to make our own healthy (and delicious!) chocolate slab and berry compote.

Members can catch up on the demo any time - just email us for the link to view - and Jane is also sharing healthy tips and advice over on her Instagram. 

We had a great time at the Christmas quiz, and thank you to all who attended - we hope that it gave you some laughs at what is a very busy time of the year.

We had such a positive response that we're looking at hosting more of these in the future, so watch this space!
We've got big plans for our talks and workshops in the New Year, and the calendar is already filling up! We don't want to overload you with all of the details just yet, so here's an outline of what we've got coming up for you next month:
Georgie Adams from Carers UK will be joining us on Thursday 12th January.

Georgie will be talking us through how to access the practical support, information and advice available through the charity's Digital Resource for Carers platform.
We'll be holding our first monthly Members' Meet Up of the New Year on Tuesday 17th January.

Join us on Zoom, for the chance to chat to other members about absolutely anything that's on your mind. As ever, there's no pressure to stay for the whole call - you can drop in any time between 8 - 9pm.

Join us on Tuesday 24th January, for an exclusive workshop on how to overcome anxiety, led by Pyschotherapist and bestselling author, Joshua Fletcher.

As a specialist in anxiety disorders, Josh has built a large and loyal following on social media - take a look at some of his informative and practical advice here.

Celebrating Forces Families Awards

Just a reminder that nominations for Celebrating Forces Families Awards 2023 are only open until 18th January, so if there's anyone (or any charity 😇) that you think deserves to be recognised, you'll need to be quick!
Find out more

SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVE SEASON

We will be closing for our Christmas break on Friday 23rd December, at 2.30pm.

Should you find yourself in need of support throughout the holidays, please don't struggle alone. Our peer support networks will be active, with members there for one another.

24/7 crisis support is available through both Samaritans and Veterans Gateway, and you can access their websites by clicking their pictures below:
We will be reopen as normal from Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
The Ripple Pond is proud to be supported by the following funders:
More about our funders
It’s down to the generosity of these funders that we’re able to continue helping the military families who need us most.
Thank you for helping us to change lives.
The Ripple Pond
Registered Charity Number 1161224 | Scottish Charity Number SC046402
 
* TRP members: unsubscribing from the newsletter will not affect your membership, and you will continue to receive necessary email updates from the team. Should you prefer not to be contacted by email at all, please change your preferences directly with the team: help@theripplepond.org or 0333 900 1028