We have so much to share with you about our recent projects and upcoming events!
Please see contents page below to find what you are looking for :)
Contents
What's been happening?
Coming up in April - June
Ongoing Services
Donations
Thanks to our donors, funders & supporters, we have received some amazing donations in the past few months, that contribute to a range of different services at The Social Action Hub!
Thank you to:
Rob Graham & Rainworth Walking Football Club, Healthy family team, Bridge bank, St Andrew's mission hall, Nicky, Sam, Molly, Louise, Sainsburys, Team Vinyl, Pat, Keith Richards, Studio 96, Ashley, Lady Hind Trust, Alistair, Melanie, Jane, Lisa, Rosie, Gillian, Anonymous, John Williams, Leanne, National Lottery, Feeding Britain, Amazon (& kimmie and the team), Lindhurst Windfarm, Tash, Peter, Diane from NCC, Harry Rayment, Heather Kipkiss, Paul Craddok, Nottinghamshire County Council-Holiday Activities & Food, Jean Schofield, Jason & Katie Williamson, The Jones Trust, Kevin, Chris from Sainsburys, Pam Bartholomew, County Enterprise Food, Thomas Farr, Hubbubs, John from Blidfest, Ravenshead & Blidworth Rotary Club
All of your brilliant contributions are greatly appreciated!
Cooking on a Budget
From November 2023 - January 2024, ATTFE delivered a free cooking course which strengthened current knowledge about cooking on a budget, or taught new skills on how to cook tasty low cost meals.
This amazing course revealed some delicious recipes, which you can find on our cooking on a budget blog post here
Support for Ukraine
Over the past few months, we have been funded by Nottinghamshire County Council to set up the 'Support for Ukraine' project. Throughout the project, we have managed to support Ukrainian individuals in gaining the training, skills, and knowledge to have the confidence to apply for work. This includes volunteering experience, CV building and interview skills, 1-2-1 focused support, confidence building activities and counselling.
This project has encouraged young people to have the independence they need to start work in the UK.
Indoor Carboot Sale
In January, we held our first every indoor carboot sale in hopes to encourage sustainability within the community and offering a place to sell old items that are no longer wanted, and purchase items at a low cost! We had a great turn out despite the cold weather, and have planned to hold more carboot sales throughout summer.
If you'd like to come to the next one, click here for the upcoming carboot poster.
February Playscheme
We had so much fun at February Playscheme getting involved in all of the amazing games & activities for Chinese new year & carnival day, pancake & Willy Wonka day, valentine's day, prehistoric day and mini ravers!
For a more in-depth session-by-session breakdown, please click here to see our Facebook Posts.
Mother's Day Raffle
For mother's day, we held a raffle with some brilliant prizes included in 3 different hampers such as soap&glory, the body shop, lush & more thanks to kind public donations combined with Amazon donations.
We managed to raise £113 to go towards emergency food parcels!
Thank you to all who contributed via donations or through purchasing a ticket!
Congratulations to the prize winners:
Hamper 1: 684 Sam
Hamper 2: 672 Ruth
Hamper 3: 577 Heather
Dunromin on The Hill - Paws Therapy Dogs
In February we had our first visit form paws therapy dogs Gunnie & Paddy.
These special pups are registered pet blood donors and therapy dogs! Paddy visited The Chatty Cafe at the end on February to provide cuddles for the attendees. Gunnie will be visiting The Chatty Cafe again at the end of March, and will be alternating every month at the end of the month.
New Social Supermarket Opening Hours
Due to increase of demand & an issue with congestion in the queue, we have decided to open from 12pm-3pm as well as 4pm-7pm on Wednesdays!
We hope this helps our service users and offers additional time to come to The Social Supermarket so the congestion can decrease and queues are shorter.
We thank you for your loyalty & support over the past few years, as I know it has been a difficult time for us in terms of donations and for our service users since we had to close on a Tuesday a few years ago. We are so thankful for the donations that we are currently receiving that make this possible.
Start Small Dream Big Programme
Over the past month, The Social Action Hub have taken part in The ‘Start Small Dream Big Programme’, which supports the research and government agenda of introducing Careers Education to Primary Schools. Futures for Business have commenced this exciting programme and have worked alongside D2N2 and the Careers Hub to deliver the Employer Encounters across the Primary Schools of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
The programme has been designed to create a range of opportunities for children to understand the world of work, raise aspirations and help to reduce stereotypes.
The Social Action Hub have been to Abbey Gates Primary School, Heathlands Primary School, Blidworth Oaks Primary School and Lake View Primary School to deliver a presentation about the work we do at The Social Action Hub. We spoke with the children about the importance of helping others, the meaning of community, and our current projects & services.
Revive - Online Charity Shop
Due to the amazing donations we have been receiving from Amazon, our very own 'Revive' online charity shop is officially open!
Download the app and sign up for some amazing charity bargains.
Order your items and collect in store!
Open Doors - Family Arts Festival 1st April
Open doors are coming to The Social Action Hub on 1st April to hold a free session exploring collaborative art, VR experience, music workshops, hands on heritage and more! Please see posters below for information on booking.
Open Doors - Palace Players
Open doors will be returning after the family arts festival to run free weekly music & movement sessions from 16th April - 7th May at 10am-11:30am. These sessions are for children aged 4 and under.
Please press here if you would like to book a session.
April Playscheme
Playscheme will be returning in April throughout the school holidays!
Take a look at the amazing sessions we have coming up in April half term! Lots of fun themes and a variety of games, activities and crafts.
We have been funded by HAF for selected days, Please click here for a more in-depth explanation and guidance for HAF funding or see HAF guidance below. HAF funded days are highlighted in purple. We are offering a discount for children with HAF codes for non-funded days for just £5 packed lunch or dinners.
If we do not receive your HAF code we can not offer a free place or a discount.
Forest school is back! We have a wonderful woodlands and a survival kit session in store. Thursday 4th April is funded by HAF and Thursday 11th is non-funded but the discount is available. LIMITED SPACED AVAILABLE!
Forest school is an alternative session to Playscheme.
Please note: there has been an alteration in price for standard bookings. Full day with packed lunch is now £10, full day with lunch provided is now £13, and morning & afternoon sessions are now £5.
Please read carefully about what booking links you need
If you are unsure which service you need, please call 01623 490498 or email info@socialactionhub.com
To make a booking, please click here to be directed to the booking services on the April Playscheme blog post
IPS Employment Specialists Drop-in Sessions
Are you looking for work but worried about your physical or mental health issues?
IPS Employment Specialists can help you!
They will be running drop-in sessions at The Social Action Hub every other Monday from 10am-1pm starting from 15th April 2024
April & May Youth Club Timetable
Youth club will be returning after April Playscheme. Sessions are for ages 5-12 and are FREE! All children have access to our Youth Community Fridge which provides young people with free food and snacks.
Blidworth Youth Club - Mondays 4:30pm-6:30pm at Blidworth Oaks Primary School
Session Dates: 15th April, 22nd April, 29th April, 13th May, 20th May
Rainworth Youth Club - Wednesdays 4:30pm-6:30pm at The Social Action Hub
Session Dates: 17th April, 24th April, 1st Mat, 8th May, 15th May, 22nd May
On Wednesday 17th April & Monday 29th April, we will be creating time capsules for youth club! Please bring any toys/letters/items that you would like us to put in the time capsule.
Spring Litter Pick - 20th April 2024
We are back with another spring litter pick around Rainworth on 20th April 2024.
Everyone is welcome!
FREE tea & coffee and pastries available to those who help out.
All equipment is provided!
Held at The Social Action Hub, Rainworth, NG21 0JR
Are you coming? Let us know!
May Carboot Sale
Following on from the great feedback from January's Indoor Carboot Sale, we have decided to continue the carboot sales all throughout summer! Our next carboot sale will be on 4th May 2024 from 10am-1pm.
Stalls available for a small donation of £5.
Please email maigan.frecknall@socialactionhub.com to book a stall.
We can provide a limited amount of tables on a first-come-first-serve basis.
£1 Entry Fee per adult.
Are you coming? Let us know!
May Walk & Talk
Walk & Talk is returning on 18th May 2024! This time, we will be taking a walk up to Strawberry Hill in Rainworth and admiring the beautiful scenery whist having a chit-chat and making new connections.
Meet at The Social Action Hub at 11am
Bring your 4-legged friends!
We will return back to The Social Action Hub for some refreshments & snacks.
Do you know someone who is isolated and doesn't get out much? Invite them! Walk & Talks aim to get people out in the community and walk to places they wouldn't usually go, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and being a platform to make new friends along the way.
Are you coming? Let us know!
The Lurcher Pub Games Night Fundraisers
The Lurcher Pub have been extremely kind in holding some upcoming games night fundraiser events to raise funds for our services at The Social Action Hub!
Games include: Sticky 13's, bingo & quizes
Games start at 7:30pm
These events will be held on the 1st Thursday of the month throughout summer:
2nd May 2024
6th June 2024
4th July 2024
1st August 2024
The Lurcher, Westbrook Drive, Rainworth, NG21 0FB
Get Into Gardening
ATTFE are back this May to run a free gardening course, for learners to explore the world of gardening and try some practical activities.
All learners also get a free gardening kit!
Sessions will be held every Wednesday from 1st May - 17th July 2024 from 10am - 1pm.
Please see information on the poster on how to book.
Get Into Gardening will be held at The Social Action Hub, Kirklington Road, Rainworth, NG21 0JR
June Carboot Sale
After May's Carboot, the next one will be on 1st June 2024.
Stalls available for a small donation of £5.
Please email maigan.frecknall@socialactionhub.com to book a stall.
We can provide a limited amount of tables on a first-come-first-serve basis.
£1 Entry Fee per adult.
Are you coming? Let us know!
Check our Facebook - the event may not have been created at the time of posting this newsletter.
Father's Day Raffle
We will be holding a raffle for Father's day this year, with some amazing prizes to be won including smart watches, Stags tickets and more! Raffle tickets are £1 and funds raised will contribute to emergency food parcels and FoodShare.
We are accepting donations!
More information is yet to be confirmed.
June & July Youth Club 2024
Youth Club sessions will continue in June & July. Sessions are for ages 5-12 and are FREE! All children have access to our Youth Community Fridge which provides young people with free food and snacks.
Blidworth Youth Club - Mondays 4:30pm-6:30pm at Blidworth Oaks Primary School
Session Dates: 3rd June, 10th June, 17th June, 24th June, 1st July, 8th July, 15th July, 22nd July
Rainworth Youth Club - Wednesdays 4:30pm-6:30pm at The Social Action Hub
Session Date: 5th June, 12th June, 19th June, 26th June, 3rd July, 10th July, 17th July, 24th July
At the time of this Newsletter, we have not released the timetable for June & July Youth Club. Please check our Facebook for updates.
The Chatty Cafe
Every Thursday during term time, the community gather for a free cuppa and a chat at The Chatty Cafe from 10am-12pm.
The Chatty Cafe aims to reduce loneliness and food waste.
Everyone is welcome!
Please note: The Chatty Cafe is closed throughout the school holidays ad will re-open on Thursday 18th April
"A simple conversation can make someone go from feeling invisible to visible"
The Social Supermarket
The Social Supermarket is a donation-based low cost food club open to everyone (no eligibility requirements), that tackles food poverty & prevents food waste.
It is £1 to become a member and you can chose between a £4.50 or a £6 basket.
A £6 shop is equivalent to £45 in Aldi (price matched Jan 2023), and provides food from a range of supermarkets such as M&S, Tesco, CO-OP, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsburrys, Nando's, KFC, and more!
How do I join?
Just come to The Social Supermarket and fill out a membership form, then you can shop and choose the items you would like!
Opening Hours: Monday 10am-2pm, Wednesday 12pm-3pm & 4pm-7pm, Thursday 10am-2pm
To see what's in store, and for general information/updates, join our Facebook Group
Please note: We are closed for the bank holiday on Monday 1st April, and will return on Wednesday 3rd April
Youth Community Fridge
The Youth Community Fridge is a free service for young people accessing our Over 12's or Under 12's Youth Club that provides food & snacks, which can be accessed at any time during their youth club session.
The YCF provides food from a range of supermarkets such as M&S, Tesco, CO-OP, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsburrys, Nando's, KFC, and more!
Food includes sandwiches, pasta pots, wraps, ingredients for cooking, fresh fruit & vegetables and tasty pastries & treats.
The Youth Community Fridge co-insides with cooking activities within youth club sessions
Under 12's Youth Club & Playscheme
Youth Club
Youth Club sessions run every Monday & Wednesday during term time, providing children from ages 5-12 with FREE fun & educational themed sessions including different games, arts & crafts and activities every session.
Blidworth Youth Club: Mondays 4:30pm-6:30pm at Blidworth Oaks Primary School, FREE
Rainworth Youth Club: Wednesdays 4:30pm-4:30pm at The Social Action Hub, FREE
Playscheme
Youth-club-style sessions that run from 10am-3pm throughout the school holidays!
£13 All day with lunch provided
£10 All day with packed lunch
£5 Half a day
Free & discounted places for children in receipt of benefit related free school meals (or an EHCP) can be offered where funding is available
To see all upcoming timetables, pictures of previous Youth Club & Playscheme sessions, and general information & updates please click here and follow our Facebook page.
Forest School
On Thursdays during the school holidays, we offer an alternative option to go to Forest School.
What is Forest School?
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth. It is a program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.
Would you like to take a look at upcoming sessions? Click here to find out more.
Over 12's Youth Club
Over 12's Youth Club offers a fun, welcoming and safe environment for young people to have the choice of socialising with friend & playing games, relaxing, accessing 1-2-1 support, and/or participating in youth board projects for the community.
Lots of provision available such as football, movies, discos, cooking sessions, trips, pool, and more!
We have an open door policy, come and go as you please!
C-CARD
C-CARD registration, sexual health and relationship advice available during over 12's sessions. C-CARD Pick ups at any time.
To see what our over 12's have been up to, or for any more information/updates please click here and follow our Facebook Page.
DIY Party Packages
Did you know we hire our building & bouncy castle for parties?
We are offering silver or gold packages with additional 'extras' as a part of a DIY party. Please see poster below for a breakdown of what is included in each package.
£50 Refundable breakage deposit required.
Please note: Bouncy Castle is weather dependable and will not operate in wet weather.
Room Hire
We offer room hire for the whole building or just a room (well-being room, pictures are below) for multi-use purposes. Hires can be throughout the week or at the weekend - if the hire falls on a week day, then this would have to work around our current projects & services and would have staff present in the building during these times (however would not interfere with the hire)
Room Hire Rates: £15 per hour / £10 per hour for charity & good causes
£5 extra for kitchen use
If you are looking to hire, please email info@socialactionhub.com or call 01623 490498 to see availability.
Too Good To Waste - Pop Up Shop
On selected Fridays when we have excess food from The Social Supermarket (usually fruit & veg and bread & pastries), we hold a pop up shop.
It is £1 for as much as you like
Available from 9am - 11am
This service is a part of our FoodShare scheme, tackling food poverty and preventing food waste. We try to make all of our food go further, as it is 'too good to waste'!
As the pop up shop is only available on selected days, please join our Facebook Group for updates.
Animal Food Bin
To make our food go even further, we put all of the food no longer fit for human consumption in our 'animal food bins'.
The bins are clearly labelled with their contents 'Bread & Pastries' and 'Fruit & Vegetables'.
Anyone is free to collect food from the animal food bins at the collection times:
Monday - Friday 9am-4pm
The bins are located outside of The Social Supermarket in front of the grey gates.
Counselling Support
We have FREE counselling sessions available on Thursday evenings & Saturday days for a 50 minute slot.
Our counsellor Paul Ainger can support you through up to 12 weeks of sessions. If you'd like to know more about what Paul specialises in, please click here.
If you'd like to make a referral, here's the referral form.
Volunteering
We have a range of volunteering opportunities available to suit everyone's needs and availability. Roles can be in support of D of E, Work experience, or general volunteering. You could volunteer in areas such as:
The Chatty Cafe
The Social Supermarket - store assistant
The Social Supermarket - food collector
Youth Club & Playscheme
Community Events (litter picks, carboot sales, fundraising events)
Admin Support
To find out more about the requirements and responsibilities for each role, please contact info@socialactionhub.com or call 01623 490498 to have a discussion.
We are flexible, and will be able to find something that suits you!
Thank you for reading!
Our next newsletter will be the 'Summer Newsletter' which will be posted at the end of June :)