July Update

Firstly, we want to say a huge thank you to our partners and supporters. Without their help, we may not have been able to continue this incredible friendship group. A special shout-out goes to Stones in the Community, and especially to Julie, for her enthusiasm and willingness to dive in and help us out. We’re also sincerely grateful to the Cobtree Charity Trust and the Gallagher Group for their financial support and faith in us.

Mark your calendars! On September 1, we’ll be celebrating our first anniversary as a Community Interest Company, and we’ll be throwing a couple of birthday events to commemorate this milestone. We’d also like to mention Jamie Bunce, who, while often working behind the scenes, plays a key role in everything we do. We would be totally lost without him!

We’ve been busy organising our regular activities through to the end of the year. Keep in mind, we may occasionally need to add extra dates or make some changes, but this should give you a good idea of what we have to look forward to and we’ll be sure to keep you posted on any updates.

Even on days when we don’t have events, we’re hard at work with admin tasks, searching for funding opportunities, and planning. Most importantly though, we’re visiting those in our group who might not be feeling so well, in hospital or just need a bit of extra support. However, please note that starting in June, neither of us will be available on Fridays for events, but Wendy will have her phone on for any emergencies.

Most of our events, you’ll need to book with either of us with the exception of Freddie’s Friends at Frédéric Bistro, Chit n’ Chatter at the Early Bird, and Stones Cuppa & Chat, those are just drop-ins.

A big thank you to those of you who offer lifts to members without transport. We’ve recently applied for some funding that should help us cover additional transport costs for taxis, so fingers crossed!

If you’re not part of our WhatsApp group, please let us know. It’s the quickest way for us to reach you if we need to change anything at the last minute, and it really helps us out.

If you have any questions or suggestions for Circle of Friends, we’d love to hear them. After all, this is YOUR group!

Take care and see you at our next event!

Wendy and Di