VIDEO: Better Together comp 2011

In this video, Ger Murphy, our intrepid reporter, asks Anne Ferris TD an interesting question...

You can vote for our video in the Better Together Competition from Oct. 4th. You can vote once per day. Thanks for your support.

Click HERE to vote.

VIDEO: Garden Team - Respite Break - Carlingford Lough

A great video with the highlights of their trip last week in Carlingford and using the adventure centre up there.

Visit to the Dail

The Sunbeam House Service-User Forum was invited by Deputy Anne Ferris to visit her in the Dail and take a tour of the buildings.

After passing security, we went straight upstairs to the viewing gallery and listened to some of the T.D.'s debating which was interesting. Then the guided tour began, plenty of pretty paintings of previous leaders and lavish interiors.

Afterwards we chatted with Anne in the Dail bar and had a sneaky pint....fizzy drink. Michael D Higgins turned up and we had a photo opportunity. A very interesting day indeed.

Garden Team - August

August was another busy month in TGT, we were closed for the first week of august and on our return we had to cope with a back-log of long grass and long hedges. We did however manage to have some fun, this month we supported a new type of respite activity based on requests from service users to have time away from their homes.

Staff were on call, but the activity was planned and facilitated by the people themselves which was a big success and hopefully many more will follow. Some of the ladies showed an interest in make-up classes so we were visited by Louise Mooney a professional make up artist and we look forward to her return visit in sept.

We also joined the Delgany and district Horticultural society and showed some of our produce in the competition on Saturday past, we got 2nd and 3rd in 2 classes which was not bad at all for a first attempt. So, thats pretty much it for this month and we look forward to the months to come.

NOMnomNOMnomNOM

Bray Tidy Towns are running a family fun day in the Little Flower Hall from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday 24^th September.

They are looking for cakes for their cake stand so if any service users, staff or units would like to donate a cake or something else that is baked and delicious please let me know and I promise I won’t eat them.

Some of our clients are valued volunteers with Bray Tidy Towns so it would be great if their units could support them to contribute.

Contact Mick on 0866001031.

Thanks.

POEM: 'HOPE IN OUR LIFE' by Patrick Power

AS I lay on my bed
I think of the love of our life
A simple word of thanks
Can say so many things
To show how I appreciate
The Joy that someone brings
we stop and think of our loved ones in our life
We can pray for our Mother and Father
DAY BY DAY I ASK JESUS
TO COME INTO MY HEART
TO SHOW ME HIS LOVE IN MY LIFE
MAY LORD BLESS THE PEOPLE THAT READ
THE Poem

by Patrick Power

National Day of Volunteering 2011

Friday the 30^th of September is National Day of Volunteering so why not celebrate 2011 European Year of Volunteering by making your mark and getting staff and service users to contribute their time and efforts to a once off project on this date. I am sure that there are a lot of causes/charities close to people’s hearts so why not engage in something fun so as to raise funds and awareness for these special causes.

Please let me know of any plans and I can get the Wicklow Volunteer Centre involved also so that we may be able to involve other members of the community and/or get some recognition for all efforts made by SHS volunteers.

Mick Teehan,

Volunteer Co-Ordinator.

086-6001031.

ART AT ELAVON

Congratulations to all the artists that displayed their work last week at the art exhibition in association with Elavon.

Believe it or not, every single painting sold and a total of €600 was made.

Many thanks to all involved and thanks to Elavon for their continued support and close ties with Sunbeam House.

New Shop for Christmas in Arklow

Connect are opening a Christmas shop for one week during December to display and sell any arts and crafts which our service users have worked on through the year in Connect on a self employment basis. We would welcome any other service user who has also worked on something a long these lines to come and join in.

I know its only September however this gives any other service user the chance to develop something for December should they want to get involved.

The shop is situated in Arklow and is on the main street which is a great way to promote integration and bring talented service users together with similar interests

Difference Days and Sunbeam on RTE Radio Today

Following on from the fantastic work that Hostelworld.com and Difference Days did with Sunbeam last Friday, Denis O'Reilly from Difference Days will feature at 3pm on Mooney Goes Wild radio show on RTE.

Sarah Behan from SHS will also feature.

Before and After

And this isn't half of the work that Hostelworld.com have done today!...

Hostelworld.com come to Sunbeam

The lads and ladies from Hostelworld.com, in association with DifferenceDays.ie, are in Sunbeam right now making a whole lotta noise and building a decking area, a basketball court and preparing a room to be a gym.

Tough work and theyre doing a fantastic job. Lots of smiles. A really decent bunch of people.

More photos at the end of the day and a small video of events next week.