Edith's Poem...

We are digging up the soil
To see what we can get to boil;
When we sow the golden grain
We depend upon the rain.

First the seeds will grow the trees,
Then the trees will make the leaves,
Then the flowers up will shoot,
And we'll get the precious fruit.

The sunshine and the rain
Will ripen the golden grain
And soon we'll start to reap
And gather them in heaps.

And when the harvest is past
We can all rest at last
To enjoy the work of our hand
And the fruit from our land.

Edith and Mo
Calandar Women - 2012

Autumn 2011

THE LAST SIX MONTHS

Welcome to our newsletter. The last six months have been a busy time for all of us and we've achieved a great deal.

Here are some highlights...

At the Reading Women’s Centre, one of the women, Edith, wrote her first poem in Sarah de Nordwall's writing workshop, part of the Hidden Talents project. It was a great step forward for Edith, who had never done anything like it before. Her poem can be seen on the left hand column of this page.

The Women’s Centre ladies enjoyed card making and hand massaging with Margaret Forrest who said it seemed that the ladies with the most problems had the largest hands. Many of the women are not normally touched and are not used to physical contact.

Hayley Cornwell and Jane Turner have been running drama workshops at the Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre. It all follows on from the work Pilgrim Hearts did there last year. Those who take part are encouraged to dig deep into their lives and find hidden treasure through Drama. It has opened them up to new experiences. Hayley was encouraged by their welcome "I'm so amazed at the enthusiasm and openness we were welcomed with at CIRDIC after the Pilgrim Hearts project last year" she said "many remembered the project. 18 months on and the work that was done in the 'Voice for the Voiceless' project has certainly not been forgotten".

We worked with Bottle Top, the social enterprise which is mentoring people on the edge of society; helping them get back into work. We plan to run a series of 8 week Theatre training courses designed to enhance the social and life skills of those taking part. It's hoped that we will be doing a lot more with Bottle Top soon.

We helped P.H. artist Anne House with her exhibition near Bedford and we will help her find venues in Reading and London.

CALANDAR WOMEN - 2012

Reading Women's Centre had a great year working with Pilgrim Hearts so they've compiled a new 2012 calendar.

Pictures for the calendar were taken by the women who came to photography workshops run by David Chalmers-Brown.

The ladies also gained some useful computer skills. The women enjoyed a trip to the London 2010 rowing venue at Dorney Lake for a picnic and photo opportunities; many good photos were taken.

They were then able to compile the calendar using Photoshop and the computer skills they learnt from Rosemary Knight.

We are now looking for an exhibition space so we can show off these pictures. You can order your copy of the calendar now from Pilgrim Hearts or direct from the Women’s Centre.

EXCITING NEW PROJECTS COMING UP

Looking to the future – there are plans for a filming project with 16 - 24 year olds at The Foyer in Slough so we are looking for £5k of funding. The idea is to show them how to make films. This will increase their self esteem as they work in a team to produce a finished product. The Foyer, on the Stoke Road in Slough, offers accommodation for young people who are single and homeless, many are vulnerable adults who have been in care, broken homes or had drug and alcohol problems.

In Reading, we've joined a consortium of charities and statutory bodies to bid for up to £50k of funding from the Community Action against Crime Fund for a proposed project aimed at giving young people the life skills they need to stop their dependency on crime, drugs and alcohol. Elaine Chalmers-Brown says this could become a significant project for Pilgrim Hearts. It will be delivered through community engagement with the intended benefit for both clients and community through activities such as local area clean-ups, small environmental improvements, painting a community hall, general park maintenance jobs and the development of art and drama/street theatre.

Looking further into the future we are looking at the possibility of working in Bulgaria. This follows on from some filming we did with Clive Robertson of Real Time at a Bulgarian orphanage. Clive owns a house in Bulgaria and we may link up with a Film festival near his house.

WAYS TO FIND FUNDING

It's amazing how many ways money can be raised for Pilgrim Hearts. We are a charity registered on eBay so we get a percentage of what our supporters sell on that website. Do give it a try, it's a great way to support us! Go to www.ebay.co.uk and look for "eBay for Charity". We’re also hoping for help from The Berkshire Community Foundation; we have applied to them for funding. The Warfield Fete donated £400 and Warfield Parish Council gave £250 and we are grateful for their continued support which helps with core funding. Slough Borough Council donated £200. The Windsor MP, Adam Afriyie, has been encouraging. He met with us to explore ways Pilgrim Hearts could be more involved with "The Big Society" and access more funding.

JOIN THE PILGRIM HEARTS TEAM

COULD YOU BE A TRUSTEE? Pilgrim Hearts needs new trustees. If you are keen to be pro-active in the performing arts we would like to hear from you.

OR CAN YOU DO ADMIN? Our excellent administrator, Sally Bailey has gone to Bristol to start her training to be a vicar. We are looking for someone to take on some of the administration duties for Pilgrim Hearts, one day a week. The work will involve running the office, keeping the website up to date and keeping us in touch with supporters and members.

Contact Elaine or David Chalmers-Brown if you’re interested in either of these posts.

NEWS

Autumn News letter

The last six months have been a busy time for all of us and we have achieved a great deal..

Pilgrim Hearts and CIRWC start a new project

This project extends our work with women attending the day centre.

As part of this project a website will be set up and run by the volunteers for CIRWC. The course will provide encouragement and develop the necessary skills required to run such a website.

This project will be of assistance to many women of all ages and backgrounds using big or small contributions and working as a team to achieve something worthwhile and enjoyable. This we see as a key to healing and increased self reliance enabling them to regain their rightful place in society.