| It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the centre has certainly been a hive of activity! November has been busy. Our remembrance Sunday Lunch on the 10th of November was incredibly well attended, with over 30 diners crossing the threshold. Diners were treated to a beautiful performance from singer, Diantha, who thoughtfully chose songs to reflect the purpose of the day.  We were delighted to play host to a 90th birthday party this month, catered by our wonderful kitchen team, with service provided by our amazing volunteers. It was a blast – lots of people of all ages, and a fantastic disco! The Alice Cross were so blessed to have been nominated for a “Stars Of Teignbridge” award in the ‘Equality and Inclusion’ category. To be recognised for “going above and beyond when it comes to recruiting and supporting a diverse range of volunteers” by the community was a real honour. We thoroughly enjoyed getting dressed up and having a well deserved night out! This month the Alice Cross centre has had visits from film crews from ITV west country and BBC spotlight helping us to highlight our need for financial support from the wider community. The support and love for the centre has been flooding in since these reports, which has been so heart-warming. Our Christmas fair was a fantastic success, thanks to all the stallholders and to our wonderful volunteers. The centre looked amazing and the food was, as always, phenomenal! The day raised an incredible £1200 for the Alice Cross!  We had a fantastic time at the Teignmouth Town Council Christmas market on the 30th of November. It was a great day for us, and we were really touched by the support we received from the public who had seen our plight on the local news channels! We took home £400 from sales and donations – a record breaking amount for us at a tabletop event.  Our memory café were treated to something a little bit different this week. Promenade Promotions (Prom-Prom) Limited came along with their new project “At the Hop”, and interactive, intergenerational oral history project. Finally, please make note of our December opening hours and Christmas closures. The Centre will be closed with no classes or groups running from Monday 23rd December. We will be open on Christmas day for our big Christmas lunch. Our last meal delivery of 2024 (apart from Christmas Day) is on Monday 23rd December. We will reopen on Monday 6th January 2025 with our normal timetable of activities! Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all from everyone on the Alice Cross Team |
| Fundraising News November has been an exciting month with all the media interest from both BBC Spotlight and ITV Westcountry in what is happening at the Alice Cross Centre, and we have had a wonderful response from local people in terms of new supporters. Our give a little, help a lot campaign has really started to take flight, with a steady increasing number of subscribers pledging regular month donations. We have also received some very generous one-off contributions during November which will be a great help to us over the Christmas period. Thank you to all our supporters for your generosity! Special thanks to…..  At the Alice Cross Centre, we are constantly amazed by the generosity and kindness of our community. This month has been particularly incredible, with support flooding in from our own groups, local people, and local businesses. Our groups The Alice Cross is home to so many groups and clubs ranging from wellbeing support, to social groups, musical organisations, to arts and crafts. You name it – it’s likely represented here! This month we’d like to say a special thank you to our Grief Support group, our Monday Ladies Chat Club, and The Quilters tea party for their fundraising efforts and continued support of The Alice Cross Centre. Monday Club – is a Ladies Chat Group that meet every Monday morning at the Alice Cross. It is made up of some our longest standing volunteers, who have seen the centre through thick and thin. They are having monthly collections, and have been generously supporting our Christmas raffle by selling and buying many tickets. So far they have collected £216.10 for The Alice Cross Centre! Thank you! Our Grief Support group – A peer support bereavement group which is facilitated by a small team of Alice Cross Volunteers. They meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month. Having already successfully raised enough money to twin our toilets with toilets around the world, they have also generously collected for The Alice Cross Centre. Thank you! Thank you Grief Support! – Alice Cross Centre The Quilters Tea Party – A small group that meets here on a Tuesday, who enjoy needlework. They had a whip round and raised £50. Thank you! A heartfelt thank you to The Quilters Tea party for their generous donation – Alice Cross Centre  Local People We are really fortunate to live in an area brimming with community spirit and kindness. The warmth and generosity of the people here make it not just a place to live, but a place to truly belong. We would particularly like to pay tribute to the following local people who have gone above and beyond for us this month! Viv Wilson and Brookhouse – Many of you will know Viv through her work in the centre. Viv was once centre manager and has remained a loyal and supportive friend and volunteer. Viv recently visited Brook House in Dawlish and they had a whip round raising £57 for the Alice Cross – Thank you! Thank you Viv Wilson and Brook House! – Alice Cross Centre Teignmouth Mermaids are no strangers to this newsletter, having already raised £126 last month, they have surpassed themselves this month by bringing in a further £265. A special shout out to Jennifer Harford for selling a vintage Romanian Wool Rug and donating the proceeds of the sale (£208), and to Jon Miles for donating his “tips” from a walking tour of Teignmouth he did for the Mermaids. On top of all this the Mermaids donated a huge array of beautiful, handcrafted goods for us to sell at our Christmas Markets and which contributed to the financial success of these events. You can still grab a mermaid original from the centre by visiting the craft stall in the hall! Thank you Mermaids! Mandy Loud has been collecting sponsorship money for her sponsored bike ride which she undertook on a damp day in November. We are awaiting her total, but judging by the size of the sponsorship forms we have a feeling it will be a good one! Thank you Mandy! Local man Alan has been collecting money by dressing up and walking around town. He has raised a magnificent £78! Thank you! Alan’s Astonishing Array of Attire: A Fancy Dress Fundraiser for a Fantastic Cause! – Alice Cross Centre  Local Business It’s acts of kindness like this brilliant bake-off that enforces to us how fortunate are we to call Teignmouth home! Local solicitors firm -Tozers – cooked up a treat last week and raised £110 in the process. Thank you! Tozers’ Solicitors Serve Up Sweet Success with Bake-Off! – Alice Cross Centre Free Will service from Tozers Solicitors The idea of forward planning for our death is far from our minds when we are healthy and leading full lives. Most of us don’t think about death until there is a threat, either to ourselves or to those we love. Nobody knows when they will die but it will happen either expectedly or suddenly. So often people die without giving any guidance as to their wishes, so that those left behind are left wondering what the deceased would have liked. Making a will is an important step forward. It gives mourners an opportunity to carry out your wishes at a time when they are grieving, when making decisions can be difficult. Tozers solicitors in Teignmouth are offering a free will service in return for a donation to The Alice Cross Centre. To take this offer up you will need to call them to book an appointment. Teignmouth 2-3 Orchard Gardens TQ14 8DR Tel: 01626 772376 www.tozers.co.uk  |
| A Christmas Carol 21st December St James’ Church Doors open 6pm starts at 6.30pm FREE ENTRY Local Legend Tony Lidington will be returning in his guise as Charles Dickens to read and perform the Christmas Carol. Tony captivates his audience and really brings this timeless story to life. Entry is free but we do ask you to book your space so we can ensure everyone has a seat! This year we have partnered with St James Church and will be holding the event there. This will make it ultra special, as we will have the beautiful atmosphere of the historic church and room for many many more people! We will be selling mulled wine and minced pies to help raise funds for the centre, so please bring your wallet! Click Here to book – Christmas Carol Christmas Day Lunch 25th December 2024 12pm Are you or someone you know facing Christmas alone? Why not join us for FREE Christmas lunch at the Alice Cross? You’ll get 2 delicious courses, including a full Turkey or Nut Roast Dinner and all the trimmings, lots of other treats and goodies plus entertainment from Teignmouth’s Dolly Parton Tribute and local musician David Haines. We can pick up and drop off from anywhere in Teignmouth. Can’t make it out? Give us a call to discuss our delivery option. Register your interest by visiting: Christmas Day Dinner – Alice Cross Centre or by calling us on 01626 778039 Click Here to book – Christmas Day Lunch What is going on this month- Gentle Chair Exercise with Sheila – Is going from strength to strength. You can join the class on Monday afternoon at 2pm. The sessions are aimed at improving posture, balance and mobility. £3 per session. Zumba Gold with Peta – Every Wednesday 9.30 -10.15. First Class Free! Did you know we can help with Digital skills for those wanting to get online and use mobiles, tablets and laptops. This is free but donations are welcome! Call us on 01626 778039 to book an appointment. Our Monday Music session run weekly on a Monday from 10.30am – 12pm. Each week we are treated to live music from visiting musicians and performers. There is no fee, but we welcome donations to cover our costs, Our coffee bar is open all morning serving good quality coffee, a selection of teas and cold drinks. Lunch is served from 12pm – so do book in advance for this to avoid disappointment – 01626 778039  |
| Christmas Raffle The Alice Cross Centre is a small, independent and self-funding organisation, so your donations are always welcome to support our community work. With our give a little, help a lot scheme you can give a one off donation or make a monthly or annual donation. £2.00 pays for a dessert for a vulnerable person. £5.00 pays for a main meal for a homeless person. £10.00 pays for a place at our memory Café for people with Dementia or a Christmas Meal for somebody who would be on their own at Christmas. We welcome any donation, small or large! Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. Click here to donate to The Alice Cross Help us help others You can support The Alice Cross Centre in many ways. Click here to see how! Did you know?   We hope to see you soon! We also have many other services that run from the Centre, you may no be aware of- Massage Therapy with Gary Glanvill or Vanda Rudge. Our massage suite is on level 2 of the Centre and is now accessible by lift. Call 07966381802 for Gary or 01626 772694 for Vanda for more info. Chiropody with Jane Thomas alternative Wednesdays – Call the Alice Cross to book. Hairdresser Bea Reitmeier – Offering dry cuts to both males and females, call 07966435123 to book. Counselling from both – Wellness in mind Steven Smyth-Bonfield 07576603669 and Andrew Henderson Betterlivescounselling.co.uk 07435644250 |