September News
Gail’s Gossip
Hi there! I really do hope you are well and have had a good Summer.
It’s not over yet and we may well have some lovely warm days to enjoy in September.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent cards and well wishes for my birthday! I had a brilliant birthday celebrating with all my befriended friends and family, being another year older is not so painful.
We have such a lot to share with you this month so put the kettle on, make yourself comfy and have a good read of our newsletter.
Befriended Bus Trip
What a great day we had going to see the Sound of Music together despite the weather being so awful. 50 of us enjoyed an adventurous ride in a double decker bus to Chichester via Arundel. We were grateful to a very kind group of people from Arundel Baptist Church who provided tables, chairs and served us refreshments while we enjoyed our picnic lunch. One of the many messages of thanks:-“Hello, I just wanted to thank you for the enjoyable outing to Chichester Theatre. My mum, Felicity, and I had a great time. All the extra thoughts that had gone into the trip- the bottles of water, chocolate biscuits and the lunch stop at Arundel. We made a new friend on the coach trip, invited her to sit with us in the theatre and had a lot of laughs. Thank you to the volunteers and especially to you Gail for your bundles of energy, warmth and enthusiasm and your skill in making every single person feel special and noticed. We have been telling everyone since what a great place it is to join. On top of all that the Musical
Befriended Community Choir
STARTS ON SEPTEMBER 12TH. 10am – 12pm
Come and join us on Tuesday mornings for a great time of singing, friendship, laughter and fun together. Singing is so good for you physiologically, emotionally, spiritually, physically and socially. There is so much evidence to prove the benefits of singing and being part of a choir
1. It relieves stress and tension
2. It reduces feelings of loneliness
3. It improves confidence
4. It creates positive mindfulness
5. It builds a strong sense of community and social inclusion
6. It increases self-efficacy
7. It strengthens the immune system
8. It improves breathing
9. It is an aerobic activity and increases over all health
10. It helps you to relax
11. It can help to reduce pain
All are welcome – see you there!
Befriended Bereavement Support
The Bereavement Journey Course
The bereavement journey course is a 6-week course aimed at supporting those going through grief, loss and or bereavement. 16 people attended the last course during June and July and they all said that they found it very beneficial
“I came on the first week very nervous and without any hope, I have made some special friends who have turned my life around, I have found joy and hope” P
“Such kind people who listened, cared and supported me through the hardest weeks of bereavement” C
“The course is excellent, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. You can’t bring them back, but you can learn how to do life in a new way” B
The next Bereavement Journey course starts on the 18th October in Hurstpierpoint.
10am – 12pm. If you would like to attend, please either sign up using this link https://thepoint.churchsuite.com/events/ybafueoc
or call 0300 7727703
NEW !!!! Befriended Bereavement Cafe
Bereavement covers all kinds of loss and trauma we experience in life, and it is at these times we may just need someone to talk to who will listen. In response to feedback from previous courses, befriended launches The Bereavement Café on the first Thursday of every month starting in October at two different venues – 10am – 12pm Court Bushes, Hurstpierpoint and 2-4pm at The Mustard Seed Café, St Edwards Church, Burgess Hill.
The café will be a safe place for you to pop in, have a cuppa and a chat with friendly people who have experienced loss, grief, or bereavement.
It will also be a place where you can gather information about planning a funeral, solicitors, will writing, power of attorney as well as other issues around death and dying.
Alpha
Another response we had from the Bereavement Course was enquiries about the Alpha Course. For those who do not know what the Alpha course is… it is a 8 week course where you can ask questions about the Christian faith. The evening starts with a meal, includes a video followed by a discussion group. If you would like to attend the Alpha course, the introduction evening is on Thursday 28th September at Court Bushes, Hurstpierpoint. The following weeks will be held at the Millars home in Hurstpierpoint. 7.15 – 9.15 pm. Please do get in touch with us if you would like to come or want to know more.
Befriended Balance
It seems so long ago since we had our end of term balance party in July when we enjoyed some new exercises followed by a cream tea. (naughty but nice). We are very much looking forward to getting back into the swing of our weekly exercise class on Wednesday afternoons at 1.30pm at the Methodist Church in Hurstpierpoint. If you have not been before you would be very welcome to come and join in. It is a wonderful class led by Helen, full of variety, great music, with balance, stamina and strengthening exercises. Come and get moving with us
