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| Latest News |
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| Mobility Cuts – DLA Victory Confirmed |
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| Martha Trust has applauded news that the Government will no longer be removing the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance. |
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| In a move that would have affected some 80,000 disabled people in residential care, Martha Trust estimated that the cuts could cost the charity nearly £60,000 a year. |
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| George White, Chief Executive of Martha Trust is absolutely delighted with developments: “We believe that all disabled people, no matter how profound their disability, should be able to lead fulfilling lives and take an active role in the community. |
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| “Removing the resources to make this happen would have denied people their independence and made many prisoners in their own homes.” |
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| George added: “Cutting the mobility allowance would have meant the most vulnerable members of our society making a huge sacrifice for a relatively small amount of money. Fortunately, the Government has recognised that this was simply too high a price to pay.” |
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| Glenda Roberts has become the new Home Care Manager for Martha House and Frances House in Deal. |
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| Previously a Deputy Director of Nursing at a residential, nursing and dementia care centre in Clapham, Glenda moved to Kent for the sea air and to find space for her animals. |
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| When she first visited Martha, Glenda knew immediately that this was the right role for her: “I felt a sense of family and love at Martha that is so rarely found in a residential setting.” |
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| Five weeks in and Glenda has been made to feel like one of the family: “I’ve been so impressed by the considerate and sensitive nature of the staff and the enjoyment expressed in response by the residents. I’m eager to use my skills and experience to support the current good practice at Martha and to improve standards even further.” |
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| Glenda is currently working towards an MSc in Dementia Studies. |
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A New Dawn
George White is to become the new Chief Executive of Martha Trust
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| George White will be joining Martha Trust from the Ladywell Retreat Centre in Surrey, where he oversaw a large estate, a care home for elderly religious sisters and a retreat centre. As a committed Christian, George also chairs one of the churches commissions safeguarding Children and vulnerable Adults in London/Midlands. |
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| “Becoming Chief Executive of Martha Trust is an opportunity to be part of a truly remarkable organisation. I’ve been privileged to meet a number of staff and residents already, and the love and high regard they all have for Martha is inspiring. I am passionate about giving the best care possible to residents and am very excited about being part of Martha. |
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| George White |
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| “I’m really looking forward to making my own contribution to this outstanding work and to getting to know properly the people who make Martha such a wonderful place to live and work.” |
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| George officially joins Martha on 10th October. |
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Donald comes up trumps!
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On Saturday 18 June, Donald Gordon set out on a 14 mile sponsored bike ride to raise funds for Martha Trust.
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Donald joined Martha Trust in 2007, initially as a Support Worker before becoming a Domestic Assistant in 2009. The round trip from Mary House in Hastings to Brede took nearly an hour and raised £123 for Martha.
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Our thanks to Donald and to co-worker Joy who was on hand to take the photos. If you’d like to find out more about how you could raise money for Martha then give our fundraising team a call on 01304 610448.
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| Donald Gordon |
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| Remember a Charity |
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Martha Trust is supporting this year’s Remember a Charity week from 12 – 18 September.
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| To find out more visit: rememberacharity.org.uk |
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Graham Simmons, Chief Executive of Martha Trust for 15 years, has decided to hand over the baton
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| Graham Simmons, who joined Martha Trust as its Chief Executive in 1996, is leaving to take up new challenges with a Manchester-based charity. |
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| “This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me and above all else, I will miss the very special people we care for and the uniquely dedicated staff team we have – there is none better. |
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| “But Martha now needs to move on to the next stage in its development, and a new Chief Executive will bring the energy and fresh thinking needed for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. |
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| Paul Morgan, Chairman of Martha Trust, has paid tribute to Graham’s leadership: “Graham has had a tremendous impact on Martha over the last 15 years. His love and passion for our residents, our staff and our mission has been abundantly clear each and every day. |
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| Graham Simmons |
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| “Graham has overseen significant changes at Martha which have improved our ability to serve and care for many more people. He leaves us in a strong position as we look to a new Chief Executive to continue the mission of Martha Trust.” |
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| Action Planning, leading charity fundraising, management and recruitment consultants are helping Martha in their search for a new CEO. They will be looking for someone with a genuine passion for the cause, along with drive, commitment, tenacity, resilience and integrity. |
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| To find out more about this exciting role or to download an application form visit the Action Planning website or email Anna Eggleton at Action Planning. |
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| Martha Trust Fashion Show a runway success |
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| We raised nearly £6,500 so a huge thanks to everyone who took part. |
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| Over 100 people joined us on 28 March for our evening of fun and fashion. Travelling Trends organised a spectacular fashion show with some jaw-dropping bargains and they donated a percentage of everything sold on the night to Martha. |
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| In fact just about everything was donated including the free drinks on arrival courtesy of Waitrose in Ramsgate with contributions from Millards Insurance Services, Sandwich and Tesco, Manston. |
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| The wonderful volunteer models had their hair and make-up done by students from Thanet College and Bar Code Mobile Bars supplied the drinks including a specially designed blue Martha Trust cocktail and they, too donated a proportion of their total sales to Martha. The entire evening was captured by Alan Langley of Dover Design Photography, and all the raffle and silent auction prizes were donated by local companies from in and around Sandwich. |
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| Photo: Alan Langley, Dover Design Photography |
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The evening was also very generously supported by Basepoint, Folkestone and Barclays Bank plc. |
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So our thanks go to everyone mentioned and in particular, to the 111 people who turned up on the night and made the evening such a huge success. |
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| Mobility cuts: the fight goes on |
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| Martha Trust has joined 39 leading disability charities to back a new report - DLA mobility: sorting the facts from the fiction. |
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| The report aims to address each of the arguments put forward by Government to justify the removal of the mobility component of the DLA for people living in residential care. It also seeks to remove confusion around responsibility for meeting personal mobility needs and clarify the purpose of DLA/PIP mobility. |
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| 'DLA mobility: sorting the facts from the fiction' is available to download in full from the Mencap website. |
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| Government 'softens' on mobility allowance reforms |
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| The Government has pushed back its plans to cut the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance to 2013 in the Welfare Reform Bill, published on Friday. |
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| Until then, consultation will continue on the proposals against a commitment from Government that the mobility needs of people in residential care homes will be met. |
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| The announcement follows extensive campaigning from disabled people and disability groups across the UK including Martha Trust. Martha Trust cares for people with profound physical and multiple learning disabilities at homes in Kent and Sussex. |
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| Martha Trust Chief Executive, Graham Simmons has welcomed the announcement: “These proposals would have affected around 80,000 disabled people in this country. For many, it would have meant an end to their independence and made them prisoners in their homes. |
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| “The mobility allowance ensures that disabled people enjoy the same, everyday freedoms that the rest of us take for granted, such as shopping, visits to see family and friends, even trips to the doctors or dentist. |
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| “It’s extremely encouraging that the Government has listened to our concerns and is prepared to consult further on these reforms before making a final decision. We cannot move forward as a society at the expense of our most vulnerable members.” |
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| For more information contact Julie Gayler on 01304 626921 or email her here> |
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Don’t Limit Mobility
Help support the Campaign Against Government Cuts |
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| 2010 was a year of immense change politically. We’re now seeing the fallout of those changes with cuts to public expenditure announced in the Spending Review that will have far-reaching effects on Martha and our residents. |
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| Included in these cuts is the scrapping of the mobility component of the Disabled Living Allowance. The Government is arguing that travel for people in residential care is already covered in their care package but this is simply not the case. Essentially, the Government is sacrificing the independence of some 80,000 of society’s most vulnerable people in return for a punitive financial saving. |
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| Martha is one of 27 organisations behind the report ‘Don’t limit mobility’ which highlights the impact these cuts will have on people’s lives. The report has been submitted to MPs and Martha has written separately to those involved urging them to reconsider. |
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| We’ll continue to campaign against these cuts and would ask you to support us by writing to your own MPs. |
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| Downloaded our template letter here > |
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| Local businesses fashion fundraiser for Martha |
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Sarah Smith and Sarah Tyman from Barclays Bank, Sandwich.
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Lorraine May, Centre Manager at Basepoint, Folkestone. |
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| Basepoint, Folkestone and the Sandwich branch of Barclays Bank Plc are stepping up to the catwalk in aid of Martha Trust’s evening of Fun and Fashion. |
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| Lorraine May, Centre Manager at Basepoint, Folkestone will be joining our team of models to show off the very latest high street fashions, while Sarah Smith and Sarah Tyman from Barclays will be selling raffle tickets and running the evening’s silent auction. |
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| Prizes for the raffle include day trips on P&O Ferries, vouchers from Flower Power in Sandwich and the Coach and Horses in Hacklinge, and a sandwich themed sweet hamper from Lawfords Sweet Shop, also in Sandwich. |
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In addition to the support of its staff, Basepoint will be match funding every penny raised on the night and contributing £250 towards refreshments, while Barclays will be matching the money specifically raised by its staff up to maximum of £750.
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| Martha’s Fashion Show is taking place on Monday 28 March from 6.30pm at the Guildhall in Sandwich. All the money raised will go towards our work, including a percentage of everything sold. Tickets, priced just £10, are available from Carol on 01304 610338 or email carolbaalham@marthatrust.org.uk |
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| Christmas collections presented by Rotary Club of Westgate |
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| The Rotary Club of Westgate and Birchington have handed over a cheque to Martha for £750 raised during their Christmas street collections. Pictured are Dee Murphy from Martha, Rotary Club President John Hawkins, and Richard O’Sullivan, organiser of the collections. |
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Photo: Roger Hobcraft
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| Coach & Horses quiz nights |
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| For the past six months the Coach & Horses in Hacklinge, Deal has been holding a quiz night in aid of Martha Trust. |
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| The pub is just a stone’s throw from our two homes in Deal so, on 1 March, we thought we’d enter a team. We barely managed to hold our own in the quiz but on the plus side, we were handed a cheque for all the money raised so far totalling £700. |
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| Thanks to all the staff and quiz participants at the Coach and Horses for their generous support. |
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| Thanet Male Voice Choir present cheque to Martha Trust |
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| Bob Hilditch, Chairman of the Thanet Male Voice Choir, paid a visit to our homes in Deal recently along with colleagues Fred Piggott, Secretary, Roger Palmer Assistant Secretary, Frank Dean Committee Member, Richard Aslet Publicity and Tony Richards Assistant Musical Director. |
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| The Choir and their guests, the Cinque Ports Brass Ensemble, along with some hardy members of the audience, braved temperatures of minus 11 degrees for their Christmas Concert in aid of Martha Trust. The evening was sponsored by Weemix Concrete (Sturry), W S Cole (Minster), Miles and Barr Lettings (Ramsgate), and Crusties Bakery (Broadstairs) and raised a fantastic £560 towards our work. |
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| Our thanks to all concerned for such a wonderful donation and concert. |
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Photo: The East Kent Mercury and Paul Amos
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Eat, drink and be generous
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| Members of the Meet, Eat and Drink Club dress down for their annual fundraiser. |
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| The Meet, Eat and Drink Club (MED) held its an annual Charity Dinner and Dance in aid of Martha Trust and CHASE, Hospice Care for Children. |
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| Under the banner ‘Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales’, the Pavilion in Broadstairs played host to fairy tale greats such as Hansel and Gretal, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland. |
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| Alongside a fantastic evening, the group raised £3,500 for their chosen charities and at the MED Club Christmas Dinner, Martha’s Julie Gayler was presented with a cheque for £1,750. |
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| Our heartfelt thanks go to all the people and companies involved raising such an incredible amount. |
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British Gypsum, Robertsbridge has selected Martha Trust
as its Charity of the Year. |
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| The partnership got underway over Christmas with a coffee morning and a festive raffle, and one team of staff has gamely embarked on a sponsored slim. |
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| As an added bonus, the company has just achieved a Zero rating for injuries requiring medical treatment and Martha is one of three charities set to benefit from a one-off payment made in recognition of this. |
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| Julie Gayler, Fundraising & Communications Manager at Martha is delighted to have been nominated Charity of the Year: “This is a great opportunity for Martha Trust. British Gypsum, Robertsbridge, and its staff are extremely generous and creative in their fundraising and we hope that this will be the start of a long-term partnership for the two organisations.” |
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| Visit the British Gypsum, Robertsbridge web site here > |
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Calling ‘time’ on Martha collection
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| For the past couple of years, the Five Bells Pub in Eastry, Kent has been collecting donations in a giant whisky jar on behalf of Martha Trust. Two weeks ago, landlady Mary Franks called to tell us that the jar was finally full – their generous customers having donated over £220. |
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| The collection was started before Mary took over as landlady. And despite the fact that, at that point, there were just enough coins to cover the bottom of the jar, Mary pledged to keep it going until the jar was full. The plan was to pass the money onto Martha and then begin a collection for another charity. But when the barman tried to clean the bottle, it literally cracked into pieces. |
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| Our thanks go to the Five Bells Pub and to all their customers who contributed to this smashing (!) early Christmas present. |
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| Visit The Five Bells web site here > |
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News Release: A backwards step for disability |
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Martha Trust has joined calls for Government to scrap plans to axe the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance for people who live in residential care homes. |
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According to Chief Executive Graham Simmons: “The Government is arguing that people’s travel is already covered in the cost of their care package but this is not always the case. Many Local Authorities require service users to use their mobility component to fund their travel, and the overall fee is reduced accordingly.” |
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Martha Trust has written to Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions and to Paul Burstow MP, Minister of State for Care Services to highlight the concerns shared by so many of its residents' families. |
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Martha Trust, a registered charity, cares for people with profound physical and multiple learning disabilities in three residential homes in Kent and Sussex. Its residents lead active lives, regularly visiting shows, the theatre, shopping centres and local community events, activities that could all be threatened by the cuts. |
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Linda Arthur’s daughter, Alexandra, lives with Martha Trust: “Martha Trust homes are wonderful, warm and loving places to live in but it’s absolutely fundamental that Alex is part of the wider community. We want her to enjoy and participate in the world beyond her residential home and to experience life for herself.” |
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Graham added: “This proposal will be hugely damaging to people’s independence and their ability to access activities in the community. Do we really want to turn the clock back to a time when disabled people were kept out of sight and out of mind?” |
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Spending Review |
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Martha Trust is assessing the likely impact of the recent Spending Review on disability care in the region. |
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We are the only charity providing lifelong care to people with profound physical and multiple learning disabilities across Kent and Sussex. According to our Chief Executive Graham Simmons, the announcements so far have been a mixed bag: |
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“While it’s extremely difficult to gauge exactly what the impact of the Spending Review will be without all of the details, we do know that grant funding from Government to local authorities will be cut by 26% from 2011-2015 in real terms. |
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“What was reassuring, however, was to see Health Minister Paul Burstow emphasising that councils will have no excuse to cut adult social care. The extra £2 billion of funding that’s being made available to offset the cuts should provide councils with the extra resources they need to maintain care services at current levels.” |
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Graham continued: “It is vital that Councils use this additional money to protect services for the most vulnerable people in our communities, including those whose lives depend on the highly specialist services of organisations like Martha. Too often in the past we have seen these people become victims of funding squabbles between local authorities and health agencies as to who should pay: this must not be allowed to continue”. |
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Graham offered a cautionary welcome to news of the Government’s intention to expand access to Personal Budgets: “Personal Budgets give individuals the freedom to choose which services they purchase and use. Obviously this is something Martha Trust has experience of and generally supports - provided that individual needs are properly assessed and the necessary funds are allocated to meet those needs. |
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Despite the challenges, Graham is positive about the future for Martha Trust: “It’s early days and we need to wait to see how local authorities react to the changes announced in the Spending Review. But whatever the future holds, Martha Trust will continue to work hard to ensure that the people we serve have access to the full range of services they both need and deserve”. |
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| Trails of 3 Cities - They've done it! |
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| Our intrepid Trail of 3 Cities teams have all made it back from their epic European adventure. |
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| So far over £10k has been raised by the 10 teams who took up the challenge, and money is still coming in. |
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| Each team drove from Dover to Frankfurt, Geneva, Paris and back to Dover in just four days in cars worth no more than £100. And unbelievably, when the cars were finally sold at the Hobbs Parker auction in Ashford, they actually made a profit which is also being passed on to Martha. |
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We want to thank everyone who took part in the Trail of 3 Cities and all the people who so generously supported their efforts.
Well done to everyone. And now for next year’s challenge... |
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| Martha received a tremendous amount of support and sponsorship from a number of local companies. Please click here to see them > |
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| A gift from HMRC! |
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| Thanks to our donors, we have successfully reclaimed nearly £10k in tax from HMRC. |
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| Your donations are hugely valuable to Martha because they provide all the ‘extras’ that make our residents’ lives more exciting and fulfilling. And they’re even more valuable when you agree to ‘Gift Aid’ it. |
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| Just by ticking a box, you’re giving us permission to reclaim tax on your donation – money that would otherwise go to the taxman. In fact, once you sign up to Gift Aid, we can even reclaim tax on any past donations you may have made, which is what prompted us recently to take a good, long look through our records. |
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| The result was a claim to HM Revenue and Customs for £9,951 in back tax. |
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| So thank you to everyone who supports us and spread the word: when you’re asked to Gift Aid it, Gift Aid it, like Mrs Saxby from Southampton: |
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| Follow us on Facebook |
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| In just a few short weeks, Martha has attracted 111 fans to our new pages on Facebook. We’re keeping it regularly updated with news, photos and events but we want to hear from you. |
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| We want to know how you came across Martha, if you know someone who has benefited from our services, or whether you’ve done any fundraising for us or attended one of our events. Whatever your experiences, share them with us on Facebook, and find out how you could support our work in the future. |
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| If you’ve never visited Facebook give it a go. It’s really simple to use and could open up a whole new world for you. Visit www.facebook.com and we’ll see you there. |
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| Thank you . . . |
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| Martha would like to say a huge thank you to local printer – Colin Hoyle - who at very short notice printed a shirt for a motorbike challenge by our reflexologist, Malcolm Goldsacks. Colin has been extremely generous to Martha and his support is greatly appreciated. |
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| Our thanks to . . . |
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| Nick Pullen, Martha’s first time Marathon runner and long-time supporter has conquered the Virgin London Marathon. |
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| Despite a turned ankle around mile 5, and all the usual agonies of screaming muscles and exhaustion, Nick managed an impressive time of just 3 hrs and 37 mins, well ahead of the average marathon running time of 4 hrs 30 mins. Even more importantly for Martha, however, Nick has raised a fantastic £3,000 towards our work. |
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| In his final blog, Nick summed up his feelings about running the marathon in a quote from Sir Edmund Hillary: “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”. And in a thank you to everyone who sponsored him, Nick added: “You have helped me to raise £3,000 for the residents of Martha Trust who have to daily climb their own mountains.” |
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| Our heartfelt thanks to Nick Pullen and a request to anyone who may have a Marathon place for 2011 to consider running for the Martha Trust. |
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| You can still sponsor Nick by going to his his sponsorship page at JustGiving.com |
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Odd Shoe and Wacky Hair Day |
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| Martha is calling on pupils and staff across Kent to swap their school shoes and hair styles for Martha’s Odd Shoe and Wacky Hair Day on Friday 2 July. |
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| They can match a wellie with a croc, a flip-flop with a trainer, or spray their hair silver and gel it into giant spikes – anything goes. And with an entry fee of just £1, they will be providing Martha with vital support and raising awareness of our work. |
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Most of the entry fee will go towards the work of Martha with 25p in every £1 going to the school in support of its PTFA. If you have any contact with a school in Kent, then please encourage them to take part. |
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Download an entry form by clicking here or contact Martha on 01304 610448 or email our fundraising team. |
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Fundraising on the fairway |
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| This year’s Golf Day at the Prince’s Club in Sandwich raised an incredible £14,000 including £6,000 from long-term Martha supporter Basepoint. |
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| Among the items up for bidding in the charity auction was a signed Ronaldo shirt, Joe Cole’s football boots and a chance to play golf on the spectacular Valderrama course in Spain. |
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Plans are already underway for two further golf days, so keep an eye on this site for further details. |
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