Wishing a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of Careline’s members, volunteers and supporters!
with love
Jane, Jo and Carolyn x

Well what a wonderful morning we had on Friday – so many visitors came to join in the fun at our Christmas Coffee Morning, in spite of the snowy weather! We’re thrilled to say that we raised a fantastic £1,400!!

Thank you to everyone who helped us to achieve this – to all of the hospital staff, our volunteers, members and supporters. To the Ashbourne Singers who always come along to sing, making the morning such a festive occasion; to acupressure massage therapist Jeannette Pike and to Blenheim Vets, Blooming Beau & Optimum who generously donated prizes to our Christmas Draw. We simply couldn’t have done this without you xx

THANK YOU!

Careline’s popular Christmas Coffee Morning is FREE to attend & takes place on Friday 8th December from 10–12.30pm in the foyer of St Oswald’s Hospital, Clifton Rd, Ashbourne DE6 1DR.

Always a fun festive morning you’ll have the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping from our stalls selling handmade jewellery, Christmas cards, handicrafts and delicious cakes and preserves. You can also Name the Bear or Guess the Weight of the Cake! We have a fantastic raffle again this year with a first prize of a luxury hamper full of festive goodies worth over £100, plus many more super prizes. Tickets cost £1 each and will be available that morning, or can be purchased in advance from the main reception in St Oswald’s Hospital or the Careline office. The winning tickets will be drawn during the coffee morning.

Come along and enjoy a warm drink and a mince pie whilst the Ashbourne Singers entertain you with carols around the tree – this is a free event, to which everyone is welcome. You’re guaranteed to feel the Christmas spirit, whilst raising some vital funds for your local telephone befriending charity, which offers a free service to support people in and around Ashbourne and Uttoxeter. Our calls are available every day of the year, including Christmas Day. For more information please call the Careline Team on 01335 210353.

Tickets are now on sale at St Oswald’s Hospital Reception or the Careline Office for our 20th Anniversary Christmas Draw.

We have some really fantastic prizes up for grabs this year, including this luxury M&S Christmas hamper worth £100, which is full of delicious food, wine and festive treats. Feel free to collect some tickets to sell to friends and family and help us to make this our best raffle yet!
Did you know that we will be making calls over Christmas to those who might otherwise not see or hear from anyone else?
The prize draw will take place at our Christmas Coffee Morning from
10am -12.30pm on Fri 8th December, in St Oswald’s Hospital Foyer. All welcome.

Our members tell us every day just how vital our calls are to them. Please help us raise much needed funds to keep our service running.

“When it gets to a certain time in the afternoon you look forward to hearing the phone ring. It’s so good to know that you are going to have a chat with someone. It cheers you up.” – Careline Member

Careline provides a free telephone befriending service to those living in the Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire, and 2017 marks our 20th year. We support members of the local community from all walks of life who suffer from loneliness and isolation and who feel disconnected from society for many different reasons and who may not get to speak to anyone for days at a time.

“Your calls give me confidence. Thank you with all my heart.” – Careline Member

Our calls offer friendship 365 days a year and support over 100 people. Since our Lottery funding ended in late 2015, we have had to fight hard to keep our service up and running. Without the donations from generous people like you, we simply won’t be able to operate. This would be heart breaking given the demand for our calls has never been higher.

Our members tell us every day just how vital our calls are to them – please help us keep to Careline going by donating as much as you can – click the link below to donate. Thank you.

Crownfunding Page

“Thank you for calling. It gets so lonely on your own.” – Careline Member

Chair

Careline is seeking a Chair of Trustees (voluntary position) to lead the organisation and Management Committee to enable the charity to fulfill its purpose, in line with its constitution. Careline offers a free telephone befriending service to older and vulnerable people living in the Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire.

Overall purpose of the role:

• Lead the committee and the organisation to enable it to fulfill its purpose
• Ensure effective relationships between the Management Committee, staff, volunteers and external stakeholders
• Act as a spokesperson and figurehead as appropriate

Activities:

• Plan and prepare the committee meetings and the AGM with others as appropriate
• Chair committee meetings ensuring: A balance is struck between time-keeping and space for discussions; Business is dealt with and
• decisions made; Decisions, actions and deliberations are adequately minuted; The implementation of decisions is clearly assigned and monitored
• Ensure adequate support and supervision arrangements are made for the Careline Manager and any other staff/volunteers directly managed or reporting to the committee

Qualities:

• A willingness and ability to lead the organisation
• Possesses tact, diplomacy and powers of persuasion
• Possesses relevant knowledge
• Has the relevant skills to run a meeting well
• Availability for most Management Committee meetings (every 6 weeks)

Desirable:

• Previous experience of chairing a charity or as a trustee
• Knowledge and experience of current best practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations

Treasurer

Careline is seeking a Treasurer (voluntary position) to oversee the financial affairs of the registered charity, which offers a free telephone befriending service to older and vulnerable people living in the Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire.

Overall purpose of the role:

Oversee the financial affairs of the organisation, ensuring they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practices. Advise on the financial situation of the organisation.

Activities:

Work with Careline’s Manager to ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures and controls are in place,in regards to:

• Expenses payments and purchasing limits, petty cash receipts/float, travel expenses logs, any other as required
• Reconcile accounts on a bi-monthly basis and check balances
• Produce regular financial reports (quarterly) for Careline Management Committee meetings
• Prepare reports for audits and ad hoc summaries for grant applications reporting and the Charities Commission
• Ensure that spending against grants and other funds received for specific purposes are appropriately monitored
• Take a lead on interpreting financial data and make the steering committee/the general meeting aware of outstanding obligations, financial discrepancies or risks
• Work with the Management Committee to improve financial processes and ensure the charity has robust and effective financial controls in place

Essential:

• Knowledge and experience of current financial practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations
• Excellent numerical skills and feeling comfortable to interpret and explain data
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• IT skills (Careline currently uses Quickbooks
• Availability for most Management Committee meetings (every 6 weeks)

Desirable:

• An Accountancy qualification, or similar
• Previous experience as a Treasurer

For more information about Careline please visit our website.

For an informal discussion about either of these roles, please contact Marianne Jacques, Chair of Trustees, on 01335 210353

Do you have two hours of free time each month? Would you like to join our friendly team of Careline volunteers to help make someone’s day brighter?

The majority of befriending calls are made from our office in St Oswald’s Hospital, Ashbourne, although some volunteers make calls from their own homes. So if you are less mobile but feel that you would like to become a volunteer please do get in touch.

Individual training will be provided and you will receive on-going support from Jane, the Careline Manager or Jo and Carolyn, Careline’s Befriending Coordinators. We also have a regular Newsletter that keeps everyone up-to-date and volunteers have the opportunity to get together at a variety of social, fundraising and training events throughout the year.

Our volunteers tell us that they find being part of Careline extremely rewarding and really enjoy the calls that they make to our members.

If you would like to volunteer, then please contact us either by email or phone: 01335 210353.

We look forward to hearing from you!

  

We had such fun at the ‘Antiques on the Street’ event and Artisan Market in Ashbourne on Sunday 10th September, where we held our first ever street collection.  Thank you to all of those who volunteered, or donated or who just came to chat to us about Careline – we really appreciate your support in helping us to raise £134!

BBC Auctioneer Charles Hanson with Careline staff Carolyn & Jo

This Sunday, in celebration of the return of Antiques in the Street with popular local Auctioneer and BBC favourite Charles Hanson, Careline will be holding it’s first ever street collection!

This year’s event is centred around one of Ashbournes’ last remaining Malt Houses and there will be stalls set up along a closed off Church Street, from 10am – 4pm, selling antiques in the open air.

Antiques in the Street will also be running alongside a heritage open day, where the Malt House will be opening its doors for guided tours, as well as the new Artisan Market which will be set up on the Market Place.

We’re still hoping to find some more helpers for the day, so if you have an hour to spare please send us a message. Or if you’re planning on visiting the event, just come & say “hello” – our volunteers will be at both ends of Church Street and at locations throughout the town.

We’re really looking forward to what promises to be a super day!