Our latest newsletter is now available with details of events, trips and useful information

Newsletter  63

100 Club

Thank you for your support which is a great help to ensure our scheme can continue to offer as many people as possible the services they require. Last year we raised £1622 for our funds. You may receive a written or telephone reminder when it is time for you to renew.

Congratulations to the winners of our recent draws – Thank you for your support.  You can join the 100 Club at any time during the year, just send a cheque, payable to ODCTG for £12 to us at the address below or you can pay by BACS or Standing Order NatWest Okehampton Sort Code 54-21-14 Account No. 22127879 ODCTG

July                                                                 August                                                           

1^st           Vera Bray, Okehampton                               Malcolm Flemons, Okehampton

2^nd          Elizabeth Simmons, Okehampton                Chris Stafford, Hatherleigh

3^rd          Patricia Smallcombe, South Tawton           Sylvia Marsh, Okehampton

Drivers

We are always looking for volunteer drivers and at the moment would particularly like to find someone from the South Zeal, North Tawton and Chagford areas.  Please ring us for more information.  We welcome Roger Tope from Bratton Clovelly and James Lloyd da Silva from South Tawton.

Crowdfunding

We are fundraising to purchase a 15 seat minibus to enable us to continue to run our Ring and Ride service, this is as a result of DCC withdrawing their lease agreement for our current vehicle.  The cost of a new vehicle will be approximately £75,000 and we have been extremely lucky to have obtained £40,000 as a result of the Charities of Holditch and Others in Okehampton winding up and gifting their remaining funds to 5 local groups including ourselves.  Please donate if you can using this link:  https://crowdfunder.co.uk/odctg-purchaseofminibus

Coffee Morning

We will be holding a fundraising coffee morning in the Charter Hall, Okehampton from 9 – 12 on Saturday 5^th October.  There will be a raffle and many stalls including:  Books, Bric-a-brac, Cakes and Clothes.  There will also be stands from Okehampton Community Garden, Oke Tree Network and In Touch Okehampton.  We welcome donations of raffle prizes and other goods.

Pop up shop

We are pleased to announce that we have managed to agree terms with WDBC to use their former office in St James Street for a couple of months as another pop up shop.  We will put the opening date and times onto our website and Facebook page as soon as we can.  If you have any goods you would be happy to donate to us then please either drop them to the office, the shop (when open) or we can collect from you.

Bookings

We have been extremely busy recently with an increased number of requests, many at very short notice which are much more difficult and time consuming for us to try and arrange.  We strive to help everyone who needs our help, however this is becoming impossible and we may sometimes have to ask you to either re-arrange your appointment if possible or find alternative transport, this is not something we enjoy asking and is always a last resort, however we only have so many volunteers, who are already giving as much time as they can, so please understand if this situation happens to you that we have exhausted all avenues open to us before this call.

If we are not in the office then there is always the option to leave a message, however please ensure you include your name, telephone number and a clear message of the date, time and location of your appointment after the beep, we receive a number of messages which are undecipherable which causes us problems trying to work out which of our thousands of clients it is!  We are happy for you to text us a message on our emergency mobile if that is easier for you.

Please give us as much information about yourself as possible when registering with us, this helps us allocate a suitable vehicle/driver.  Please note that we ARE NOT insured to carry Oxygen cylinders so please let us know if your circumstances have changed and we can direct you to a suitable alternative.

Website/Facebook

Our new website is now live – please check it out at www.odctg.co.uk and let us know what you think.  Please also sign up by providing your email address so that you will be kept up to date with news and information.  We also update our Facebook page on a regular basis – please take a minute to give us a review, we are always grateful for feedback.  We are grateful to Simon Hill of Moorsites who has helped us achieve this new look which has already received some great reviews!

Mobility Aids

We currently have a range of equipment available including roadworthy scooter, mobility scooter, electric wheelchair and walking frame – please ring for more information or to view items.

Trips

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL A TRIP, DON’T WAIT UNTIL WE RING YOU THE DAY BEFORE WITH THE PICK UP TIME AS WE HAVE ALREADY WORKED OUT OUR ROUTE AND RUNG OTHER PASSENGERS, OBVIOUSLY IF YOU ARE ILL AT THE LAST MINUTE THIS CANNOT BE HELPED BUT WE ARE RECEIVING TOO MANY CANCELLATIONS AT THE LAST MINUTE WHICH CAUSES US PROBLEMS WITH VIABILITY OF THE TRIP, PARTICULARLY NOW THAT WE ARE SUBSIDISING THEM SO MUCH, A RECENT TRIP WENT FROM 12 DOWN TO 4 ON US RINGING WITH PICK UP TIMES, THIS WASTES A LOT OF OUR ADMIN TIME TOO.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.

We usually ring the day before the trip to provide you with a rough pick up time, please note that this is only a guide as we may have to alter the route due to additions or cancellations or have a delay.  We would ask that you are ready for collection from 9am to ensure the driver is not held up.  Thank you.

WE HAVE DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THE SUBSIDISED COSTS FOR OUR TRIPS FOR THE FORTHCOMING YEAR AS A RESULT OF OUR SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EVENTS.  £6 FOR OKEHAMPTON AND ALONG THE ROUTE, £8 FOR OUTSIDE THIS AREA.                         

5^th October                ODCTG Coffee Morning then lunch

12^th October              Endsleigh Garden Centre, Ivybridge

26^th  October             Green Lanes, Barnstaple

2^nd November             Paignton Zoo (Admission £16.95 Seniors)

9^th  November            Tavistock

16^th November           Plymouth Aquarium (Admission £14.95 Seniors)

30^th November           Christmas Market, Bideford

Please note that these will be Okehampton (or along the route) pick ups only.

We may add more midweek dates if there is enough demand, please check with us or look on our Facebook page or Website for up to date trip information.

MIDWEEK/SUNDAY TRIPS

27^th September         Craft Fair, Westpoint, Exeter (Admission £9 seniors)

2^nd October                Launceston Retail Park and Lifton Farm Shop

10^th October              Living Coasts, Torquay (Admission £12.20 Seniors)

20^th October              Sunday Lunch – Countryman

24^th October              Darts Farm for lunch

30^th October              Bow Garden Centre for lunch

November 5^th                 Totnes

November 11^th                Homeleigh, Launceston

November 24^th           Sunday Lunch – Roadford Lake        

November 28^th           Bernaville Garden Centre, Crediton

Christians Against Poverty Life Skills

There is a new group which runs from the Refresh Community Space at the New Life Church in Okehampton offering help with surviving on a low income with practical skills from a friendly group.  If you would like more information please contact Linda or Steve Mustoe capnewlife@gmail.com 07843924986

Good Grief Café

The journey of grief is different for everyone and there are no time limits on grief so all are welcome.  13.30 – 15.00 October 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd, 29^th and November 5^th at the Medical Centre in the New Building.  Please contact Fran Bliss, Wellbeing Co-ordinator for more information francesca@westdevoncvs.org.uk.  Come along for a 5 week pop up café, an opportunity to talk about loss and bereavement with others that have been through the same thing.  Ask questions and find out about common experiences of grief and enjoy a cup of tea.

Make A Difference

Mental Wellbeing Hub www.makeadifferencetavistock.org Trident House, 2 Taylor Square, Tavistock PL190DG 01822 613746    Trident House is a drop in centre, there is no need for a referral.  Opening times Monday to Friday 12 – 16.00.  A place which enables people who have or have had mental health difficulties, depression and anxiety to come together in a place of understanding and support to regain confidence through gentle pursuits and activities including: Music, Art, Crafts, Pottery, Cookery, Computing with free Wi-Fi.  Although based in Tavistock it is open to clients in the Okehampton area too.

Incorporating Moodgym@makeadifferencetavistock.online which is an online self-help program designed to help users prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety.  It is particularly popular with people in rural areas who might find it difficult to access support services.  For further information please ring 01822 613746 or drop into Trident House for a chat and a cuppa.

Sue & Liz, ODCTG, Unit 3 Okehampton Business Park, Higher Stockley Mead, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1FJ 01837 55000  sue.odctg@btinternet.com    www.odctg.co.uk      Out of hours emergency mobile no. 07484525577

Office Hours – Monday to Friday 08.30 – 16.00