Legacy
Legacy
Please note: this post is 93 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
The highlight of the month was our 3rd birthday party at Pembroke House on Saturday 3rd July. We welcomed over 100 neighbours aged 21 to 101. There was a ceilidh, a photo booth, a raffle and endless plates of delicious food. But most importantly there was laughter, conversation and smiles.
This special day was made even more wonderful thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, community, and neighbours.
Jon – a professional photographer and longstanding volunteer – kindly photographed the party, capturing hundreds of joyous moments. Every shot in this blog is the result of a combined effort between his skills and our neighbours’ irresistible smiles.
Volunteer Emilie organised an UBER and brought her Love Your Neighbour friend Daisy to the party. Emilie has visited Daisy's home every Sunday since October; they chat over tea, read the newspaper and watch movies. Often Daisy doesn't feel well enough to go out so we were delighted that Daisy and Emilie came along together to enjoy the celebration!
And finally, local businesses and our community surprised us yet again with their generosity, donating wonderful raffle prizes. As such, we raised over £220 towards our autumn activities.
A big thank you to Franco Manca, Cubana at Waterloo, Blue Mountain Cafe in East Dulwich, Gipsy Hill Brewery, Garden Museum, Beefeater Gin,Gail’s, Honest Burger and City Cruises. And we also must thank neighbours Angela who donated a piece of art, and volunteer Jasmin who donated a piece of jewellery.
And because so much of our community identity can be found in places and locations, this year we opened our birthday party extravaganza with a South London Cares Treasure Hunt.
This event was funded by the Big Lottery and was to help celebrate our wonderful neighbourhood and heritage south of the river. Five teams of volunteers had to find their way around Elephant and Castle, uncovering our older neighbours’ memories about the area at various places.
To secure the title of ‘winners, the teams had to go through a number of hilarious challenges – from signing nursery rhymes at Frances’ former primary school, to writing a poem inspired by Pete’s Sunday shopping at East Street Market.
Volunteers loved strolling around the Elephant and Castle: 'I was so pleasantly surprised by the event as I didn't really know what to expect. The memories were all special. The best ones were the ones that revealed insight into what London was like in years gone past.'
And talking of celebrations and communities, an unexpected surprise came from volunteer Zoe her and fiance Ben. The couple decided to ditch their wedding gift list and instead ask their family, friends and colleagues to support their neighbourhood with a donation to South London Cares.
Certainly generosity is contagious, because Zoe’s friend Alice (who knows Zoe’s passion for board games) decided to gift the newlyweds a donation towards our beer and board games social club at The Tiger.
And again,Nathalie, Heather, Sarah and all their PwC colleagues invited 32 of their older neighbours over for a summer soirée in London Bridge, complete with roof terrace, Pimm's and dancing.
And as the September approaches, I take this blog full of good news to share with the wonderful South London Cares community that I am sadly leaving the team to return to Italy.
I felt honoured to have the opportunity to be part of this wonderful family south of the river – to cheer the most enthusiastic supporters in memorable half marathons, walks, challenges – and to share their stories, which will stay with me forever.
If you were inspired to surprise us with your talents, give a donation or take on a challenge in aid of South London Cares, please get in touch with Emily.