With this year’s Summer Soulstice event fast approaching, it seems a good time to thank the Soulstice crew publicly for their ongoing support and to publicise how we plan to continue using the money they raise for us. Summer Soulstice, set up in memory of Andy Weekes, is Cherry Lodge’s biggest third party fundraiser and since 2007 they have given us in excess of £135,000.
Until this year, most of the money from Summer Soulstice has been spent on the general delivery of our many services for people affected by cancer. However, we are now announcing a new specific use for these funds. It has been agreed that Summer Soulstice will pay the salary of our Outreach Nurse, Kirsty Mabb. Kirsty has now become our ‘Soulstice Nurse’ but she will also need to retain her more formal title of Macmillan Cancer Information Outreach Nurse (a condition for receiving the original set-up funding for this post).
Kirsty’s main role at Cherry Lodge is to deliver our Outreach Service, which she does by holding ‘health and wellness’ sessions at a variety of community venues around the borough of Barnet, focusing primarily on the west side of the borough where health inequalities are greatest. Without needing to make an appointment, anyone can see our Outreach Nurse to discuss any worrying symptoms or concerns about their general health, or to raise questions about their cancer or its treatment. From time to time, people are invited to health talks and workshops.
Kirsty is also involved with two outreach Support Groups. She set up and facilitates the Cancer Carers’ Support Group, which meets at Barnet Carers Centre in North Finchley, and maintains her link with Sunflower Cancer Support in Burnt Oak. When she is not doing outreach work, Kirsty is based at the Cherry Lodge Centre with Fiona Kiddle, our other Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse.
As in previous years, we will continue to use some of the money raised by Summer Soulstice to lease and run the Cherry Lodge van, which is used mainly to move items between our two shops and to take bulky items such as furniture to and from our shop in Borehamwood.
Thank you again to the Soustice crew and to the many members of the public who support us by attending this fabulous annual day of Soul Music and family fun. Summer Soulstice 9 will be held on 27th June 2015 at the Old Elizabethans Memorial Playing Fields (tickets available from the Summer Soulstice website).
Click on the small images below to see larger, complete photographs, which were taken at the Barnet Multicultural Centre in West Hendon.
