We are pleased to announce PCP has maintained the Silver Award from Investors in People, demonstrating our commitment to high performance through good people management.
We are among the top 10% of recognised IIP organisations accredited to Silver in the UK and were praised by assessors and described as an ‘outperforming place to work with a clear commitment to learning and development’.
Options are organising their annual Summer Festival which takes place on Thursday, 17 August at the Pioneering Care Centre.
The festival will aim to raise money for new resources and activities for Options and is being organised by the members.
Members will be taking part in a surprise sponsored Flash Mob at different times throughout the event, running from 12-4pm and are busy rehearsing the routine at the moment. A Flash Mob is where a group of people assemble suddenly in public and perform a dance for a short period of time and then disperse into the crowd when the music finishes.
The day will also include a bungee run, bouncy castle, penalty shootout, police demonstration, face painter, tombola, afternoon tea, stalls and carnival games.
Everyone is welcome and it’s free to attend and is sure to be a brilliant day. On the evening, there will be a BBQ and disco from 5:30-8pm bringing the festival to a close.
If you would like to book afternoon tea at £4pp or the BBQ at £3 a ticket, please contact Options on 01325 321234 or email options@pcp.uk.net.
Iif you would like to sponsor the Options Flah Mob, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/options-flashmob
Members from a PCP Colour your Life art group have organised their own exhibition of their work at Greenfield Art Gallery running from 3-30 August 2017.
The exhibition will showcase approximately 60 pieces of work produced by talented amateur artists, who all attend the Monday morning Colour your Life sessions at the Pioneering Care Centre.
The exhibition launch and preview night is taking place at Greenfield Arts and Community Centre on Wednesday 2 August from 6-8pm. Anyone is welcome to go along to meet the artists and find out more about what they get out of attending Colour your Life.
200 volunteers, nominees and VIP guests recently attended Volunteering Celebration event hosted by Durham Community Action at Beamish Museum.
The event recognised and showcased the volunteering achievements of individuals and groups; volunteers and their guests.
PCP volunteers were nominated and acknowledged at the event and they got to visit the 1900’s towns and exhibits, enjoyed refreshments in the tearooms and received certificates at a formal ceremony in the Masonic Hall.
David Cockburn was nominated for his time and enthusiasm helping in our Community Garden, including welcoming new participants and setting up a garden blog about all the good work that goes on.
Margaret Buckley was recognised for being a fantastic Buddy for the Buddies Befriending Service, supporting people aged 50 years and over who are isolated and lonely as a result of an illness, disability, age or family circumstances.
PCP Cycle Marshals got a group nomination and Vijaya Kotur and Mike McCabe represented them at the awards.
And for Healthwatch County Durham, Mervyn Hockin, Tony Bentley, Jean Ross, Reg Davison, Anne Glynn, Pam Coombs and David Coombs were all thanked for their work in putting our local health and social care services in the spotlight through entering and viewing local services, sitting on the board and engaging with volunteers.
We couldn’t achieve as much without the support of all our dedicated volunteers. In the last 10 years 47,728 volunteer hours have been provided which the equivalent of a £403,302 saving.
We can’t thank all of our wonderful volunteers enough!
If you have visited the Pioneering Care Centre recently you may of noticed that we have now have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) installed to the left of our main doors.
This is part of a network of AEDs around the Newton Aycliffe area supported in partnership with Woodham Community Centre. In an emergency the public will be given a code by a 999 operator to open the wall unit and take out the defibrillator and small first aid kit.
David Sutton-Lloyd, community activist and trustee of Woodham Village Community Centre launched the scheme after reading heart attack and defibrillator statistics in the UK, the survival rate for CPR alone is under 6% however with a defibrillator it jumps to 70%. The project has the backing of Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership – GAMP, Great Aycliffe Town Council, some County Councillors, PCP, Greenfield Community College, Newton Aycliffe, local businesses and generous public support
Free training by Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service on CPR and defibrillator use is being delivered at PCP, Greenfield Community College, and Woodham Community Centre. Volunteers will also be promoting the scheme at local community venues.
The school summer holidays will soon be upon us, but worry not, PCP are delivering summer holiday club activities in two local communities.
A need for a 4 week summer club has been identified in both Tudhoe and the West Ward area of Newton Aycliffe aimed at children aged between 7-11 years.
The holiday clubs will start Monday 31st July and will be delivered Monday to Thursday over the summer holidays until Thursday 24th August.
The aim of this project is to provide children and families with the opportunity to take part in a range of fun days out and activities based in Tudhoe Community Centre and Greenfield Community and Arts Centre in Newton Aycliffe.
Participating children will benefit form a healthy meal and will also be able to take part in a range of the following:
This is a great opportunity for families to access a project aiming to promote healthy living for all!
To book your place on this scheme contact us on: Tel: 01325 321 234 or e-mail us at: enquiries@pcp.uk.net. Eligibility criteria does apply.
The rain didn’t dampen any spirits at PCP’s summer family fun day on Saturday.
516 people turned out the Pioneering Care Centre to enjoy what was on offer in Aycliffe’s healthy living centre, as part of the Great Aycliffe Festival season.
The soft play and bouncy castle were moved indoors, as were the produce from PCP’s community garden that people could buy.
Children decorated biscuits, made keyrings and got entertained by Punch and Judy, Paw Patrol characters and Bobby the Bull along with Newton Aycliffe Police beat team.
Brave visitors petted the snakes and spiders and people could make their own healthy snacks of fruit kebabs and smoothies.
PCP was delighted to welcome the Mayor of Great Aycliffe, Councillor Wendy Hillary along with partners, volunteers and staff to their 18th Annual General Meeting earlier in the week.
As well as managing the Pioneering Care Centre in Newton Aycliffe, which had 372,357 visits during 2016-17, PCP delivers 26 projects across the North East supporting the Charity’s mission of Health, Wellbeing and Learning for All.
Those present were touched by the poignant speakers who talked about how the services they accessed had a profound impact.
The County Durham Better Health at Work Award team from the Pioneering Care Partnership and County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust delivered a Mental Health Conference to over 100 attendees from 37 different County Durham businesses in June at the Xcel Centre in Newton Aycliffe.
The conference highlighted the benefits of raising awareness of Mental Health in the workplace and how reducing stigma can create a positive culture around the subject which in turn can reduce absenteeism and improve productivity.
The day introduced businesses to Mindfulness, opened the dialogue on suicide and provided some interesting facts about mental wellbeing and included lots of interactive activities including ‘there is an elephant in the room’ and a lunch time walk.
With guest speakers including David Brown from If U Care Share, Karen Hughes from Sparklicious Living, Emily Pearson from MIND on behalf of the Sally Anne Foundation and Susanne Nichol from the TUC.
PCP Whats on monthly July 2017
The new monthly What’s On guide at the Pioneering Care Centre in Newton Aycliffe is now available. It features full listings of events, activities and learning opportunities that aim to improve your health and wellbeing.
