HELENS8URGH & DISTRICT BRANCH OF ENABLE CHAIRPERSON REFQRT 2026 Both Tuesday and Thursday dubs 8fy wnning al ¢8pacity Th)w Wh is gwi We ha welcomed 8 few new members again Ihis yEaT. Ihe br8n¢h is In a goTrl place al wesent. Tuesday dub is held in Ihe Helensburgh community Hub which is a greal kKatK arnj gTeat space lo do our acts"wties. 11 is owned by Ihe community for th8 (xynmunity. Thursday nights we use the United Refomi Church Hall and ha done w for ov•r 20 years. We have a 2 monthly programme sel out by our secretary Eilidh M8cPh&rson .This is 50 our members know what is on each Tuesday and Thursd8y nighl and can decAd& If they would like to attend club that night or not although n)ost ol them con)? along waTdless for the company and friendship of others. Our new secretary has been in position now for over 8 ye8r 8nd n)usl say she has done great job. She has applied for funding from.. ACHA, MUSIC IN THE SQUARE. COMNIUNITY MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING and HELENSBURGH HART and has been successful in all applications. We now have a quarterfy newsleiter set up for all membèrs of our branch 8nd this is distributed Ihrough the secretary to keèp everyone up to date with whal we hav8 bèen up lo throughout the months. The success of our clubs can be attnbuted to the commiimenl ol our volunl6ers who work tirelessly lo ensure the clubs run twice a weak wilhoul fail.. I would like lo thank theni 811 for the time and effort they put into making our clubs B Success. Wilhout them il just would not happen. Otjr volunteers are, Liz MacDonald. Josephine Anderson. Margarel Miller, Jean CgvBna, Luke Healy, Tony Pearson Ilundraising coordinator), Lesley Healy ITre8surerl Lucy McK88, David Butler, Kelly Andrews, Jan Lighlfoot, Fiona Johnston. Margaret Mcwallers, May McKell as well as mys811, Angela Peaison Ichairpersonl. We would also like to wÈlcome our newesl volunteer to the team Roseanne Dunn. Finally, Ean MacDonald and Tin8 Smith are 2 dub members that help takè the subs at the start ol th8 night. Ean does the Tuck Shop and Tina does the dishes. We a150 have 2 young volunteers th8t have joined lo offer help end support. May8 Cairney and Caitlin Walker. I would also like to thank a11 the guys that attend the clubs, Ih8y help loo, from glving us Iheir ideas lor lun nights. to setting up tables elc and cl@aring up afterwards (well mosl ol them Ihal don't rnake excuses loll. Th& clubs belong to them so il's only lair they have a part lo play in organising, leading and swapping ideas. Tuèsday nights have included Music qulzzes with David, t8bl6 games, fitness and chair yoga with Julie, bingo with Demi and Tina Thursday club have also enjoyed various activities including. Boccia, Film nights. Arts & crafts. karaoke, just some of our club nights as well as a local band th81 give up Iheir lime and come along every couple of months, Susan & Co (Toast). The band ar8 great and get 811 the guy5 Involved, they have even promottrd one of our club memb@rs Barrie Walkins lo being Iheir drummer. (On the night they visit). We visit one of our other Ioc81 branches in Alexandria for part18s and events as well as welcoming their members and volunteers coming along lo our club too.
Th¢5 %¥6 h8ve hod a lèw funding bids Ihal have bèen successlul.Thls has beèn a com8 bTe8k Irom 811 th8 fundraising events Ih8t we like lo normally participalo in ibe year giving some ol the volunlfjers and Sponsors a lillle respite. We h8W twn very lucky wilh donation5 Ihis year loo. Wg would like lo oxlend our sincere th9nkS to th8 following Organi5alions." 8uddie5 in Boat5, Neptune Lodge16uff8losl Hele1[gh Bowling Club. Gary Andrews Remernbgr a Lif8 and the Coffee Corner lor their worous don8lions to our Branth. FINANCIAL REPORT I would like to thank Lesley Healy lireasurerl for the financial report which has now been submitted to OSCR. We hawe 8 h8atthyb8nk balance at present. This is a great achievement as in the last few years rt has been so difficult for lots of groups and charities lo suNNwe as we go Ihrough thè ¢ost-of4Ning $1s. Any fundraising Ideas and help with fundraising are greatly appr8cialed 8s w8 all want to do our uimost to keep the dubs running for as long as we Gan. PERSONAL OnÈ ofour rnemb8rs Alastair Robert50n h85 be8n a bitpoorly this ye8r and had to hav quite a operation. We want to let him know we wish him a speedyrecovery. As w811 as Oliver Ledingh8m and Lucy McKee have also had surgery and ar8 both rloing great antl recovering well. FINALL Y l asthe chairpetson would personally like firstly to thank Eilidh MacPherson our secr8tary for all the hard work she has done for the branch in the last year securing funding for US to eTrab. S0, I would like to thank Lesley Healy for keeping our funds ill ¢h8ck as our treasurer for th8 last lew years. I would also like to thank all the wmmillee tnember5 lor their hard work in helping the branch thrive and last but C8rtainly not least I would like to say a great big thanks lo all the volunleers for theif wmmilment lo both our clubs by giving up some of their limÈ as l Know time 18 precious for everyone. If it was not for these people giving up that lime lo corne along EVERY week. we would not b8 able to function thereforè we would not be able lo do the fun things we do with our rn8mb8rs. Al80. a greai big thanks io everyone that holds one of our charity tins irt their pr8mi5és. We really appreciale your support of our branGh, and these tins add up week aftr week, month after rnonih to raisg fund5 for lh branch. They are..
FIDBE h61d a Christmas p8nlomlme Ihls yeBf which was Gr8898 Enable 8tyt6 at the end of 51 year which was wrillen by Liz MAcDon8ld Ivo1unle8rl Bnd the coslLJmes werè done by Josephine Anderson Ivolunleerl Narraled by Margarel Millgr Ivolunleerl and produced by all the other volunleers. We invilèd along a low ol the local business owneTS Ihat have donated lo us Ihrou9houl the ye8r lo be pAri ol tho audience. The feedback we got was brilliant. Some ol the 8LJdience said 8fl8rwards that il w05 the best show they had boen lo lor yaars. They18ughed. they cried. they choered, bul most ol 811 they lovgd it. Tru5 Chairperson Secretary Treasurer Fundraising co Ordinator Angela Pearson Eilidh M8cPherson Lesley Healy Tony Pear50n Committee Members.. As above 8s well as Luke Healy Ivolunleerl Mags Miller Ivolunleerll Liz MacDonald Ivolunteerl Jo Anderson Ivolunteerl David Butler Ivolunteerl Lucy McKee Ivolun18erl Ean MacDonald (club rnemberl Zoe Pearson (club rnemberl Barrie Watkins Iclub member) In the past our short breaks have been very popular including the Edinburgh Tattoo, Blackpool, Coronation Street, Harry Potter experiènce, and even a one-nighl cruise from Glasgow to Newcaslle to experience cruisingl Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Ihem58lves. It is with regret that as a branch we can no longer offer short breaks as we cannot gel enough volunteer5 to do this Safely and the safety ol our m¢mbers is p8ramounl lo us. We will however sli11 be able lo offer day trips away. Vve arts going lo havo a Irip to Oban by train. ACE Grou Advi mm ee lo Enable Our ACEIAdvoca¢y 9roup ha5 Stopped in our area, and we arè unsure il it will restart unfortunately. This group was run for the lo¢al service users ol Enable to h8v8 a say in tnaliers that they believe in and that affect Ihelr h88lth, wellbaing and their lives in general.
Boots the chemist. Slalion Bar, Aston Bar, Bet Fred bookies, Gordons Chemist, Home H8rdware. Colgroin Bowling Club and Natures HaNest. Thanks to all Ihe local busine5S8s that always donate prizes lo help us to fundraise at our events. Without the help from these people, il would be very difficult for us lo make the much-needed funds we require lo keep us going. Finalty. I would like lo thank all the members of HDBE. Their happiness makes it all *orthwhile. I personally like lo think that the Branch is a great asset lo the town and has been now for many, many yeats and hopefully will be for many more years lo come, bul we do to ahvays be actively looking for volunteers to enable us lo keep it going. Dirnct uotss from some of our members.. I woukl miss the dubs and my friends il they were not here. Who would wash the dishes They can't do without me. Tuesday5 and Thursday5 are my lavourile days in the week. I foel safe at club and can have fun. 18rn1051 for Something lo do on a Tuesday and Thursday night when the clubs are not on as there Is not rnuch lor people with a leaming or physical disability to do in town. Completed by Angela Pearson Chairperson HDBE