Exeter Gateway Centre in Exeter | Community organisation

Exeter Gateway Centre

Locality: Exeter

Phone: +44 1392 425091

Address: Mount Pleasant Road EX4 7AE Exeter, SA, Australia

Website: http://exetergateway.org.uk

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• Charitable organisation
• Community organisation

24.01.2022 Carry On Crafting... Over the past few weeks, members have been designing and making casings for a small battery operated clock. This has proved very popular with an array of ideas being planned and created. Jamie brought in one of his Eddie Stobart lorries (a toy one!) to base his clock on, and Peter K adapted one of his Doctor Who creations into a storage box and clock for his mum. Other designs include Pauls Stagecoach bus, Davids Shakin Stevens and Scotts Elvis themed clocks. There are still several members who will be finishing theirs this week.

24.01.2022 Happy New Year to all! A busy first few days-Rachaels birthday, hand puppet making, computer skills and much more!

23.01.2022 Willow Weaving and More Besides This week saw the first Tuesday opening, where a more structured day was on offer. The idea is to run a course of focused workshops and activities for everyone to join in with (as little or much as they want). The first theme is using willow to create various objects. Under the careful supervision of Daryl, Debbie and Jonathan, a variety of creations were made, including woven fish and plate stands. The plan is to continue this for a few week...s, giving members the chance to increase their skills and the amount of objects made! As usual, everyone has been busy in and outside the centre-Peter has made two picture frames as presents and the pool table has seen plenty of use. As the weather was fine on Wednesday, 13 members went to Belmont Bowling Club to enjoy the games on offer. We celebrated Mollys birthday and she was treated to her own rendition of an Abba song by our resident crooner, Vincent!

22.01.2022 Any Other Business All manner of activities have been going on over the past weeks-gardening, cooking, bowling and bingo as well as computing and arts and crafts. Peter K has been busy using his papier-mache skills, whilst Jamie, Brian and Scott have also kept themselves well occupied. The vegetable beds and greenhouse are now producing plenty of fresh ingredients tor the chefs. David, Scott and Jamie have ensured that the garden area is tidy so members can enjoy the sunshi...ne. Three birthdays have been celebrated recently-firstly Caroline, then Mike and finally Rob, our long-serving volunteer (complete with new hairstyle!). Several members gave their support at the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service HQ Open Day, where we had a stall with a lucky dip and information about the centre. The stall was run by Helen, Ros and Ellie (all trustees) and, aided by Rachael, money was raised. We are looking forward to a week of barbecues and making the most of the extra space that we now have.

20.01.2022 Barbecues, Bingo and Baking The weather held, so Daryl fired up the barbecue three times for over twenty members on each day, offering a selection of burgers, sausages, chicken, turkey and halloumi and vegetable skewers. Supplemented by salad, and finished off with fruit based desserts, everyone certainly enjoyed their lunches! We have harvested more fruit and veg from the greenhouse and beds, baked cheese scones and will be making yet another cake for the latest birthday com...ing up. Outside, Peter and Gareth have been busy making models of an ocean liner and off-road car, with Scott and David starting money boxes. Also, Suzanne and Peter helped to sow some grass seed at the rear of the building and the beds, trough and greenhouse were well watered. Inside, the computers have been in constant use, bingo is played every afternoon and plenty of drawing, colouring and chatting has been going on. David received another envelope, this time a reply from his favourite football club (Manchester United) with a signed photo of their manager and a Red Devils magazine! If you dont ask Hopefully we will be able to get a few more sessions of bowling at Belmont before the end of the season and a few local trips out. On the 3rd September sees our first opening on a Tuesday, where we will be trying out different activities, starting with willow workshops (details and photos to follow!)

19.01.2022 Out and About With the building works in full swing, we decided to get out and about to leave more space in the caravan for those who were happy to stay. Over two days, groups of members made a trip to Bernaville Garden Centre for a look round and a hot drink in the cafe. On Wednesday, Eileen and Jonathan took eleven members and on Thursday, Daryl, Debbie and Rob took another eight. Emma, Sarah and Peter K enjoyed it so much on the Wednesday that they went Thursday too! The... buses were straightforward, and there was little waiting time and we made it back within Gateway hours. On both days, packed lunches were enjoyed by the pond with the company of several ducks and a friendly robin. Members gathered ideas of how to improve the outside space when the building works are complete and also found a barbecue that Daryl would love to use!

19.01.2022 Grand Opening On Wednesday 17th July, Exeter Gateway Centre was officially ‘reopened’ following our recent building works. The ribbon was cut by Councillor Peter Holland, the Lord Mayor of Exeter following a buffet and official welcome from Ros Leveridge, one of the centre’s trustees and driving force behind the fundraising. During the days leading up to the opening, members had been busy baking, cleaning and generally preparing for the occasion. Upwards of 80 people attended... the event, including Gateway members, families and carers, members of the Exeter Southernhay Rotary and other invited guests. Speeches were made, followed by Chris Jones, the outgoing President of Southernhay Rotary presenting a cheque for over 5700 to Helen Foster, the Chair of Trustees on behalf of Rotary-they had kindly adopted us as their charity for 2018/19, raising money towards resources to improve the daily activities for the members. A massive thank you goes to everyone involved in making Exeter Gateway Centre the place it is-a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment for all members.

18.01.2022 Birthday Baking This week we celebrated yet another birthday-this time, one of the more mature members, Brian. He was treated to a triple layer chocolate cake, made by our Jamie (not Oliver!) and his assistants Cathie, Anita and Tracy. Their hard work was much appreciated by all and thankfully the heat from all the candles didnt set off any alarms! As usual, everyone joined in with the singing and signed a hand made card. Among the activities this week has been still life painting-this has been very popular along with making posters and has definitely engaged the members with Sarah being particularly proud of her work! Again, the pool table has been in regular use and the players are definitely improving!

18.01.2022 A selection of this weeks activities...Cooking, computing, celebrating, pooling and Dr Who-ing!

18.01.2022 Building Works After some fantastic fundraising efforts, there are now sufficient funds to improve the facilities at the centre and therefore the daily experiences for the members. The builders have made swift progress, dismantling and demolishing various parts of the building. To facilitate these improvements, The Caravan (as Sarah calls it), was delivered at the end of March and is our new home for the next 8 weeks. ... Despite being a somewhat cosy space, members are coping very well with their new surroundings and activities are much the same. We have internet access, room for bingo plus an area for creative tasks. The pool table has been moved outside, but is adequately protected when not in use. A copy of the plans have been put on the portacabin wall to remind us all how amazing the new building will be and that we wont have long to wait!

16.01.2022 Belmont Bowls and More... This week, 11 members plus Daryl and Jonathan enjoyed a mornings bowls, courtesy of Belmont Bowls Club. Under the watchful eye and guidance of Dave and Gordon, a great time was had by all-considering no-one had bowled since September, there were some very impressive scores to be had! We have also managed to get outside due to the better weather-Jonathan carried on Suzannes hard work from last week by turning over the solid soil in the beds ready fo...r planting. The pool table has seen plenty of use and friends have been able to sit in the sun, eat lunch, enjoy a chat over a hot drink and admire the continuing improvements to the main building. Inside the caravan, activities have continued with bingo, bracelet and necklace making plus keeping our weather chart updated. We also celebrated Beckys birthday with a cake made from a selection of doughnuts!

15.01.2022 Welcome to the new Facebook page for Exeter Gateway Centre

15.01.2022 Grand Opening On Wednesday 17th July, Exeter Gateway Centre was officially reopened following our recent building works. The ribbon was cut by Councillor Peter Holland, the Lord Mayor of Exeter following a buffet and official welcome from Ros Leveridge, one of the centres trustees and driving force behind the fundraising. During the days leading up to the opening, members had been busy baking, cleaning and generally preparing for the occasion. Upwards of 80 people attended... the event, including Gateway members, families and carers, members of the Exeter Southernhay Rotary and other invited guests. Speeches were made, followed by Chris Jones, the outgoing President of Southernhay Rotary presenting a cheque for over 5700 to Helen Foster, the Chair of Trustees on behalf of Rotary-they had kindly adopted us as their charity for 2018/19, raising money towards resources to improve the daily activities for the members. A massive thank you goes to everyone involved in making Exeter Gateway Centre the place it is-a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment for all members.

14.01.2022 This week we had a furry visitor in the shape of a four month old puppy called Teddy-he proved very popular with the members! We have also been busy cooking, computing and making. Jonathan helped Scott to make his own version of Noughts and Crosses using pictures of the Terminator and Cliff Richard instead of the traditional symbols! Tracy and Paul used some leeks from our planters in their cheesy scones and Peter K is now making a papier-mache hovercraft!

13.01.2022 Donkey Sanctuary On Wednesday 5th June, 25 members plus staff and carers visited the Donkey Sanctuary, near Sidmouth. The bulk of the members met Daryl, Jonathan and Rob at Exeter Bus Station and caught the 9A bus. Having disembarked, we walked the short distance to the entrance and split up to go around the area. A couple of Gateway members have adopted donkeys, so great fun was had trying to spot them! After meeting for lunch and spending a few pennies in the gift shop, we wandered back to the bus stop and made our way back to Exeter. A great time was had by all, and were now looking forward to the Millfield trip near the end of the month.

12.01.2022 A selection of photos from the build up to Christmas!

12.01.2022 Much Progress This week has seen a massive change to both the inside and outside of the centre. The front now has all the brickwork ready for doors and windows, the extended conservatory has been clad and doors and windows put in plus there is now some flooring down in the new toilets. Also, the new ceiling lights are in place and there is an extra sink in the kitchen. It is very exciting to think that by this time next month we will be in our greatly improved building. Meanw...hile, we have managed to get the cover off the pool table in between showers and some members have also been painting and gardening-Suzanne was very keen to get to grips with the jungle-like vegetable beds! Inside, activities have continued, many linked to our new theme (suggested by Rachael)-all about The Weather. We hope to monitor the rainfall, wind speed and temperature around the building and keep a record of the weather over the next few weeks. See more

11.01.2022 Busy, Busy! This week, the centre has been a busy place-due to the increased space, the daily numbers are steadily rising so there have been plenty of activities to keep members busy. Jamie and Emma have used there artistic skills to paint canvasses for the walls. There is a lot of space to cover, so others are also having a go give the centre some colour. Sewing is proving popular, with an array of hand-made bags being created, as well as dominoes, card games, colouring, wor...d-searches, pool, air-hockey and the usual bingo! All of the major structural work has been completed but there is still much to do finishing off the interiors and equipping the centre with storage areas, blinds and some fabric to lessen the ambient noise. Although the weather has been pretty poor, due to our new decking area, Peter K and Brian have been able to work on their papier-mache garage and boat respectively. The raised beds contain a few vegetables, as does the greenhouse (the industrial strength tape is just about holding it together!) and we hope to eventually get another shed to help with storage. We celebrated Cathies birthday with Paul and Tracys expertly made cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday. Cards have been made and ingredients bought for the fast approaching next ones. Excitement was mounting during the week, as members were eagerly looking forward to the weekends trip to Milfield School-more to follow!

09.01.2022 Belmont Bowls and More... This week, 11 members plus Daryl and Jonathan enjoyed a morning’s bowls, courtesy of Belmont Bowls Club. Under the watchful eye and guidance of Dave and Gordon, a great time was had by all-considering no-one had bowled since September, there were some very impressive scores to be had! We have also managed to get outside due to the better weather-Jonathan carried on Suzanne’s hard work from last week by turning over the solid soil in the beds ready fo...r planting. The pool table has seen plenty of use and friends have been able to sit in the sun, eat lunch, enjoy a chat over a hot drink and admire the continuing improvements to the main building. Inside the ‘caravan’, activities have continued with bingo, bracelet and necklace making plus keeping our weather chart updated. We also celebrated Becky’s birthday with a cake made from a selection of doughnuts!

09.01.2022 Easter Feasters With the onset of more favourable weather, it was decided to hold the first of many barbecue weeks for this year. The first day was rather windy, but Daryl managed to find a sheltered area of the garden to cook up the first burgers and sausages of the season. By Wednesday, the members were able to enjoy some pleasant sunshine in our makeshift outdoor space. There were plenty of eager helpers who managed to speed up the serving and delivery of the days meal. T...he same again happened on Thursday, and everyone that chose to dine enjoyed the outside catering.-over the course of the week, 60 sausages and 40 burgers (of various flavours) were cooked plus a selection of skewered chicken too! Activities have continued this week, with Cathie finishing yet another clock, and Vincent, Jamie and Rachael plus others making good use of the pool table. We also helped to celebrate Jamies birthday, with the usual Gateway rendition of Happy Birthday (somewhat louder due to the confines of the portacabin!). The main building works are certainly taking shape, with the newly configured toilets and increased conservatory exciting the members. Tonnes of cement was delivered to fill in a trench at the front and hopefully by the next update, the bricklayer will have worked his magic!

09.01.2022 More Out and About This week, two groups took a bus into town to visit the RAMM. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed looking at the exhibits and having a hot drink in the cafe, before eating their lunch in the park. On Wednesday, Eileen and Rob took their group but unfortunately got drenched coming back to the centre. Thankfully, on Thursday the weather was much improved and Daryl and Debbies group managed to eat their lunches in Northernhay Gardens before travelling back. It was also great to go out in the mornings and come back to see the amazing progress that has been made on the building works. On Thursday, by the time we returned, the bricklayer had built a considerable part of the new entrance wall. Hopefully, when we arrive on Monday there will be even more see and talk about!

07.01.2022 Busy Week! This week, like most weeks, has seen the members keeping themselves occupied in a manner of ways. Roy, Jamie, Brian and Scott have honed their pool skills in a winner-stays-on session, while Rachael has been painting her papier-mache German Shepherd dog. Peter K finished Herbie and is now working on a project to create a a resonating chamber for his Dr Who sound-effect speaker! The chefs have again treated us to extra food at lunchtime, this time in the form of... freshly baked sausage rolls (with added leeks from the garden). A popular activity this week has been creating posters about topics dear to members- Jamie chose Manchester Utd, Brian police cars, Cathie rally cars, David Shakin Stevens and Mollie A Star is Born. Other subjects to cover next week include Abba, Bryan Adams and James Bond! Weve also celebrated another birthday-this time Donna got to blow out the candles on a chocolate orange cake and listen to the dulcet tones of the Gateway Choir!

07.01.2022 More Barbecues, Baking, Bingo and Birthdays! The past couple of weeks have been crammed full of activities and celebrations. Robbie and Julie R celebrated their birthdays with home-made cakes and cards. Peter and Gareth seem to be in competition to see who can make the most objects (Peter is probably just in the lead!). The list of creations made by them and several others includes calendars, a bird-box and a coffee table. As well as making birthday cakes, the chefs have been... busy assisting with the barbecue lunches, preparing salad and vegetables plus sorting drinks and desserts. Daryl insisted on using the barbecue despite the weather forecast-luckily he avoided any major downpours and everyone enjoyed their dinners! Numbers for the Tuesday opening are gradually creeping up-those members attending are certainly enjoying the activities. We have had a couple of potential new members come to try the centre and we look forward to hopefully welcoming them as regular Gatewayers soon!

07.01.2022 Activities Galore The past few weeks have seen members busy with a multitude of different activities, from dominoes to drawing and bingo to baking. Tracy, Tia, Linda and Daryl (Senior Support Worker) have celebrated birthdays, with the kitchen a busy place with making cakes. We have also started to harvest plenty of fruit and veg from both the greenhouse and raised beds-some of which has been enjoyed at lunchtime and the remainder prepared and frozen for a later date.... Peter and Anita have finished their latest projects and David was most excited to receive a large envelope in the post containing a signed photo and letter from The Shakin Stevens fan-club, in reply to his letter sent a few weeks ago! Jamie, Scott and Vincent have been busy finding and printing pictures for their folders and others, including one of our newest members Chris, have designed posters of their favourite pop and film stars. The barbecue has been fired up once already in August, and this week sees another round of hearty lunches for those who want them. Hopefully the weather will hold and we can enjoy the outdoor space.

06.01.2022 New Chapter! The building works finished on schedule, so on the 3rd June members could again use the main building in all its glory! Andy, Richard, Darren and the other builders had used their skills to greatly improve the centre. Members were amazed at the space that has been created-there is plenty of room to move about the building and with the addition of a cloakroom, less chance of tripping over a coat or bag! The toilets have been reconfigured, opening up more space for... tables and the conservatory enlarged to allow seating as well as the pool table. To the rear, decking has been laid with a perspex roof allowing for a year round project area. The office has been moved to the front giving a view of arrivals and storage has been added in the shape of two cupboards. Everyone coped admirably during the 8 weeks in the portacabin and now can really appreciate just how amazing our new accommodation is.

06.01.2022 Flat Pack Fun and more... This week again saw members keeping busy with a variety of activities. With several birthdays coming up, there has been a lot of baking going on. Eileen and Helen (Chair of Trustees) had made a rip to IKEA so the challenge was on to put together some items. Gareth, Amy, Robbie and Vincent took on the task, and under Daryls watchful eye, a new coffee table and shelving unit were soon assembled! There has been an enthusiastic increase in painting canv...asses for the walls, with several new pictures ready to go up with Emma Rs creations form last week. The decking area has been used for papier-mache and woodworking, plus the usual pool playing, bingo-ing, drawing and colouring has been happening inside. Outside, members have been enjoying the sunny weather by eating lunch at the new bench and Emma, Peter and several others have lined and planted up our new boxes. The centre is beginning to look and feel very homely and hopefully we will be able to add extra resources and storage in the coming months.

06.01.2022 Comic Relief Exercise Week As mentioned in a previous post, it was decided to hold a week of exercise activities to raise money for Comic Relief. This took the form of aerobics/chairobics, dancing, air-hockey, exercise-biking and walking in and around the centre. In total, over 20 members took part during the week and the aim was to complete an hours exercise over the course of a day. To link with the aim of being healthy, Eileen and her team of chefs also prepared some deli...cious pasta lunches and fruit based puddings to keep up the energy levels. Members took home a sponsorship form and hopefully we have raised a generous sum of money-the final amount will be announced soon.

04.01.2022 Dining in style... Over the past few weeks, the centre has been a hive of activity as members have prepared and cooked a selection of meals to celebrate both the Chinese New Year and Valentines Day. We have also been busy making items linked to both occasions as well as the usual activities. There has been karaoke and bingo with participants getting raffle tickets to choose a prize. Anita has finished her flower planter and Peter K has started another vehicle related project, this time Herbie the VW Beetle!

03.01.2022 Activity Update and Halloween... As usual, everyone at the centre has been keeping busy with plenty of activities on offer. We have celebrated four birthdays-Barbara, Amy, Suzanne and Gareths. Various designs of cake were baked by Paul, Tracy and other members and quickly devoured soon after the blowing out of the candles! On the creating front, Emma, Gareth and Angus (among others) have been busy sawing and chiseling under the careful guidance of Jonathan-bird-boxes are the... popular choice at present. Peter K has made several calendars on different themes and the Tuesday members are still busy with their clay making. Inside the centre, we have been cooking, playing scalextric, pool and air-hockey plus the usual bingo sessions, dominoes and word-searches. As Halloween fell on a centre opening day, we decorated the building during the week, culminating in a party that was attended by 27 members. There were some fantastic costumes, dancing, games, and of course food. Prizes were awarded for the best costumes and dancers, plus everyone was entered into the raffle. A great time was had by all!

03.01.2022 Keeping Busy Members have certainly been keeping busy since the centre shut by taking part in all manner of activities with their families and carers. Walking, daily workouts, football, frizbee, trampolining, basketball, baking and crafting have all been undertaken, making the most of the fantastic weather. Some members have been enrolled onto Mencaps, Round the World Challenge, meaning a lot of the time spent exercising is adding towards their distance travelled. Check out...: https://www.mencap.org.uk/roundtheworldchallenge See more

03.01.2022 Pancake Days! As it was Shrove Tuesday during this week, it was decided that pancakes would be on the menu on all three days! Over the course of the week, Debbie, one of the support workers, expertly flipped in excess of 60 pancakes, which were then served with a choice of fillings-sugar and lemon, peanut-butter, maple syrup and various fruits too. Some members took the opportunity to try all the fillings in one pancake! We celebrated two birthdays this week-both of the Peter...s. Peter S was treated to a more traditional style cake, while Peter K had a Doctor Who themed one, made and decorated mostly by Emma R, Michelle and Victoria! With the sun shining and it feeling warmer, one of the activities this week was making tissue paper flowers-it proved very popular, with some very colourful creations taken home.

01.01.2022 This week saw two members celebrate their birthdays-Emma and Sarahs are a day apart, so cake was eaten and Happy Birthday sung on Wednesday and Thursday! As well as the celebrations, members were, as usual, keeping the staff busy as they participated in a host of activities. Peter K has finished yet another creation-this time a change from the Dr Who theme making a military hovercraft! He already has plans to make a Herbie VW Beetle next week. Scott has been honing his PC s...kills whilst serenading the centre with his guitar and voice-Elvis has been his preferred songs of choice this time. The snooker table has been well used by Brian, Jamie, Roy and Vincent and and usual, Debbie has had a very keen group of Bingoers every afternoon. As next week is Chinese New Year, members will be helping to prepare and cook a variety of Chinese dishes for lunch. More to follow.