January 2008

April 2008

Friday April 18th

30th anniversary party

over 100 friends and supporters of the Centre came along to celebrate 30 years of the QE2 Activity Centre. Eastleigh mayor Roger Smith, flanked by the Centre's Chair, Godfrey Olson, and Vice Chair, Mrs Sanders, cut the birthday cake and we were entertained by Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo and Jason McNiff and his band. I don't remember the last time I saw people dancing to a Leonard Cohen song or clapping along to a an Italian anarchist chant - what can I say but Bella Ciao!

Thanks to Jason, Steve & Graham and Emily, Jo, Jill & Anna for the music; thanks to everyone else who came along and enjoyed themselves.

16th April 2008

in the news

yes we do! We've always been keen on recycling here at the QE2 activity centre - and for the past decade we've been collecting aluminium foil. Around the Borough of Eastleigh there are five collection points where you can take clean foil for recycling - these are sited at Tesco, Bursledon; Asda, Chandlers Ford; Sainsbury/Marks & Spencer, Hedge End Park; Mortimer Road car park, Botley; and Civic Offices, Leigh Road, Eastleigh.

The foil then comes to the Centre and a couple of enthusiastic volunteers (take a bow, Dave and Joyce!) crush it into handy cubes with a baling machine. When there's enough collected we have it taken away and a short time later we receive a cheque. This helps us - and helps the planet too!

in the news again

Both the Southampton Advertiser and the Southern Daily Echo reported on the generous donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Work has started on the new kitchen for the log cabin (that's the one behind the folk in the picture below). It should be finished very soon.

10th April 2008

thanks!

QE2 Activity Centre and Pals say thanks to the Garfield Weston Foundation for a generous donation towards the Cabin refurbishment project!

The donation will be used to improve the cabin accommodation at the Centre - where Berkshire's Pals group has been staying this week.

Says Will from Pals "it has been a great week and a brilliant opportunity to practice living skills and social skills. The donation will mean it will be even better in the future".

We also heard this week from Southampton City Council that they will be providing grant support for the QE2 Activity Centre again this year. Centre manager Phil Oates says "The continued support of local authorities like Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council really makes a difference to the Centre. We look forward to working with Southampton and Hampshire residents in the future, particularly as new ways of providing day services for people with learning disabilities are developed".

spot the difference competition

6th April 2008

take a look at these two pictures of the cabins taken just a few days apart . . .

Oh well, it'll soon be summer!

poetry competition

4th April 2008

here are the winning entries in the poetry competition

QE2 is the place to be

QE2 is the place to be

people are all upbeat

the staff are all

mad like Kerry and

Emily. So what are

we going to do? will

we all go have some

fun and some laughing

by Laura

Whoosh, squelch, ping

Whoosh! down the zipwire.

Squelch! through the mud

Ping! goes the arrow

hitting the target with a thud

Off we ramble round the Hamble

Oh ouch, was that a bramble?!

North, south, east or west

Our orienteering is not the best

Survival skills under the trees

Boiling water to make the tea

At the end of the day we're ready for a rest

The staff at Bursledon are simply the best!

from Anglesey Lodge

CHECK OUT THESE RECORDINGS FROM LAST YEAR'S "NO DEEPER BLUE"

March 2008

poetry competition

Following on from our very successful art competition earlier in the year - here comes the poetry! All you have to do is to write a poem connected in some way (no matter how vaguely!) with the QE2 Activity Centre. Send it by post, pigeon, e-mail or deliver it by hand by Friday 4th April. The best will go on the website, they'll all go on the wall.

As always there's a great prize - 4 tickets to our birthday party on April 18th!

springtime in the manor farm country park

Spring is sprung and the wild flowers are on their way. Here are some of the pictures that visitors from ILG have taken during their 12 week environmental activity block. Other activities have included making bird boxes and creating an art attack.

grants and donations

We have heard this week from Hampshire County Council, University of Southampton and CLA Charitable Trust that they are all going to support us this year.

The CLA have made a donation towards our cabins appeal which will allow us to renew the kitchen in the log cabin.

University of Southampton's grant will fund the setting up of a token economy scheme which will run as part of our Transitions summer project.

Hampshire County Council have given grant aid to the Centre from the outset and we are very grateful for their continued support. Councillor Margaret Snaith, Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage approved the funding at her decision day held on Tuesday, March 11.

Five outdoor centres and one voluntary organisation were awarded funding to assist in educating young people and adults in the county, which complement those facilities available at the County Council’s own activity centres.

Cllr Snaith said: “Whether it be providing outdoor leisure activities for young people from some of the more deprived areas of Hampshire or offering an invaluable outdoor facility about the environment – each of the six organisations have demonstrated that they play an important role in maximising wellbeing and enhancing our quality of place."

orienteering

Skills for Working Life students from Taunton's College, Southampton have been working on an orienteering course in the Manor Farm Country Park. They started by going to an existing orienteering course in another country park to find out what orienteering is all about, then learned about making maps of their own before planning routes in the country park. Then they designed and made orienteering markers, that would be suitable for our regular visitors. Finally they placed the new markers out in the woods around the Centre. Several groups have already had a go and the new onsite orienteering course gets a big thumbs-up!

February 2008

Monday 25th February

art competition - the winner

Congratulations Sara!

Sara has won an activity session for her group this coming Friday. Go to the art gallery to see Sara's piece "Climbers" in all its glory.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. Thanks to all the artists who entered.

Friday 15th February

art competition - vote, vote, vote!!

the walls of the QE2activitycentre are currently bedecked with entries for our 30th Anniversary Art Competition. The Judge has carried out the difficult task of whittling down to just six finalists - and now we would like your help in choosing the winner. Head to the art gallery now!

Friday 8th February

what's new

New games from Emily, artwork from Horndean Day Services and a new ramp built by Hampshire Probation Services. Not only that but work has begun on the A frame cabin bathrooms - two have been completed and two more are being worked on right now. By the time you come for a holiday all five A frames will have spanking new shower rooms.

January 2008

Wednesday January 30th

Around this time last year the Charlie Dimmock TV series "River Walks" featured a programme about the River Hamble. This included a piece about the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre. If you missed it last time around its going to be shown again on Wednesday 30th January at 7:30pm and 11:30pm - this time around its on the slightly esoteric UKTV Gardens channel.

January 18th 2008

welcome back

A new year and already there's lots going on at the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre. The cabin refurbishment has started with all five A frame cabins having their bathrooms replaced. The new climbing wall sections (see left) are ready to go, the tunnel system has been extended, the pontoon boat is back on the water after its annual service.

Its only January but already this year we've had groups in from Yorda, Releasing Potential, Portsmouth Day Services, Hampshire Autistic Society, Fairhaven, Anglesey Lodge, Hope Lodge School, Bassett, ILG, Hillcrest, People Potential, Limington House School, Finnegan Unit, Havant Day Services, Purbeck Care, Tauntons College and Robinia. Each week over thirty groups of people with special needs are using the Centre, covering an area from Purbeck in the west to Bognor in the east, Basingstoke and beyond to the north.

If you are interested in a regular day booking in the summer get in touch quickly because there are not many places left and priority will be given to groups that come throughout the year.

January 11th 2008

art competition

To start off the year we are running an art competition with a great first prize - an activity session for your group on February 29th!

All you have to do is create a piece of art, relating to the QE2 Centre, the activities here, or the number 30. It could be a picture of the time you went canoeing, or something you've seen in the woods, or on the river; it could be a photo of your friends, even a poem about your visit here.

All the entries submitted will be displayed at the Centre. The prize of a group activity session on February 29th, will be awarded for the piece of art which, in the opinion of the judges, best captures the spirit of the Centre!

Create your entry - painting, model, sculpture or poem - and deliver it to the Centre by hand, email, post or pigeon by Thursday 14th February 2008. The competition is open to anyone - the prize of an activity session is for a special needs group - the winning entrant can nominate which group that is.

January 1st 2008

happy new year and happy anniversary!

In March 1978 HRH Princess Margaret opened the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre. To celebrate thirty years of providing activity opportunities for people with special needs we are going to have a whole series of events.

to start off the year we are going to run an art competition with a great first prize - an activity session for your group on February 29th!
next up - its the Centre's 30th Birthday Party, on Friday 28th March 2008. (now moved to 18th April)
in May there's the Everest Challenge - an exciting fundraising event for local youth groups - stay tuned!
in June there'll be a German style beer festival with oompah band!
there'll be a sponsored walk in the Manor Farm Country Park on Sunday July 20th - if you'd like to take part contact the Centre
we're hoping to repeat last August's "No Deeper Blue" music weekend over August Bank Holiday
and just to make sure that all musical bases are covered there'll be a Jazz evening and a barn dance in the autumn!