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Over the summer we established that we really needed to increase the number of people working on our committee, particularly in the Publicity and Outings area as we had lost a few people over the last year. We embarked on a recruitment campaign through Reading Voluntary Action, Social Media posts, our Supporters and personal contacts and amazingly managed to recruit 7 new people through all of these channels and another couple that we might call on in the future. Here they are: And also Amber on Publicity
 On August 15th amazingly the sun shone all day long!! Another fabulous day at Caversham Lakes who made everyone welcome and were fully inclusive of all. One little boy said "Wow mum this is the best fun all holidays!" A mum said "Thank you for this, it's so nice to relax and watch the children have fun. The whole day has made memories." Another mum said "Today has been so lovely, it's given my son a chance to be somewhere different during the holidays. Fun, water play all mixed up with nature. Perfect!" Children enjoyed the family beach, splashed in the safe water and jumped from the floating pontoons. Parents paddled with them or enjoyed relaxing in the sun. Th organiser from Fifi's Vision said "Thank you for yesterday, we have had all families commenting and sharing on Facebook what a lovely day it was. Having an exclusive use of the beach with our group peer support meant the day was accessible and parents felt they had that vital respite knowing the children were safe. Thank you again for the opportunity that gave so much fun and laughter making happy memories."  The organiser from the Reading Refugee Centre said "Thank you to Sallie and Vivienne for another wonderful day in the sunshine at Caversham lakes. It was especially poignant to see the Afghan ladies enjoy the lake with their young children on the same day the Taliban have announced women in Afghanistan cannot visit parks."
 We organised two days out to Bournemouth this year. The first was on July 25th which was a great success with families enjoying a nice day on the beach. The second was on August 8th. This was a cool, windy and rainy day.  While some did still venture into the sea for a paddle, we decided to organise for them to go to the Oceanarium so they could be indoors and see something of the sea-life of the world. This was a great success and much appreciated. This second outing included half a coach of refugees who are living in a hotel. There they get their food and accommodation paid for and an allowance of just £9 a week for everything else they need (clothing, transport, toiletries, toys, etc - anything that a family needs). There was no way for them to get a packed lunch or drinks so we decided to give them £10 each so that they could buy refreshments for the day.  Vivienne and Sallie organised the trips and enjoyed the bracing sea air!
 On August 3rd, 52 children and their parents had a fantastic day out at Camp Mohawk. The families were all referred by Alafia, Christ The King school and a new partner organisation, Fifi’s Vision  Camp Mohawk caters for children with various disabilities, in particular those on the Autistic spectrum.
We also organised for a petting zoo to be there to allow the children to cuddle and feed animals they may not have come across previously
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Our blogThis is where we share our news and inspiring stories of how people have supported us. Read previous newsletters here.
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