Exeter Gateway Centre

The last week of April saw the first barbecues of the year. The weather was fine all week and between Daryl, Jonathan and Rob, plenty of burgers, sausages and chicken was cooked over the five days. Members also enjoyed a tasty dessert so everyone was suitably full prior to the afternoon’s bingo!

The greenhouse and beds are looking great-since the last post, the plants have grown considerably and are looking healthy. Members have been outside playing games in the sun and inside, the usual activities have been in full swing. Lisa baked some delicious cheese scones and Robbie and Victoria, amongst others, have been duetting on the Karaoke machine Carolyn has been busy coming up with other ideas to keep members busy, so everyone is being kept occupied.

In June, we are holding a Jubilee Tea Party-there will plenty of baking and making in the build up and hopefully the weather will be kind and we can enjoy an afternoon in the sun!

After a few weeks of hard work, Rachael finally finished her lifeboat model for her RNLI bear, Tedette. She read out a few words and we named it Abi 1. Having taken a few photos, we sent an email to the RNLI and they were thrilled by her hard work and interest in the lifeboats.

Other members have been busy in the garden and greenhouse. Paul, Tracy and Levi planted on some tomatoes and sweat peas which are thriving in the warm weather. Potatoes have gone in this week, so hopefully we have a decent crop of fruit and veg by the the summer.

Inside, the usual activities have been ongoing plus various Easter themed creations. Several birthdays have been celebrated and lots of cake enjoyed!

With the improving weather, we’ve managed to get outside and plant some crops. Under the direction of Jonathan, four members, Suzanne, Vincent, Mickey and Martin prepared the beds and planted shallots, onions and garlic for harvesting later in the year. The other bed will soon have potatoes planted and in the greenhouse, we have decided to have tomatoes, cucumber and chillies. Hopefully, we will be enjoying plenty of fresh produce come the summer.

Inside the centre, we have been busy with various activities. Brian put the finishing touches on his fire engine and Rachael is making a lifeboat for her RNLI bear. There are lots of Easter and Spring art and crafts happening and everyone certainly has plenty of choice as to what they want to do.

We have welcomed new members over the past weeks and numbers are steadily increasing on our added Friday. Looking forward, we are going to have the first barbecues of the year next month so fingers crossed for more good weather.

Since returning in January, members have been keeping themselves well and truly occupied! Activities have been taking place both inside and outside the centre, ranging from bingo, word-searching and colouring to model aeroplane making, baking, cooking and gardening.

Finger painting and other arts and craft based projects are proving popular. Suzanne and Vincent spent time tidying the garden and greenhouse in advance of planting out our crops for the warmer weather. As it has been mild, the marquee is used at lunchtimes by several members to chat over packed lunches and cups of tea!

We celebrated Chinese New Year with a week of meals, cooked by the manager Daryl, with preparation from Paul, Tracy, Emma and Levi on various days. The bakers too have been busy, making tasty biscuits to share.

We have welcomed three new members who seem to be settling in well and also have two pairs of Exeter College students on week long placements. They get to meet all our members and gain a valuable insight into our setting and what we offer.

Our Friday opening numbers are gradually increasing but there is still availability and there is also minimal space on other days-contact the centre if you would like more information.

The staff and members have been busy decorating the centre in the build up to Christmas. Carolyn has kept members well occupied with a range of festive activities and Debbie has worked with several bakers to make and decorate Christmas cakes. As well as helping to make the Gateway Christmas Post Box, Suzanne put the finishing touches on our upcycled chair-we think that at least six members have assisted in its transformation. The mural in the pool room is slowly increasing in size as more of the members’ likes are added!

To keep everyone as safe as possible, we have decided to have nibbles and bingo each day of our last week rather than a big party. There is also the raffle to look forward to-many thanks to Andy at Exeter City FC and Lisa’s dad Alan, from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, for their prize donations.

As we approach the end of 2021, we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…

Suzanne enjoys attending Gateway and seeing her friends and she looks forward to coming every week. Suzanne has been a member at the centre for many years and particularly likes being outside, especially helping with the planting and growing in the garden beds and greenhouse. She loves going on trips and her favourites are visiting World of Country Life and Millfield.

Over the past few weeks, everyone has been keeping busy at the centre. We have upcycled a small table and Donna has been busy preparing a wooden chair for painting. As well as helping in the garden, Martin had a rummage in the Halloween resource box and found himself a fetching wig!

The chilli plant in the greenhouse is still producing fruit but the remainder has been cleared, mostly by Suzanne and Vincent. The beds need to be tidied and then we can plan our crops for over winter and into the spring.

The wall in the pool table area is being transformed into a mural, depicting the centre logo and members’ interests. Several members have been keen to help Carolyn, and the finished artwork should look very vibrant and stimulating.

Jamie has been coming to the Gateway Centre for a long time now. He loves meeting his friends and enjoys many of the activities. Jamie likes to give most things a try and in previous summers has shown he’s very good at bowls. At the centre, he particularly likes playing pool with his best friends Brian and Scott plus the centre manager, Daryl, and making items linked to all things lorries and Manchester Utd Football Club!

On Saturday 25th September, members (and carers and family) enjoyed a couple of hours at the centre- a chance to catch up with friends they hadn’t see for over a year! Prior to the event, Suzanne helped to plant some new bedding plants after Martin helped to clear the troughs. Inside, members had been busy making items to sell, including fridge magnets and ornaments as well as decorating bottles (with lights inside).

On the day, there was a raffle, bring and buy and cakes for sale. Thanks to a generous grant from Exeter City Council, the centre purchased an outdoor pizza oven which was used to great effect for those who attended. On a previous Tuesday, members tried out a pizza dough recipe, making sure everything was suitable for the main event!

The centre now has new logo, part of which contains our at present un-named mascot-a border collie puppy. On the day and this week, suggestions have been made and the unveiling will be very soon!

A big thank you goes to all those members, carers and family that attended, as well as the staff and trustees for making the day a success.

Since the last post, activities have been in full swing, including cooking, ‘making’ and gardening. Martin has been busy keeping the greenhouse in check and sorting the composters. Suzanne helped to plant mange-tout, carrots, potatoes and broccoli and hopefully with some sunshine and regular watering we will enjoy a bumper crop. We enjoyed a week of barbecues using the lettuces grown in the beds and harvested by Rachael, as our salad.

Inside the centre, we have celebrated a few birthdays including Scott-his expertly made cake was thoroughly enjoyed by all. A big thanks to Debbie and Tracy for their work in the kitchen.

We welcomed Carolyn, our new activities coordinator and senior support worker, in mid July and she wasted no time in encouraging members to create a display linked to the Olympics. Members have also been painting, colouring, decorating jars and pebbles, playing pool, chatting and of course ‘bingoing’!