Bigger Premises for SHARP - Combating Covid!
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SHARP LIFE & LEARNING SKILLS CENTRE
Bigger Premises for SHARP - Combating Covid!
Equipment campaign for new bigger premises SHARP Day Centre | 3rd March 2021
UPDATE 18th April 2021: SHARP’s 100 Challenges
Last week Captain Tom Moore’s family asked people to do their own 100 Challenge. If there is one good thing that emerges from Covid 19 it is the human spirit of support, love, and kindness towards others. So the SHARP Day Centre for special needs will organise not one, but several 100 Challenges!
SHARP nearly did not survive Covid 19, so please sponsor the challenges by making a donation, and follow their amazing story with regular updates and fun videos. Join in and share their happiness and their amazing spirit. Please share to allow others to get a slice of Sharp’s enthusiasm and entertaining antics! It is what everyone needs!
THE CHALLENGES:
• Bake 100 Cakes - To be completed by the learners
• 100 Giant Bubbles – To be completed by learners - guess how big the biggest bubble will be.
• 100+ Sit-ups in one go – To be completed by Edwin, learner & Max, Friends of SHARP - guess how many they will do?
• 100 Press-ups - Friends of SHARP, Max - who age-wise is almost ready for retirement - so is 100 a bit optimistic? Anyway, he will aim to hit his age as a minimum.
• And more amazing challenges will be revealed going forward! So keep an eye out for updates. But please have a bit of patience as due to Covid 19 restrictions and the learners just settling into their new environment, SHARP may need a bit of time to accomplish all these great challenges.
Apart from sponsoring, please also share our joy and happiness with your contacts. We would also love to hear from you, so please let us know what you like about what we are doing, and join in the fun by having a guess at the following:
1. How big will the biggest bubble be?
2. How many sit-ups will Edwin do?
3. How many press ups will ancient Max - or is it Mad Max? actually achieve?
Introduction to the Founder:
I would like to introduce you to a remarkable lady, Julie Pullen, the Founder and Managing Director of SHARP.
Remarkable because Julie has been battling and is still continuing to battle her own serious health issues which has made her rely on a wheel-chair. Remarkable because Julie and her amazing team, run the SHARP Life & Learning Skills Centre, an education and day service for over 75 vulnerable adults with special needs, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health issues, elderly or just lonely, to continue their learning and personal development. Julie has spent her life enriching the lives of special needs people. She does this because she loves them, understands their challenges and wants to make their lives enriched and happy.
Therefore, she was extremely saddened when due to Covid 19 SHARP had to close not once but several times. For us, Covid 19 and lockdown is already very challenging – but Julie knows that this means great difficulties for them as they are so vulnerable, and their world has been turned completely upside-down. What did she do? She has secured premises more than double the size so that her team can continue to provide their amazing service in a safe and secure environment – but we need your kind support to equip the new larger SHARP Day Centre.
You would think centres like SHARP would be able to access ample funding, but the reality is that it is down to SHARP to do their own fund raising. As the new premises is double the size there is more expense and it needs lots of additional resources. The kitchen and toilets need refurbishing and the entire premises need improving for disabled users; and lots of additional equipment and furniture like table tennis table, kitchen equipment. They would like to build a sensory room that many users will love. So focusing on things that will make a real difference to the new SHARP Centre to better enrich their lives!
Hence, we are asking for small donations which together will bring the vision of the new SHARP Day Centre to a reality and therefore enrich their lives. “I always look forward to SHARP to see my friends and do things with them – it is the best thing in the world!”
We are aiming to raise £8,000 towards equipping the new SHARP Day Centre as soon as possible. When things go back to near normal the new Day Centre can accommodate even more people – so you will be helping to enrich even more people’s lives! Thank you!
Any small donation is gratefully received as every £ counts towards funding all the items and things that are needed. Whether you can donate or not, please, please circulate this on to your contacts and friends - as I am sure others would love to support and be part of a great story to combat Covid 19 for the very vulnerable!
Note: When you donate you can change the tip from 12% to whatever you like by clicking on it and scrolling down to 'Other' and then enter your amount.
Thanking you in advance for your wonderful support.
Max Choi, father of Edwin who needs and absolutely loves attending the SHARP centre.
On behalf of ‘Friends of SHARP’.
JULIE'S AMAZING JOURNEY SO FAR....
In 2010 Julie decided to leave her job as Further Education Tutor to start SHARP as she felt that people with learning difficulties just were not properly supported and had little choices when they finished further education – she just had to do something.
Julie won Ambassador of the Year for Gloucester in November 2013 as a result of the amazing impact that SHARP had made. By 2020 SHARP had over 70 learners and 14 staff.
However, it has not been an easy journey as Julie has been wrestling with significant health issues. Problems with her feet began in 2002 when both feet just 'collapsed' after a gym session. Diagnosis at that time was collapsed arches, she was given orthotics to wear and told there was nothing else that could be done. Over the years she has undergone a range of diagnosis and treatments to deal with the chronic nerve damage in her feet and other complications. In 2016 she was admitted to hospital with bi-lateral Pulmonary Embolism and she almost lost her life as she contracted pneumonia, pleurisy and had fluid on the lung. She was whizzed up to the respiratory ward and had a chest drain put in. It punctured her lung and as a result partial lung death. She now has reduced lung capacity and frequent lung pain. She was in hospital for a month and still continued to manage SHARP from her hospital bed – with the great support of her team!.
Julie also has alopecia universalis where she loss all her hair over 2 days at Christmas 2013. It has never grown back.
So, currently Julie’s feet is managed with pain relief and by having little or no impact on her feet. DWP paid for her to have a power chair to use at work so that she could continue working. She uses a mobility scooter to get around outside of work. Her role at SHARP hasn't changed as she is so passionate about helping others. She adapts to overcome her own hurdles.
In March 2020 Covid-19 caused devastation. SHARP had to close. The world was turned upside down for the learners and their families. Julie’s mental health suffered, yet she tried her best to keep the wheels of SHARP turning as she knew the learners and their families need her vital services. So even when they were formally shut SHARP provided Zoom sessions and other support. As soon as she found the right venue she knew that they should move SHARP to larger premises to enable SHARP to not just survive, but thrive with a fresh start. Staff and learners have suffered over the last 12 months and there is now something so positive to look forward to!
With your kind help and the support of everyone, the aim is to equip the new SHARP venue and to open as soon as possible. So Julie’s and SHARP’s amazing journey continues!
UPDATE: 7th April 2021, the new SHARP centre is open! Clients/learners are delighted as more can now attend. However, there is still a lot to be done to get the centre to be fully equipped and functional.
MORE ABOUT SHARP
SHARP Life and Learning Skills is an education and day centre for people with special needs and learning difficulties. It is a community interest company – a non-profit making organisation, so any profit is put back into the organisation to grow and improve the service. People who come to SHARP have their lives enriched by having an opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities including arts & crafts, cookery, gardening, music, drama, and a range of educational and computer skills, as well as weekly outings.
For further information about how the service supports vulnerable people and provides them with a safe place to learn and enjoy experiences that would otherwise be impossible for them please visit: https://www.sharplifelearning.com/
Bigger Premises for SHARP - Combating Covid!
Equipment campaign for new bigger premises SHARP Day Centre | 3rd March 2021
UPDATE 18th April 2021: SHARP’s 100 Challenges
Last week Captain Tom Moore’s family asked people to do their own 100 Challenge. If there is one good thing that emerges from Covid 19 it is the human spirit of support, love, and kindness towards others. So the SHARP Day Centre for special needs will organise not one, but several 100 Challenges!
SHARP nearly did not survive Covid 19, so please sponsor the challenges by making a donation, and follow their amazing story with regular updates and fun videos. Join in and share their happiness and their amazing spirit. Please share to allow others to get a slice of Sharp’s enthusiasm and entertaining antics! It is what everyone needs!
THE CHALLENGES:
• Bake 100 Cakes - To be completed by the learners
• 100 Giant Bubbles – To be completed by learners - guess how big the biggest bubble will be.
• 100+ Sit-ups in one go – To be completed by Edwin, learner & Max, Friends of SHARP - guess how many they will do?
• 100 Press-ups - Friends of SHARP, Max - who age-wise is almost ready for retirement - so is 100 a bit optimistic? Anyway, he will aim to hit his age as a minimum.
• And more amazing challenges will be revealed going forward! So keep an eye out for updates. But please have a bit of patience as due to Covid 19 restrictions and the learners just settling into their new environment, SHARP may need a bit of time to accomplish all these great challenges.
Apart from sponsoring, please also share our joy and happiness with your contacts. We would also love to hear from you, so please let us know what you like about what we are doing, and join in the fun by having a guess at the following:
1. How big will the biggest bubble be?
2. How many sit-ups will Edwin do?
3. How many press ups will ancient Max - or is it Mad Max? actually achieve?
Introduction to the Founder:
I would like to introduce you to a remarkable lady, Julie Pullen, the Founder and Managing Director of SHARP.
Remarkable because Julie has been battling and is still continuing to battle her own serious health issues which has made her rely on a wheel-chair. Remarkable because Julie and her amazing team, run the SHARP Life & Learning Skills Centre, an education and day service for over 75 vulnerable adults with special needs, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health issues, elderly or just lonely, to continue their learning and personal development. Julie has spent her life enriching the lives of special needs people. She does this because she loves them, understands their challenges and wants to make their lives enriched and happy.
Therefore, she was extremely saddened when due to Covid 19 SHARP had to close not once but several times. For us, Covid 19 and lockdown is already very challenging – but Julie knows that this means great difficulties for them as they are so vulnerable, and their world has been turned completely upside-down. What did she do? She has secured premises more than double the size so that her team can continue to provide their amazing service in a safe and secure environment – but we need your kind support to equip the new larger SHARP Day Centre.
You would think centres like SHARP would be able to access ample funding, but the reality is that it is down to SHARP to do their own fund raising. As the new premises is double the size there is more expense and it needs lots of additional resources. The kitchen and toilets need refurbishing and the entire premises need improving for disabled users; and lots of additional equipment and furniture like table tennis table, kitchen equipment. They would like to build a sensory room that many users will love. So focusing on things that will make a real difference to the new SHARP Centre to better enrich their lives!
Hence, we are asking for small donations which together will bring the vision of the new SHARP Day Centre to a reality and therefore enrich their lives. “I always look forward to SHARP to see my friends and do things with them – it is the best thing in the world!”
We are aiming to raise £8,000 towards equipping the new SHARP Day Centre as soon as possible. When things go back to near normal the new Day Centre can accommodate even more people – so you will be helping to enrich even more people’s lives! Thank you!
Any small donation is gratefully received as every £ counts towards funding all the items and things that are needed. Whether you can donate or not, please, please circulate this on to your contacts and friends - as I am sure others would love to support and be part of a great story to combat Covid 19 for the very vulnerable!
Note: When you donate you can change the tip from 12% to whatever you like by clicking on it and scrolling down to 'Other' and then enter your amount.
Thanking you in advance for your wonderful support.
Max Choi, father of Edwin who needs and absolutely loves attending the SHARP centre.
On behalf of ‘Friends of SHARP’.
JULIE'S AMAZING JOURNEY SO FAR....
In 2010 Julie decided to leave her job as Further Education Tutor to start SHARP as she felt that people with learning difficulties just were not properly supported and had little choices when they finished further education – she just had to do something.
Julie won Ambassador of the Year for Gloucester in November 2013 as a result of the amazing impact that SHARP had made. By 2020 SHARP had over 70 learners and 14 staff.
However, it has not been an easy journey as Julie has been wrestling with significant health issues. Problems with her feet began in 2002 when both feet just 'collapsed' after a gym session. Diagnosis at that time was collapsed arches, she was given orthotics to wear and told there was nothing else that could be done. Over the years she has undergone a range of diagnosis and treatments to deal with the chronic nerve damage in her feet and other complications. In 2016 she was admitted to hospital with bi-lateral Pulmonary Embolism and she almost lost her life as she contracted pneumonia, pleurisy and had fluid on the lung. She was whizzed up to the respiratory ward and had a chest drain put in. It punctured her lung and as a result partial lung death. She now has reduced lung capacity and frequent lung pain. She was in hospital for a month and still continued to manage SHARP from her hospital bed – with the great support of her team!.
Julie also has alopecia universalis where she loss all her hair over 2 days at Christmas 2013. It has never grown back.
So, currently Julie’s feet is managed with pain relief and by having little or no impact on her feet. DWP paid for her to have a power chair to use at work so that she could continue working. She uses a mobility scooter to get around outside of work. Her role at SHARP hasn't changed as she is so passionate about helping others. She adapts to overcome her own hurdles.
In March 2020 Covid-19 caused devastation. SHARP had to close. The world was turned upside down for the learners and their families. Julie’s mental health suffered, yet she tried her best to keep the wheels of SHARP turning as she knew the learners and their families need her vital services. So even when they were formally shut SHARP provided Zoom sessions and other support. As soon as she found the right venue she knew that they should move SHARP to larger premises to enable SHARP to not just survive, but thrive with a fresh start. Staff and learners have suffered over the last 12 months and there is now something so positive to look forward to!
With your kind help and the support of everyone, the aim is to equip the new SHARP venue and to open as soon as possible. So Julie’s and SHARP’s amazing journey continues!
UPDATE: 7th April 2021, the new SHARP centre is open! Clients/learners are delighted as more can now attend. However, there is still a lot to be done to get the centre to be fully equipped and functional.
MORE ABOUT SHARP
SHARP Life and Learning Skills is an education and day centre for people with special needs and learning difficulties. It is a community interest company – a non-profit making organisation, so any profit is put back into the organisation to grow and improve the service. People who come to SHARP have their lives enriched by having an opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities including arts & crafts, cookery, gardening, music, drama, and a range of educational and computer skills, as well as weekly outings.
For further information about how the service supports vulnerable people and provides them with a safe place to learn and enjoy experiences that would otherwise be impossible for them please visit: https://www.sharplifelearning.com/
Organizer
Max Kam-sum Choi
Organizer