Christmas Comes Early for ‘ARF’!

Hi Everyone, apologies for the delayed update to the blog, but this is due to some extremely exciting news? On the 17th December 2009 our dream finally became a reality when we moved into our new home.

As you can imagine this presented us with new challenges and required additional support from both our friends and families who again rose to the occasion in aid of supporting ‘ARF Living Their Dream’. We are pleased to confirm that with this support and Crossroads Care Bexley we have our 24/7 support structure in place to live independently of our families.

This adventure has taken three years in the making and we have so many people to thank. We must begin with Val and Mary who started this project with our parents and without their support and professionalism our dream would have continued to be a just a dream. We’ve had the support of both new and old friends throughout the three years and it would take too long to list all individuals personally in the blog, but we must make special mentions to the following:

Diane Connor and Margaret Harrild for their support in organising a number of imaginative and successful fund raising events throughout 2009, the last being the ‘Christmas Twins Night’ which raised £550. Axis for their continued support and amazing Charity Disco held in September. RBS/Churchills for their support throughout 2009 raising a final total of over £3,000 from various events which included Raffles, Cake & Book mornings, Boot Fair, Internal works Calendar and a number of personal donations.

We must also thank a number of local businesses and services for their continued support which include Bexley Services, Crossroads Care Bexley and Southern Carpets.

As previously mentioned we apologise for not being able to list everyone in this blog but we are in the process of sending thank you letters to ALL individuals/groups who supported us in achieving our dream. We will also be sending VIP invites to an ‘ARF Open Day’ which will be held in March. However our front door is always open and you are welcome to visit us at anytime.

We have one final thank you and that’s to our families, especially our parents who without their love, support and dedication our dream would not have become a reality. Our parents are our voice and it’s to them that we owe so much through their love, care and dedication to support our dream of living a normal independent life in our own home within the local community.

We are blessed to be surrounded by so many caring people providing unconditional love, allowing three friends to enjoy life and the adventures that only others can dream of. We are proof that dreams can come true if you wish hard enough and have those around you that are dedicated in supporting others.

Thank you, we owe so much to you ALL and you will always have our gratitude, love and the knowledge that you made three young adults life’s so much more fulfilling with your support, love and generosity.

Thank You!

Cheerio’
Charlotte, Kerrie & Nik : ) lol

‘ARF October/November Blog’

Hi All,
We are pleased to inform everyone that after three years of planning and tremendous support from Friends, Family and Bexley authority we finally collected our keys to our new home on the 18th November, hooray!

We are hoping to move into our new home on the 7th Dec once all the furnishings and fittings have been completed. Our parents and CRCB are working hard to ensure our CSW team are fully trained and able to support a 24/7 rota.

Fundraising Events:
A number of events were held during the months of October and November to raise further funds for ‘ARF':

Nik’s Cowboy Themed Party:

To celebrate Nik leaving home and commencing his new adventure with ‘ARF’ guests were invited to join a Cowboy themed evening with hat’s, Bucking Bronco and great food.

As you can see from the above pictures everyone had a great evening. The event raised £480 which included a raffle, personal donations and from the sale of an autographed set of 9 children’s books donated by the author Denis Bond.

Author Denis Bond

Nik’s Friends and Family also raised a further £250 in personal donations and fund raising on the behalf of ‘ARF’. Well done everyone!

Bangers & Burgers!:
Our great friend Diane held another ‘ARF’ event at her home on the 5th November to celebrate ‘Bonfire Night’. Guests were charged an entrance fee and the pleasure of eating Burgers & Hot Dogs. Everyone had a great night and the event raised £200.

Sleepover:
Charlotte’s Aunt Cheryl held another Girls night at her home and charged guests for the pleasure of an overnight stay and morning breakfast. Well breakfast turned into more of a ‘Brunch’ due to the amount of liquid refreshments consumed the night before ha,ha.

The girls giggled all-night long and raised £145 in the process Zzzzzzzzzzz!

Churchill Insurance:

Charlotte’s Mum Kay was presented with a cheque for the sum of £1,125.30 during November which was raised on the behalf of ‘ARF’ throughout various events during 2009.

The above picture includes Charlotte’s Aunt Jackie and her colleagues from the RBS Business Support team who continue to support ‘ARF’ with further events scheduled for December.

We also received a further Cheque for the sum of £300 which was a RBS team award which the team kindly agreed to donate to ‘ARF’.

Once again a big thank you goes to everyone at Churchill’s/RBS for their continued support.

Well what a couple of busy months it’s been and how pleased we are to be able to share our amazing news about receiving the keys to our new home. We will update you next month with our progress to finally achieving our dream of living independently in our own home. So don’t forget to check our blog towards the end of December for the best Christmas present ever!

Until next time, thank you everyone for your continued support!

Cheerio’
Charlotte, Kerrie & Nik : ) lol

PS: There are a few tickets left for the Twins Christmas Party in Dartford on Sunday 6th December at £25 per person. Please check the blog for further details

Back by request – The ‘ARF Twins Night’ (Part 2)!

Since the success of the last ARF Twins Night back in June we’ve had numerous requests to hold an additional event at Twins Restaurant in Dartford. So we’ve decided to hold a Christmas Party to celebrate the success of ‘ARF’ living their dream.

Date: Sunday 6th December
Time: 7:00pm – 11:30pm
Venue: Twins Restaurant, 3-4 Copperfields Shopping Centre, Spital St, Dartford DA1 2DE

We’ve managed to secure a VIP area for 100 ‘ARF’ guests to enjoy a Chinese Banquet and dance to the sound of 60, 70, & 80’s Soul Classic’s provided by ‘The Funky Soul Sisters’.

Tickets* for the event are £25 per person which includes various Chinese speciality dishes from Twins Hors D’oeuvre, Pancake & Main courses menu, music from ‘The Funky Soul Sisters’.

Due to the limited amount of tickets available for the evening we recommend purchasing your ticket(s) early to avoid disappointment. You can purchase your ticket(s) now in full or a £10 deposit per person will secure your ticket(s) and the remaining amount must be paid in full by 27th November or the ticket(s) will be resold.

Mixed groups or groups of ladies are welcome, please make up a table with your group and enjoy the festivities of the evening.

Anyone requiring additional information or wishing to donate a raffle prize please contact one of the following:

Diane Connor, 35 Victoria Hill Road, Hextable, BR8 7LL
Telephone No's: 01322 660964 or 07855 327452
Email: d.connor4@ntlworld.com

We look forward to seeing you all on the 6th December for a wonderful night of food and dancing!

*NB: All alcoholic and soft drink beverages are NOT included in the price of the event ticket and must be purchased and paid for by guests.

Yee-haw! - Ride ‘em’ Cowboy

Howdy Partner,
Why not join us to celebrate Cowboy Nik’s next big adventure with a leaving home ‘Rodeo’ party on Saturday 10th October from 6pm onwards at:

Spring Cottage,
11 Clarence Crescent,
Sidcup,
Kent DA14 4DG
RSVP Tricia: 07988 027785 or 020 8302 6804
Email: triciatsatsoulis@googlemail.com

The evening includes the following:
- Bucking Bronco 6:30 – 9:30pm
- Karaoke from 8pm
- Fajitas & Paella
- Sangria & Beer (please bring a bottle)
- Raffle (All profits go to Abbey Road Friends)

The evening is a Cowboy theme so wear jeans, etc. but ALL guns must be left at the Sheriff’s office.

Hi Ho Silver!

‘ARF September Blog’

Hi All,

We have some tremendous news to share with you all this month regarding the amazing support ‘ARF’ continue to receive in living our dream:

Axis Disco at the Valley:

Axis foundation held a disco evening at Charlton Athletic Football Club on Friday 18th September in support of ‘ARF’. The event was well attended with over 250 guests that included Axis staff, ‘ARF’ friends and family. There was also red carpet treatment for one very special guest; can you guess who?

That’s right; it was none other than our own ‘ARF’ celebrity, Kerrie. Kerrie and all the guests had a great evening boogying on the dance floor, which unfortunately was not captured due to a total ban on the paparazzi.

The evening raised an amazing £4,000 which is absolutely tremendous, but that’s not all. Axis foundation have agreed to match the amount raised on the evening and double it to a staggering £8,000. Axis will use the £8,000 raised to purchase items to furnish the ‘ARF’ property from a very large shopping list.

‘ARF’ and Family would like to thank the Axis foundation for their generous support in living our dream. We would also like to personally thank John Hayes, Tim Hayes and the Axis staff for their amazing generosity and support in organising the event which raised such an incredible final evening total.

THANK YOU AXIS!

Keep on Running:
Faith Lee completed the Adidas Women’s 5K Challenge on the 6th September, a day after her birthday in a time of 45 minutes. Faith dedicated her run in support of ‘ARF’ and raised £150.

Faith now has the bug and is setting her sites on bigger events and has agreed to support ‘ARF’ further by running the ‘Silverstone ½ Marathon’ in March 2010. Anyone wishing to sponsor Faith & ARF please contact abbeyroad.friends@googlemail.com. Well done Faith on a great achievement.

Woo Woo Punch & Vodka Jelly’s:
Kerrie’s Mum Tracey held a BBQ for Family and Friends on the 12th September in support of ‘ARF’. Guests made a donation for the pleasure of BBQ food, Woo Woo Punch, Orange & Raspberry Vodka Jelly’s. The event raised £140

Taxi for?:
Friends of Kerrie’s Mum Tracey have been making donations towards travel costs when Tracey has driven them on a trip or night out. The total raised to date is £60

Ladies Pamper & Shopping Night:

Friday 25th September ‘ARF’s good friend Diane held a ‘Ladies Pamper and Shopping Night’ in a Scout Hall in Dartford, in support of ‘ARF’. There were numerous stalls providing various beauty treatments, fashion jewellery, lingerie, Krispy Kreme donuts, etc.

The final amount raised on the evening was £175

Personal Donations:
We would also like to thank a number of ‘ARF’ family and friends who have made personal donations, which are very much appreciated.

Our New Home:
Our excitement continues to grow with the thought of seeing our new home, but unfortunately we still have no confirmation of completion yet from Hexagon the contractors. We continue to ask our parents to drive past the property for an update on progress and as you can see from the picture above things look on track?

Well that’s about it again for another busy month and what an amazing month it’s been with everyone supporting us in living our dream. We will continue to keep the blog updated with future events and any news regarding our completion date, so keep checking.

Until next time, thank you everyone for your continued support!

Cheerio’

Charlotte, Kerrie & Nik : ) lol

‘ARF August Blog’

We all hope you enjoyed your summer holidays?

Our Friends and Family continued to support us throughout August with a number of events which also utilised the sunny weather.

BBQ & Girls Night:
Charlotte’s Aunt Chrissie and Cheryl held two events during August by inviting Family and Friend’s to a BBQ and Girl’s night to which they encouraged guest’s to make donations for food and the pleasure of a sleepover with breakfast. The combined total raised at both events’ which included a raffle was £230. Everyone had a great time, well done Aunt Chrissie and Cheryl

Churchill Insurance:
Our friends at Churchill Insurance Bromley continue to support ‘ARF’ this month by raising a further £254 from an internal staff raffle which brings the grand total raised to date to an amazing £792. The team plan to attend a ‘Boot’ sale in the near future with donations of items from staff with all proceeds going to ‘ARF’.

Thank you to everyone at Churchill’s for their continued support and commitment in helping ‘ARF’ live our dream

Cross Roads Care Bexley:
Our parents continue to work with CRCB in recruiting Care Support Workers staff in conjunction with the ‘ARF’ project and the latest interviews are scheduled to take place during October

Our New Home:
Our parents were lucky enough to view our new home this month and we are pleased to confirm that it exceeded ALL their expectations. Unfortunately we were are unable to attend the visit due to Health & Safety reasons but we are getting really excited about seeing our new home for the first time!

Hexagon have advised us that they are behind schedule by a couple of weeks and our new home should be ready by end of October

Well that’s about it again for another month. As always we would like to thank everyone for their continued support and generosity in supporting ‘ARF’ live their dream.

Cheerio’

Charlotte, Kerrie & Nik : ) lol

PS: Don’t forget to keep up with the latest news and events on the ‘ARF’ Bulletin Board to the right of this Blog!

You deserve to be pampered!

Feeling tired and stressed, why not treat yourself or a loved one to a ‘Holistic Massage’


From August Nik’s Mum Tricia we be providing ‘Relaxing Holistic Massages’ in the comfort of your own home. Tricia is an ITEC Qualified Therapist and a member of CTHA.

The sessions last an hour which consists of half hour consultation and half hour massage all for the low cost of £15 (all profits go to ‘ARF’).

Please contact Tricia on either 07988 027785 or tricia_tsatsoulis_123@hotmail.co.uk to arrange an appointment.