Shirley Neighbourhood Care

Shirley Neighbourhood Care Scheme
                        c/o Shirley Methodist Church, Eldon Avenue
                                         Shirley, Croydon CR0 8SD
                       Email: info@shirleyneighbourhoodcare.co.uk
                      www.facebook.com/ShirleyNeighbourhoodCare
                               www.shirleyneighbourhoodcare.co.uk
                                     Registered charity No 1137581

                             020 8662 9599

        SUMMER 2021 NEWSLETTER

                     SNC is part-funded by
    Churches Together in Shirley and Croydon Council.
  Shirley Neighbourhood Care is a local charity helping older
residents to live independently and combat loneliness through
                       a range of services

     SHIRLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD
         CARE IS MOVING!
We have exciting news. We’ve
outgrown our office at the Methodist
Church and will be moving to West
Wickham and Shirley Baptist Church
in July. Thursday Lunch club will
move to the Baptist Church on
Wickham Road too starting from
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22 July. As part of our new
partnership with the Baptist Church,
we will also run their Monday lunch
club and include clients from West
Wickham in our full range of activities.
Our fantastic chef Kevin will be
responsible for providing delicious
two-course meals at both lunch clubs.
(Read more detail later in the
newsletter).
Even better news is that we are
planning a calendar of activities to get
you out of the house and meeting
other people.
All of these plans depend on the
Government relaxing rules around
social distancing so are therefore
subject to change.
Booking lines for all events will open
at 10am on Thursday 1 July so call
the office on 020 8662 9599 to
reserve your space for lunch club,
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film club or any of our special events.
MOVIE MATINÉES Our film club will
remain at Shirley Methodist Church
on Eldon Avenue where you will be
able to enjoy top rated movies in the
comfort of our easy chairs in the
lounge. The price of £5 will include
refreshments. We aren’t allowed to
publicise which film is scheduled to
be shown, but call the SNC office to
find out the title. Let the SNC office
know if you need transport to the
Church—a return fare will cost £5.
Remember the Church is near a bus
stop for those who can travel
independently.
Subject to the relaxation of social
distancing by the Government, Movie
matinees will be held on: Friday
30 July, Friday 20 August and
Friday 17 September
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If you have family living locally, let
them know that we also show the
films in the evening to anyone,
regardless of age!
Call the SNC office or email
sncs@shirleyneighbourhoodcare.co.uk
for more information. All seats must
be booked in advance. Evening
performance ticket price is £6 per
person.
Other Activities:
Tuesday 3 August: Polhill Garden
Centre about 25 minutes drive away.
An opportunity for shopping and tea
and cake in the restaurant. You will
be picked up from home between
12.30pm and 1.30pm.The fare for the
journey will be £10 and you will need
money for shopping and tea. You
should be home no later than
5.30pm. Unfortunately we cannot
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book more than one wheelchair on
outings to garden centres.
Tuesday 11 August—12.30pm at
the Toby Carvery at Eden Park.
Come and enjoy the carvery where a
main course starts at £7.29 per head.
There is a 194 bus stop outside for
those who wish to travel
independently or alternatively we can
arrange transport at £5 per
passenger.
Wednesday 25 August: Coombe
Gardens 3pm Enjoy tea and cake
and the beautiful flowers in the
garden. We can arrange transport at
£5 per person.
Wednesday 8 September —lunch
at the Apple Tree pub at the top of
Bridle Road in Shirley at 12.30pm.
Come and enjoy a main course for
around £9-£10 per head. There is a
194 and 198 bus stop nearby if you

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prefer to make your own travel
arrangements, or alternatively we
can arrange transport at £5 per
passenger.
Wednesday 22 September —
Woodcote Garden Centre about 25
minutes drive away. An opportunity
for shopping and tea and cake in the
restaurant. You will be picked up
from home between 12.30pm and
1.30pm.The fare for the journey will
be £10 and you will need money for
shopping and tea. You should be
home no later than 5.30pm.
Unfortunately we cannot book more
than one wheelchair on outings to
garden centres.

SNC Services
Lunch club
Our lunch clubs will re-launch on
Thursday 22 July and Monday
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26 July. If social distancing persists,
we may have to restrict the number of
participants; however, your first visit to
the lunch club in July will be free—
providing you have reserved a place
and subject to availability. Both lunch
clubs will run Mondays and Thursdays
at West Wickham and Shirley Baptist
Church on Wickham Road at the
Monks Orchard, Bridle Road junction.
Our chef, Kevin, cooks a delicious
and nutritious two-course hot meal.
Initially we will just be inviting you for
lunch with no activities. Please arrive
between 12 noon and 12.15pm. In
September we hope to be able to
include a range of after lunch
activities including bingo, readers,
speakers and other entertainment.
The cost per person is £8. Places
need to be booked in advance and
confirmed or cancelled no later than
at midday two working days prior to
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lunch club. If you require transport to
lunch club we recommend registering
for a free service offered by
Transport for London, Dial-A-Ride,
which may be available if you meet
the criteria. Telephone 0343 222
7777 to find out if you qualify for the
service or check out the website:
www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/dial-a-ride
If you would like to join either our
Monday or Thursday lunch club—
contact the SNC office for further
details 0208 662 9599

Shopping bus
We will re-launch our shopping bus
service from Wednesday 21 July. If
social distancing persists, we will
need to reduce the number of
passengers and run trips both
morning and afternoon if there is a
demand for the service. We provide
a weekly shopping bus to different
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supermarkets on alternate weeks:
Sainsbury’s at West Wickham
(Tuesdays) and Tesco’s at Elmer's
End (Wednesdays). Unfortunately
most supermarkets have decided not
to re-open their cafés. This means
that we can only offer a shopping
experience. A mini bus picks you up
and returns you home. An escort
helps with your bags. If you would like
to come shopping then just phone
0208 662 9599 to book a regular
place every week. We charge £7 per
person for the return trip. We have a
waiting list of clients who would like to
join the shopping bus so, please let us
know as soon as possible if you book
a place and are then unable to make
the trip so we can offer the opportunity
to another client.

Medical Transport
We have a team of volunteer drivers
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who give their time freely to take you
to, and bring you home from any local
medical appointment including GP
surgeries, hospitals, podiatrists,
dentists, opticians etc. in Croydon or
Bromley. It’s helpful to provide us with
a week’s notice to find a driver.
Clients often like to give a small
donation for the travel and they ask
for advice on what to donate. The
recommended amounts are:
•   a local drive within Shirley,
    including Shirley Oaks Hospital,
    Shirley Clinic or local GP
    surgeries, £4 for a return journey;
•   Croydon University Hospital,
    Beckenham Beacon and Purley
    Hospitals - £6 each way;
•   Princess Royal Hospital - £7 each
    way;
•   Orpington Hospital - £8 each way.
These donations are given to the
volunteer driver who passes them on
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to Shirley Neighbourhood Care. We
are very grateful for the donations as
they help us to continue to provide
this service. If you have a blue
badge, remember to bring it with you
so that the driver can ensure you can
be dropped as close as possible to
your destination. Please note that all
parking charges need to be paid for
by the client and disabled parking
spaces at hospitals may incur a fee.

Shirley Library Many of you will know
that Croydon Council is asking for
feedback regarding the future of the library
service. Savings need to be made due to
the Council’s financial situation and they
are looking at various options to reduce
costs. A second survey is under way and
you can take part online at
getinvolved.croydon.gov.uk/project/695
or pick up a paper copy from Shirley
Library on a Monday or ring SNC and we
will deliver. Just let us know when it is

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ready to be collected. Additionally, Council
representatives will be outside Shirley
Library on Monday 12 July between
12.30pm and 2pm to answer your
questions.

Peony Court Residential Home at
58 Addiscombe Road is holding a Summer
Garden Party Open House on Saturday
17th July from 10.00am to 3.00pm. With
outside entertainment, activities, tours of
the home and refreshments all day. Peony
Court’s telephone number is 0203 613
9656

Payments to SNC we need to reduce
the amount of cash we hold and will
introduce a credit card payment
system which should be available from
July for some services. Online
payments and cheques will also be
accepted. Cash will still be allowed if
there is no alternative and cash is
preferred for medical drive donations.

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