We are thinking of all of our service users at this time. As we cannot run our services in the usual way, we have set up a RESOURCES page, which contains interesting links and ideas for ways to stay in touch. We will be updating this page regularly so check back often.....
Latest news
Message from Andrew following the government's final daily Covid-19 update
One final post in celebration of Learning Disability Week 2020. We hope you have a great weekend, from everyone at Parchment Trust
Learning Disability Week 2020
Learning Disability Week 2020
Learning Disability Week 2020
Parchment Trust are proud to be supporting Learning Disability Week 2020
Christopher Court 08/02/89 – 26/05/20
The world often associates quietness with a lack of personality. Those of us at Parchment Trust who had the privilege of spending time with Chris these last nine years know that is not true.
Chris was one of the big characters at the Trust. You could tell that because when he came into the room many of us would often stop what we were doing and take time just to check in with him. He simply drew you to himself. Chris had the most amazing smile that greeted everyone he met.
While it was great to see him laugh and be a part of his mischievous sense of humour I think many of us will remember how humbled we felt when we saw how he persevered even when he was in pain.
He’s going to be missed but certainly not forgotten.
He will always be part of our Parchment Family.
May 21st - Hello!
We hope you are keeping well.
Here is a video from us at the Co-op and DBS to you.
Reminder: Don’t forget to clap for our wonderful NHS and Carers tonight at 8pm.
May 15th - Britains Got Skills
To find out more about how to join in, please follow this link:
https://ncw2020.co.uk/skills-days/
May 11th - Friary Gardeners Delivery Service
We are pleased to announce our new delivery service. You can now purchase and pay for plants over the phone and we will deliver them to your doorstep. Please call us on 01424 755800 and choose option 3 (Friary Gardeners) to place your order today.
We regret that we are currently unable to provide a collection service from the site.
April 29th - Clapping for Carers
Join us tomorrow evening at 8pm in clapping for our carers. Here is a video of some of us who took part last week.
April 27th - Message from David Walker
Please see this message of reassurance from David Walker, who oversees Conquest and Eastbourne hospitals and also happens to be one of our trustees!
April 24th - Minute of Silence
Please join us in a minute's silence next Tuesday at 11am for all health care and key workers who have paid the highest price during this crisis....
April 17th - Update from Andrew
Dear all
I hope that you are all safe and well.
As you may well know by now, the government announced yesterday (Thursday) that the Covid 19 restrictions that have been in place for the last three and a half weeks will remain in place for at least the next three weeks. Given the current situation, this was very much to be expected, though I know that this will come as a disappointment to many of you who continue to struggle in very difficult circumstances.
My colleagues and I remain committed to doing everything we can to support you and we will remain in regular touch throughout this “lockdown” period, however long it lasts. Please continue to let us know how you think we can help.
Please continue to follow the government advice about handwashing, remaining at home except for exercise once a day, to shop for essentials and to travel to work if work cannot be done at home.
The senior team and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your understanding and support at this very difficult time. You are in our thoughts and prayers. I am looking forward to seeing you as soon as possible.
Yours
Andrew
April 16th - Walkies!
Hi everyone,
Well done to those of you that joined in with Hannah Boogie! For those of you that prefer a slower pace, or can’t get out of the house at the moment, we have made a virtual dog walk for you.
Don’t forget to clap again tonight at 8.00pm...let’s see who can make the most noise!
Look forward to seeing you again tomorrow afternoon for our drop in zoom session at 2.00pm
Take care 😀
April 15th - Video Update - Kelly
Kelly is back in the woods with another video update!
April 9th - Video Update - Andrew
Andrew has an update for you - with some information on our new RESOURCES page on our website.
April 8th - Video Montage
Reminiscing of happier times when we could all be together in person. Don’t forget to join us again tomorrow, for our Hannah Boogie session via Zoom at 1:30pm.
Please email
for the link.
following Hannah Boogie, we will also be hosting our usual ‘Friday drop in sessions’ tomorrow instead, due to the Bank Holiday. Please email if you would like to join us and a link and time slot will be sent to you.
April 7th - Video Update - Liv
Well done to those of you that joined Hannah Boogie just now. We had 43 people involved! It just proves that the lyrics in this video are more true now, than ever before....
Here is our lovely and incredibly talented Liv, with a song for us all to let you know that we are always here for you
April 2nd - Video Update - Kelly
Kelly and her 2 dogs have a video update for you all today!
April 1st - Video Update - Andrew
Hi everyone. Just a brief message from Andrew aka 'The Big Cheese' to update and encourage you
March 30th - Video Update - Jade
Hi everyone,
How was your weekend? Just a quick little video to say hi to you all. Rumour has it that the ‘Big Cheese’ (Andrew Phillips, CEO) will also be posting one in the next few days...watch this space.
Missing you all! Have a good afternoon
March 27th - Weekend update
Dear Service User, Parent/Carer, Staff and Supporter,
We hope that you are all safe and well.
Parchment Trust continues to watch closely the unfolding and complex situation the country finds itself in and monitors daily the latest Government Guidance. We would very much like to be able to give you further detail but as you will all be aware, we just have to wait until the situation changes or improves before we can resume service as normal.
We remain utterly committed to maintaining communication with everyone that we can and supporting those who need it most.
The senior team would like to thank each and every one of you for your understanding and support at this very difficult time.
We hope that we will be able to deliver more detail and happier news soon.
Enjoy the sunshine and have a good a weekend as possible in the circumstances.
Best Wishes,
Andrew, Theresa and Alan
March 24th - Parchment Trust Closure
Dear service users, parents and carers
As you will know by now, I took the decision last night that Parchment Trust would close with immediate effect and until further notice. This decision was taken in consultation with the service directors.
The decision was taken with a very heavy heart – until yesterday we had been continuing to provide service to all those who were able to come in and had taken every precaution to keep service users and staff safe. The staff have worked with great dedication to ensure this and I am very grateful for their support and for the response of service users.
However, following the Prime Minister’s address at 8.30pm last night, we have decided that we must adhere to government advice in order to keep our service users and staff as safe as possible. All Parchment Trust services have therefore closed with immediate effect and will remain closed until the situation improves. The Prime Minister has said the current measures will be reviewed in three weeks’ time. The senior staff and I will obviously be monitoring the situation closely and we will stay in touch with you.
My thoughts are with you all at this very difficult time.
With thanks again and very best wishes
Andrew Phillips Chief Executive Parchment Trust
March 23rd - Parchment Trust Closure
Following the Prime Minister’s address at 8.30pm this evening (Monday), we have decided that we must adhere to his advice in order to keep our service users and staff as safe as possible.
All Parchment Trust services will therefore close with immediate effect and will not reopen tomorrow (Tuesday 24th March). Services will remain closed until the situation improves. As you know, circumstances change daily, and we will keep you as updated as possible in the meantime.
My thoughts are with you all at this very difficult time.
Andrew Phillips Chief Executive Parchment Trust Ltd
March 20th Parchment Trust Coronavirus Update
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful service users, parents/carers and staff for their continued support and understanding in this difficult and unsettling time.
We continue to monitor the advice and guidance provided by both local authority and national bodies to help us make informed decisions.
Today we have started to plan additional measures that we will roll out next week.
We will continue to keep you updated.
With best wishes,
Parchment Trust
March 18th - Parchment Trust Transport Update in relation to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
We have taken the decision today to suspend all Parchment Trust transport services for group pick up and drop offs, with effect from Friday 20th March 2020. There will be no further transport available until further notice, following individuals returning home on Thursday afternoon.
This is in response to the risks of transmission of Covid-19 in confined environments.
March 18th - Parchment Trust Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Update
We have been monitoring this unprecedented pandemic closely over the last few weeks and we are duty bound to highlight some recent guidance and advice from Public Health England on Social Distancing.
The guidance outlines measures to reduce social interactions between individuals and therefore to slow down the transmission of Covid-19. Individuals particularly at risk have been advised to be especially stringent in following these measures.
Individuals with a Learning Disability have been highlighted along with individuals with ongoing health conditions.
Please see the list and guidance using the link below:
With this guidance in mind, we ask that you consider the health and wellbeing of the person you care for and whether you think it appropriate for them to continue accessing their service with Parchment Trust at this time. We know this is a difficult decision for you. The service managers would be happy to discuss in further detail with you. Parchment Trust has completed specific risk assessments on all service users and staff and will be making decisions in the coming days about how best to safeguard those most at risk.
At this time, Parchment Trust will remain open to service users.
March 13th - Covid-19
You will be aware that the UK has moved from the “containment” phase of managing the coronavirus to the “delay” stage. At this point, Parchment Trust remains open and continues to provide service.
As I’m sure you will appreciate, we are currently dealing with a complex and rapidly changing situation. Our first priority will always be the health and safety of our service users and staff. Now, more than ever, this remains our primary focus. This is an unprecedented situation and we are following official advice from the government, the NHS and service commissioners. This advice is being updated constantly and we are monitoring and responding as it is published. This official advice will underpin all the actions we take.
If anyone for whom you have a duty of care shows any symptoms of the virus (a new, persistent cough and/or fever), please keep them at home for at least 7 days and self-isolate. Please also advise the service manager as soon as possible. We appreciate that certain service users will be more vulnerable, due to their underlying health conditions. We will be maintaining the cleanliness of our premises and limiting the number of non-essential visitors.
Whilst I appreciate that there will be a wide range of different views about how we should be responding and what action should be taken, I hope you will appreciate that we are duty bound to follow the official advice from government at the same time as making decisions for our service users and staff. Please do not hesitate to contact me or the service manager with any questions or concerns.
March 12th Covid-19 update
Dear all
As of today, 12th March, the number of patients in England who have now tested positive for coronavirus has increased from 8 to 460. This figure is rising each day and sadly 8 people have lost their lives so far. Although the risk to individuals remains low, we as an organisation need to be very vigilant and apply extra caution. As you know, this is because so many of our service users have underlying and ongoing health conditions that mean that they are particularly susceptible to the virus.
UK Chief Medical Officers are advising anyone who has travelled to the UK from the list of countries below to self-isolate for the next 14 days, even if you do not have any symptoms:
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Anywhere in Italy on or after 9th March,
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Specific areas in Northern Italy in the last 14 days,
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Iran in the last 14 days,
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Hubei Province in China in the last 14 days,
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Daegu in the last 14 days,
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Cheongdo or Gyeongsan in South Korea in the last 14 days.
If you have travelled to the UK from any of the countries listed below in the last 14 days and you are experiencing a cough, fever or shortness of breath (even if mild) they are advising you to stay indoors and call NHS 111 immediately:
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Mainland China outside of Hubei Province
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South Korea outside of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan
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Cambodia
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Hong Kong
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Japan
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Laos
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Macau
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Malaysia
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Myanmar
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Singapore
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Taiwan
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Thailand
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Vietnam
If you, or anyone you have been in contact with, has recently travelled in any of these countries, you must let us know so that we can advise you further. If you yourself are planning to travel to any of these locations, please tell your service manager as soon as possible.
In addition, as a precautionary measure we are asking that we do not support our service users to visit Brighton or London until further notice. We are also restricting service user visits to enclosed public places for the time being. Please speak to the service manager if you need further clarification. Some examples are:
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Bowling alleys
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Cinemas
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Theatres
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Pavilions
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Large shopping centres
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Gyms
This is not an exhaustive list and all activities will be risk assessed on an individual and daily basis.
Please continue to keep yourselves up to date with the guidance from Public Health England and the policies sent out previously.
We ask that you keep us informed of any travel arrangements and anything else that could affect your role and potentially increase the risk to our service users.
Thank you for your support in helping us keep everyone as safe as possible.
Please keep an eye on our website for further details.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Andrew Phillips
Chief Executive
For additional information on what to do, see this flowchart from public health england or visit https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
02/07/2020 - Update on the Bridge
01/07/2020 - Congratulations to Heather, who today became Parchment Trust's very first job coach!