Life Summer 2014 Dear Friends of Oakleaf,

Welcome to the Summer 2014 edition of Oakleaf Life!

I can’t believe I have been working with this fantastic charity for a year already! I’ve had an absolute blast and the time has flown by. Mental Health is not always a very popular topic, and can be difficult to fund. We are very lucky to have you, our fantastic friends, and I would like to personally thank you for welcoming me to the Oakleaf Family and supporting us through what was a very difficult start to the year, thriving into the sunshine now!

We were very proud to take part in Volunteer’s week this year and celebrate all of the wonderful people who help at Oakleaf! Supporters have also been helping by taking part in the Sponsored Walk, and Annual BBQ & Cake Sale. Not to forget all the love from our corporate and community sponsors as well!

We are currently planning an Open Day event at Oakleaf to mark World Mental Health Day on 10th October, so make sure to watch this space!

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Oakleaf Life! Have a great rest of this summer and thank you once again!

Best wishes,

Deepti Parmar, Events & Marketing Executive

5 Yoga and Wellness5 Job Club Success5 Social Activities5 MH Awareness 5 Give as You Live 5 Community Support 5 Hort at G Live 5 Events Diary

We’ve all heard that yoga is good for you, and for those of

us that have tried it have discovered that it makes us feel

better. Regular practice can offer all kinds of mental and

physical health benefits. Some, like improved flexibility, are

clearly evident. Others, including mental clarity and stress

reduction, may be more subtle but are just as powerful.

When put together, all the benefits contribute to an

increased feeling of well-being.

Find your inner yogi at Oakleaf! Yoga Classes are every Friday at 10:00am.

For more information, please contact Client Services at

01483 303649 or info@oakleaf-enterprise.org

OUR CLIENT TRAINING & ACTIVITIES

Yogis at Oakleaf

Job Club Success

The Oakleaf Job Club is thriving and we are

very excited for our most recent clients who

have found part-time work!

Congratulations to Lucy and Barry for

securing part-time volunteering positions,

and Stephen for his new full-time role - we

wish you all the best!

The Oakleaf Job Club runs three times a

week, and aims to support clients looking

for full-time, part-time and voluntary work.

With the skills they have gained through

their vocational training at Oakleaf, the

club provides support in job searching,

creating a CV, writing cover letters,

completing application forms, contacting

potential employers and developing

interview skills.

Job Club Times:

Tuesdays at 11:30am

Wednesdays at 3:30pm

Thursdays at 10:30am

Please contact Tina for more information at

01483 303649 or info@oakleaf-enterprise.org

Client Bites the Blues Horticulture client, Julian Parratt has been attending

Oakleaf for the last year and has written a book of poetry,

songs and short stories titled ‘Blake’s Blues - Caring for the

Earth’. An achievement he is particularly proud of, the

book along with numerous records and other publications,

has been a creative process for Julian, allowing him to

manage his mental health problems and steer him away

from alcoholism. Attending Horticulture 3 times a week at

Oakleaf, Julian has learnt both soft and hard landscaping

skills, but he particularly enjoys the hard labouring work,

‘mixing cement, building and filing the wheelbarrow are

great exercise for me and I really enjoy that aspect of my

training’, he states. He finds gardening and his creative

pastimes a form of therapy and also attends art courses at

the Guildford YMCA, aiming to share his creativity to make

a difference to the community.

Social Inclusion Activities

Enjoying a great BBQ & Cake Sale at Oakleaf!

Dance Therapy At Oakleaf we are continuously introducing

new Social Inclusion Activities that aim to

promote wellbeing. Dance is a dynamic

way to exercise the mind and express

yourself through movement. If you are

interested, please speak to Client Services.

Keep an eye on our activities calender,

Sessions take place twice a month!

Upcoming Client Activities:

• Yoga Sessions - Every Friday at 10:00am

• Mindfulness - 14th August at 11:00am

• Big Breakfast - 18th August at 10:00am

• Dance Workshop - 21st August at 1:30pm

• Bank Holiday - (Oakleaf Closed) 25th August

• Mindfulness - 26th August at 11:00am

• Happy Health Cooking Group - 27th August at 1:45pm

• Film Night - 27th August at 4:00pm

• Dog Walking Group - Starts 1st September at 2pm

• Confidence Course - Starts 8th September

• Oakleaf turns 17! - 19th September

Summer Fun-draising in the Sun! The annual Oakleaf BBQ & Cake Sale took place on 18th June and was a huge hit! We were lucky to have

such great weather, all in all making for a wonderful day of homemade burgers, sausages, and lots of

yummy cakes and treats. We would like to thank all of our clients, volunteers, trustees, staff and supporters

who helped and joined us for the event! We look forward to hosting the next one!

PLEASE SUPPORT US!5 By organising or taking part in

fundraising events/activities

5 By becoming a corporate or community partner

Confidence CourseThe incredibly successful 10 week

Confidence Course at Oakleaf returns

on 8th September and will take place on

Mondays, 1:30-3:30pm. To enrol, please

contact Client Services on 01483 303649 or

info@oakleaf-enterprise.org

5 By making a donation

5 By donating time, services or products

5 By supporting our activities or events

Exercise and physical activity can provide a

positive effect in your life. Something that you

really enjoy, that gives you a goal to aim for

and a sense of purpose. Walking in particular

has been seen to reduce physical symptoms of

depression and anxiety associated with minor

stress resulting in improvements in individual

quality of life

For the fifth consecutive year, the Oakleaf team

took part in the Guildford Rotary Annual 10K

Sponsored Walk. With a new route, the team of

staff, clients, volunteers, trustees and supporters

have raised over £2300!

OUR DONORS, SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS

The Oakleaf team at the Annual Sponsored Charity Walk!

Walking for better Mental Health

Classic Car ShowOakleaf has been nominated as one of 4 charities

that will be supported at this year’s Cranleigh Lions’

2014 Classic Car Show!

Taking place on Sunday 17th August 2014 the

show will feature around 1,700 classic vehicles of

all shapes and sizes, from motorcycles to massive

commercial and military vehicles. A great day out

for the whole family!

For more details, please visit: http://www.cranleighlions.org/classic-car-show.php

Trinity Folk Festival Folk, roots and acoustic music rang out from the heart of Guildford on 3rd May as the annual Trinity Folk

Festival took place. Over 300 people packed Holy Trinity Church for most of the day and eventing to enjoy

the tunes. Set at a fantastic venue, the church provided a stunning backdrop and amazing acoustics.

Carolyn Graham, the festival organiser was ecstatic, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and

support for the festival! And besides being a great day of music, we were delighted to raise money for

Oakleaf; it wasn’t just about fundraising as the festival goers were very keen to learn more about the work

of the charity as well, helping to further raise its profile. The event raised an incredible £1050 for Oakleaf!

Thank you to everyone who was involved with this amazing festival and for supporting our work!

BTU Group of Companies will be at the A3 Car Boot

Sale on 7th September, to raise funds for Oakleaf

as their nominated charity of the year. They will also

have some great raffle prizes up for grabs! Be sure to

visit their stall and support Oakleaf!

You may also purchase raffle tickets from Oakleaf

(£1 each or £10 for 15). Contact Deepti on

01483 303 649/deeptiparmar@oakleaf-enterprise.org

For directions & details, please visit: www.oakleaf-enterprise.org/ btu-car-boot-sale-

raffle/

BTU Car Boot Sale

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that took part for their support and for promoting

better mental health in the community and to those that sponsored the walk! We look forward to next

year’s event!

Could you Consider Leaving a Gift in your Will for Oakleaf?Many large, national charities rely heavily on gifts left in the Wills of their supporters, to fund their ongoing

work. Having made provision for your family and friends, could you consider supporting Oakleaf in this way?

We would be hugely grateful if you might support our work with this sort of gift and there could be

considerable benefits:

1. Charitable gifts in a Will (bequests) are free of Inheritance Tax. They may also reduce the rate of tax

payable upon death. All estates are assessed for Inheritance Tax and any estate over the nil rate band

threshold (currently £325,000) is taxed at 40%. However, the law changed in 2012 so that when someone

leaves more than 10% of the net value of their estate (i.e. After the deduction of any debts, liabilities, reliefs

and the nil rate band) to charity, a reduced rate of 36% for Inheritance Tax may apply to the taxable part of

the estate.

2. Oakleaf is a small, local charity and a gift could have a comparatively substantial impact on our work

with local people, instead of going into the huge resources of a national charity.

3. Having come into contact with Oakleaf, you will know that the charity is well-managed and continues to

make a genuinely positive impact on our local community. Mental illness is not a typically ‘popular’ cause,

and by contributing to Oakleaf, your gift will have a direct and valuable influence on the lives of Oakleaf

clients for many years to come.

We strongly recommend that anyone considering making or amending their Will, contacts their solicitor for

legal advice. However, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions with which

we might be able to assist.

RAISE MONEY FOR OAKLEAF JUST BY SHOPPING! Do you Give as you Live? Every purchase you make online can raise funds for Oakleaf, at no extra cost!

Give as you Live works with thousands of stores that have signed up to donate a commission on every online purchase. Install a simple app, choose Oakleaf as your charity and shop away!

Through Give as you Live, our supporters have raised over £300.00 this year, just by shopping online!

Visit:

www.giveasyoulive.com/join/oakleafenterprise

to donate to Oakleaf while you shop!

We would like to thank the wonderful

ladies of the Godalming Meadrow WI for

organising two fantastic coffee mornings

in aid of Oakleaf, raising over £215! Your

support is greatly appreciated!

OUR DONORS, SUPPORTERS & VOLUNTEERS

Moving forward with MH ‘Everyone is human; only with understanding of

personalities and support in our daily life are we able as

individuals to prosper and develop. The message is simple…

We don’t want to be put in a societal box, because to us,

there is no box, only a person looking to move forward.’

Thomas Duncan Bell shares his experience of MH and how

he has now got involved with our work.

“I came across Oakleaf by pure coincidence while at a

networking event and was immediately enthralled by their

work. I was pitching my company Team Tops at the event,

because we specialise in printed and embroidered clothing

in Surrey and Oakleaf had asked us to produce some aprons

to be used in their coffee shop and for the upholstery course.

The more I began to explore what they did, the more I was

keen to support. As I personally suffer from a form of Bipolar

disorder, I found that by investing my time in the charity, I was

more able to deal with the anxieties I face on a daily basis.

Through working with Oakleaf I was asked to become a

Mental Health Ambassador for an initiative called ‘Time to

Change’ where my role is to talk to Doctors, schools, larger

local companies and the likes, to make people more aware

of how mental health can affect an individual and show that

we shouldn’t fear the subject as a taboo.”

For more information, contact Oakleaf or Thomas at: thomas@team-tops.co.uk or 07799050303

Santander Grant Oakleaf Enterprise has received a £5,000

grant from the Santander Foundation to

help people suffering from mental ill-

health in Surrey.

The donation, which will benefit over 130

local people, will cover the Oakleaf’s

core day-to-day costs as well helping our

recovery from the disruption caused by

the December floods.

We would like to thank the Santander

Foundation for supporting Oakleaf

Enterprise!

Our friends, Stevens & Bolton

LLP solicitors in Guildford

have had another successful

golf day, raising £1560 for

Oakleaf! Thank you to all

those that organised and

took part in the event! Along

with this, a fresh team of

runners are training hard to

support wellbeing and raise

awareness of better mental

health at the BUPA Great

South Run later in October.

Godalming Meadrow Coffee Mornings

S&B show their support for Oakleaf

S&B Swing into Action

Lloyds Bank FoundationWe are delighted to share the wonderful

news that a two year grant has been

awarded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation

for England and Wales towards the salary

of an Upholstery Assistant for Oakleaf!

This level of support is substantial for us

and will make a genuine difference to

the services we can offer our clients.

OUR CUSTOMER SERVICES

Hort at G Live We are proud to announce a new partnership

with the Guildford based entertainment venue,

G Live has just been secured! Our Horticultural

Team will be taking over the ground and garden

maintenance from August 2014 to ensure the

surrounding grounds complement the quality of

the award-winning architecture.

By working with Oakleaf, G Live is helping to

support local individuals with mental illnesses by

enabling them to gain valuable work experience

and work towards achieving qualifications.

The venue hopes that by working in a busy

entertainment venue, participants will be able to

gain confidence in the work environment, as well

as keep G Live’s outdoor areas which are popular

with visitors and picnickers, beautifully green.

G Live’s Building and Facilities Manager, Charlotte

Sleven, said ‘It is genuinely wonderful to be able

to work with Oakleaf. We are proud to support the

local community in this way and look forward to a

long working relationship.’

We are very excited about this new partnership

and thank you for your support and helping us

promote our services in the community!

Yuletide UpholsteryBelieve it or not, there’s only 19 weeks until Christmas!

Granted this is the Summer edition of Oakleaf Life, if

you’re hosting this festive season, and are looking to

freshen up your home or want to get an early start on

gifts, there’s no better time than the present!

Oakleaf’s experienced team can reupholster and

supply new seat interiors for a wide range of modern

and traditional styles of furniture including:

5 Sofas/Armchairs 5 Reclining chairs

5 Dining chairs 5 Headboards

5 Chaise longues 5 Nightclub seats

5 Office furniture 5 Matching cushions

We can supply and work with both fabric and leather,

and have a range of colours and styles to choose

from, or you can purchase your own!

By using our service, not only will you be delighted by

the workmanship, but you will directly provide work

experience to our clients in the programme!

For more information contact Steve on: stevecansell@oakleaf-enterprise.org / 01483303649

We are excited to announce that we have

recently had another new member of staff join

Oakleaf!

Marika Rantala, has just joined the staff team as a

full time Upholstery Assistant! Marika has 7 years of

experience in upholstery and soft furnishings and

looks forward to taking part everything we do at

Oakleaf to help raise awareness and hopes her

experience will help our Upholstery department

thrive and gain many new customers! Welcome to

the Oakleaf Team!

Volunteers Needed! We are always after volunteers to help us out with

running our Coffee Shop, helping in departments

such as IT, Horticulture, Packing and Upholstery and

teaching new skills!

Contact us if you are interested in volunteering or

sharing a new skill with us at Oakleaf!

Contact: 01483 303649 / info@oakleaf-enterprise.org

New Staff at Oakleaf!

Our Forthcoming Events:5 Cranleigh Lions’ Classic Car Show

5 BTU Car Boot Sale & Raffle

5 Oakleaf WMHD Open Day

5 Great South Run 2014

5 Charity Pub Quiz

For more information, please check our website, phone 01483 303649, or email info@oakleaf-enterprise.org

Registered Charity Number: 1064524

Company Limited by Guarantee Number: 3388671

Give while you Save!Do you want to save money on your

household bills? Then switch to Utility

Warehouse and get one simple monthly

bill, at a cheaper price. For every

customer who joins Utility Warehouse,

Oakleaf gets 5% of your household bill

each month. Who said donations had to

come from your own pocket?! Call 0800

131 3000 today for more information,

quoting ‘K34376’, or visit:

www.costfreegiving.org

MEETING AND KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH OAKLEAF

Happy Customers“A very professional service, the office

chairs have a whole new lease of life! I

would strongly recommend your service

to other local businesses and friends.”

Upholstery Customer

“Excellent service, would definitely

recommend to others!”

Horticultural Customer

Oakleaf Social Media

Get your Oakleaf news first from these

sources and you’ll gain a real insight into

what goes on here without even moving!

Follow us on Twiiter @_oakleaf and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn & Instagram!

Farmers’ MarketCome see us at the Guildford Farmers’

Market, the first Tuesday of every month!

We’ve got some great buys - cushions

and plants from our Upholstery and

Horticulture departments! Find us located

by WHSmith!

Sunday 17th August Cranleigh Showground GU6 7DW Come and check out the 13th annual Cranleigh & District Lions Club Classic Car Show and support Oakleaf as a nominated charity partner! Entry is £6 for adults, and free for children under 16.

Tuesday 4th November, 8:00pm to late The Keystone Pub, Guildford GU2 4BL Join us for charity pub quiz at The Keystone, in aid of Oakleaf! A fun night for all. £2 entry, and meal and drink specials on the night!

Sunday 17th August, 7:30am-1:00pm A3 Car Boot Sale GU23 7LW BTU Group of Companies will be taking part in the car boot sale to promote Oakleaf as their nominate charity of the year. Support us and make sure you pop by! There will also be some great raffle prizes up for grabs!

Friday 10th October, 10:30am-2:00pm Oakleaf Enterprise GU1 4UQ Oakleaf will be celebrating World Mental Health day on 10th October and holding a Open Day at our premises. Watch this space for details! If you would like further info, or would like help sponsor the event, please contact Deepti on 01483 303649 or deeptiparmar@oakleaf-enterprise,org

Sunday 26th October, 10am Portsmouth We’ve only got 4 spots left for this 10 mile run around the iconic sites in Portsmouth. You’ll receive a running vest from Oakleaf, t-shirt, medal and finishers’ pack, along with accurate chip timing from run organisers. Entry fee: £41, Sponsorship Target: £250. For more info contact Deepti at 01483 303649 / deeptiparmar@oakleaf-enterprise.org