Ever wandered round a hospital, past maternity, via A&E, through outpatients, along the corridor where they keep the coffee machines and past the x-ray department and ended up at the same place you started, wishing you had looked at the map when you walked in??? Well next time you are at Warrington hospital for an appointment, visiting a friend or looking for A&E after falling off one of the garden chairs you’ve bought your mother in law for her 75^Th birthday whilst modelling them in the office (Happy Birthday Mary – ahem), look at the directional boards which are situated throughout. Notice anything different?? YES, Fortunatus Housing Solutions now have some advertising space on 10 boards throughout the hospital and all the advertising on the board in A&E promoting our Unity Lottery. There are also leaflets available on four of the boards so that people can sign up to the Unity lottery. I’m made up! The more funds we can raise for our tenants via the lottery the better and Warrington is a big hospital with a lot of passing traffic!

Do you remember on my last blog how I mentioned the IRRV Performance awards and our entry in the ‘Excellence in Innovation’ award we have been shortlisted for? It’s for our App ‘Engage’ and I submitted the final application this week so I’m quite excited to find out how we do. It’s great for us here at Fortunatus and raises awareness of the app. I’ll let you know on my next Blog how we have done!

We had some great news too this week with Wigan Council. After a great meeting with them we are really hopeful that we will be housing more vulnerable adults in the Wigan area in the future. This is great news for Fortunatus and increases our profile in the North West. I am so happy and proud that more people who suffer with mental illness and learning disabilities will benefit from the great service we offer.

I also met with Amanda Speir at Compassionate Care to discuss working together in the future. I love developing business relationships especially when they are mutually beneficial.

Can I just point out that whilst all this incredible stuff has been going on with Fortunatus, I have crocheted a pram blanket for a little bambino who the stork will be bringing soon (not sure on the sex yet so gone for a beautiful lemon and white design). It helps me relax which I need to at the moment, it’s none stop!

I’m now officially on countdown for mine and Julian’s holiday in Corfu. I’m ready for a break to be honest but there are so many great things happening with Fortunatus I almost don’t want to go! These are great times but I’m sure that Julian will help me switch off at some point.

So I better be going now. Time for a pamper with my good friend, ‘wing woman’ and Charity fundraising manager Sara. I’ve treated her to a few spa treatments’ to thank her for all her hard work covering for maternity leave at the moment. She’s working really hard and I thought she deserved a treat. I better go with her though… you know… for support!

See you soon!

Catherine.

………. Fortunatus Housing for their amazing App ‘Engage’ which supports our vulnerable tenants, offers advice and promotes our fundraising events!

Now this is what I would love to hear when the winner of the IRRV Performance awards category ‘Excellence in Innovation’ is announced in October. We have been shortlisted for this category and the finalists will be announced in June. This would be a great leap forward for our Fortunatus family and not just the start of (more) great things here but also brings awareness to mental health issues which affects 1 in 4 people. We need to end the Stigma with mental health and by developing this app and encouraging our tenants to use this we are incorporating new ways to communicate and expanding our service, helping vulnerable tenants in their day to day lives.

So, how was the camping trip to Derwentwater you ask? Well if you can image 5 days of great weather, beautiful scenery, and long walks then it was a success. Julian and I wore the two hats I crocheted (Stag & Bear), and we stayed at an amazing site http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/cumbria/keswick/keswick which I can highly recommend! What I really enjoyed was Keswick market on the Saturday where we stocked up on some of the local breads and cheeses and spoiled ourselves. All we bought was delicious as were the BBQ’s that Julian did. We were so lucky with the weather, couldn’t be happier and we left two very happy campers indeed!

Remember on my last blog I wrote about Dame Stephanie (Steve) Shirley who I met at the Charity Finance Group conference in London a few weeks ago? Dame Shirley is one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK it is considered and is a great inspiration to me. She was so warm and friendly and made such a lasting impression on me that I sent her an email the other day to tell her a bit more about what we do and to express what a great pleasure it was to meet her. I was so pleased when she responded to me and was good enough to give me some great tips and advice regarding moving forward with Fortunatus. I was so grateful, she is an amazing person.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Shirley

Capita Software Services who developed the App have been good enough to fund our charity Christmas cards this year! They have been amazing to work with and I can’t thank them enough for the great work they did developing ‘Engage’. The designs of the cards have been chosen and they will soon be going to print. If you would like to buy some cards and support our vulnerable adults you can via our website http://www.fortunatushousing.co.uk/fundraising-and-events/charity-xmas-cards/

So what does this week have in store? More crocheting for ‘Honk’ the musical – swans and ducklings!! Best get cracking with those for my friends at NADOS!

See you soon,

Catherine.