Getting married? We’re hosting a pop-up Wedding boutique in our Brompton Road shop from 18-31 October, offering a large range of new and second hand items, including wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, footwear and decorations and favours.

The Octavia Foundation is a registered charity, established by Octavia Housing that works to support individuals and communities throughout west and central London. Our vision is to help to establish strong and vibrant communities and to help to improve people’s quality of life. Our community work focuses on five key areas:

• Engaging with young people and children• Supporting elderly and vulnerable people• Helping with jobs and training• Involving the community• Advising on money and debt

We have 18 unique charity shops throughout London, with a strong reputation for good value, high quality items – the proceeds from our shops go to support the work of the Octavia Foundation.

Emily House, 202-208 Kensal Road,London, W10 5BNwww.octaviafoundation.org.uk

T: 020 8354 5500E: info@octaviafoundation.org.uk OctaviaFoundation Octavia_FdnRegistered charity number: 1065817

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SHOPS...NEWS FROM OUR SHOPS...NEWS FROM OUR SHOPS...NEWS FROM OUR SHOPS...NEWS FROM OUR SHOPS...NEWS FROM OUR SHOPS...NEWS FROM

Welcome to the Octavia Foundation Autumn newsletter

In 2012-2013 our transformational projects and activities to support local people during times of personal difficulty or crisis reached over 1,200 local adults and children, a 25% increase on the previous year.

We have grown our activities to benefit an increasing number of people and to meet a growing need for our services within the local area and our Impact Report, available from mid-October explores the many ways in which we have made a difference for local people.

To view the report online and to read about our plans and goals for the next 12 months, scan the QR code or visit our website. To request a print copy of the report, please call Sarah on 020 8354 5664.

Connect with us: OctaviaFoundation Octavia_Fdn www.octaviafoundation.org.uk October 2013

All of the latest news from the Octavia Foundation and Octavia Foundation shops

How we made a difference in 2012-13

Some of our work this year: We awarded 120 discretionary

welfare grants to local people in need

We helped 130 people into work (26% more than last year)

We funded a debt advice service for 112 households, and a welfare and benefit advice service for a further 139 households

We increased opportunities and services for local children and young people

Tooting is electric! Over 600 customers joined us to celebrate the launch of our refurbished Tooting store and new electrical goods section and we’ve had great feedback on the new electrical range so far. We urgently need more donations of small electrical goods, which can be made at any of our stores and are tested and checked before going on sale.

A huge thank you to our fantastic gift aiders

To view some

of the beautiful

dresses on offer,

and for more

information visit

our website.

Over 10,000 people are now signed up as gift aid donors to our shops, enabling us to claim a further 25% from HMRC on the sale price of donated goods and together, your support raised an additional £65,321 between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. To register as a gift aid donor, please visit any of our shops or our website to complete a short registration form.

Raised

£65,321 April 2012 -

March 2013

20 local young people joined us for the initial briefing for our new project, ‘Story of QPR’, with QPR in the Community Trust on Thursday 5 September. The day included an overview of the project, a tour of Loftus Road stadium and an interactive film-making workshop. Alex, 14 said ‘I’m so excited to take part and really looking forward to making the film!’

Subsequent workshops with our young people have also been well attended and the next stage of the project will be for our young volunteers to begin researching the scope of the film, which will include meeting local heroes and characters who will shape the story and share their own memories and mementoes of the football club and local area.

We’re hosting two afternoon tea events for Silver Sunday on Sunday 6 October and our annual Christmas party for older people will take place on Friday 6 December. We’re always grateful for additional voluntary support at community events like these, so to get involved and for more info, please get in touch!

News in brief...

QPR project gets off to a great start

As always, for the latest information about any of our projects, please visit our website! www.octaviafoundation.org.uk

Apprenticeships raise aspirationsLast year we launched a number of exciting apprenticeships to provide local young people with the opportunity to develop job specific skills and to gain a qualification whilst achieving paid work experience.

Our first group of apprentices are coming to the end of their roles and feedback has been positive. Clifton, 18, an apprentice electrical engineer with Octavia said ‘there have been tremendous benefits from my apprenticeship, I’ve got lots of valuable experience and I’ve been supported to complete my NVQ3 in Electrical Engineering.

I also feel more ambitious and I feel really positive about my future. My apprenticeship has boosted my confidence and it’s opened my eyes to the career paths that are open to me.’

Our apprenticeships are a part of the broad range of employment and training support on offer to local people and a new group of apprentices will join us in late 2013. For more information about the support and services on offer, visit our website.

To share your

memories, contact

Serena

Williamson

07903 739028

Thank you to all of our recent donors and fundraisers, particularly to everyone who took part in a charity abseil at Elizabeth House, Wembley, which raised over £2,000 for the Octavia Foundation and to colleagues and shoppers at Waitrose Parson’s Green and Sainsbury’s Local Earl’s Court and Sainsbury’s Local Sheldon Square who have made recent donations to support our work.

WellDone

Thank

You!

Our employment and training team are finalising plans for a new job club in North Kensington that will provide a full, drop-in service for local job seekers. To register your interest please call our Employment Advisors Kyrsha and Kenny on 020 8354 5684.

25 local young people took part in our summer programme during the school holidays, Manuela, 10, says ‘going on trips is my favourite thing, this summer I’ve been to the Science Museum, indoor rock climbing and canoeing on the Thames and we’ve gone to the zoo in Battersea Park.’

Our free football club for young people in Wembley will run every Saturday in September and October and begin again in spring 2014. For more info and to book a space for your child please email emily.williams@octaviafoundation.org.uk

If you would like to share your memories or experiences of the club and local areas in Queen’s Park and White City, please contact Project Manager Serena Williamson on 07903 739 028.