First impressions
Ronnie
It was a wet grey afternoon in Doncaster, I was due to meet my new work colleague for the first time. Unsure what she would think of me a rookie, first time in a “job” after a period of time running my own business and caring for my family.
There she stood ordering her latte looking around, was there a hint of nervousness in her stance? I did hope so! She was early, I was on time. A pattern that is repeated constantly.
We sat down and exchanged pleasantries, we are the same age and have much in common, but also there are differences, would they make working together a challenge?
You say tomato I say tomato
I love Rick Astley, Max loves McFly.
I have a big crazy dog called Ronnie with a big personality to match.
Max has sweet, gentle Maverick who lays in the chair in her office snoozing the day away.
I love to create, write content, develop training programs and share my knowledge, with groups.
Max loves facts and figures, spreadsheets and making connections one on one.
Wait! This could work we could complement each other with our various skills and experience. Both of us working together for the common good of The Lincolnshire Sleep Hub, our mini dream team was formed – Max and Elaine.
And as we bonded over a latte, we discussed our strengths and weaknesses, what we love and are comfortable doing and what we would rather avoid like the plague. For me it’s spreadsheets and databases, for Max it is speaking to big groups. This could be a perfect match. We also discussed at length 80’s rock bands, our favourite foods, our husbands and kids and, of course, our dogs.
Maverick
Six months into the Lincolnshire Sleep Hub project
Here are some of our highlights.
Our first meeting was in Skegness for a carers ‘chill and chat’ session, it was a lovely sunny day and we connected with some fabulous members of the community and volunteers. Then we had fish and chips.
Next was a lovely day at the delightfully named Cherry Willingham, a full day there presenting to two groups a Memory Café in the morning speaking to those who have dementia and their carers in the afternoon we met with a friendship group who were full of laughter and joy. We also had fish and chips for lunch.
Visiting Mablethorpe on a day that was wet windy and grey. The fabulous Donna was our host, she is a vibrant and enthusiastic lady. The event saw fun and laughter as we discussed many issues around sleep and practiced some mindfulness. One family attended from further afield and it was a pleasure to help a lovely lady with her sleep issues. We had lunch in the café as the rain thwarted any dreams of fish and chips.
I have flown solo at a few events travelling to Bourne last week and Lincoln a couple of times in June presenting to carers groups – I skipped lunch.
The feedback has been wonderful, we really do feel we are making a difference and supporting people.
“Just to say a HUGE thank you for an amazing event on Tuesday 4th June 2024. Your presentation was very informative and engaging with fantastic resources. I had so much positive feedback from our participants and I am looking forward to future partnership working with you both. Your friendly, professional and fun approach really fitted well with our participants and they gained so much from your visit it has made a positive impact.
Again, thank you for a great day”Donna Smith, Wellbeing Hub Co-Ordinator, Acis Group
Impact made
Onto Max’s favourite section the facts and figures. And I must confess it lights me up when I can see the lives we have touched and knowing there will be many more to come.
We have directly seen over 100 people helping them to improve their sleep knowledge. 98% of those that have attended our workshops or presentations shared it had been a positive experience.
We have attended two larger events the highlight most recently was at Lincolnshire Showground for the IAAP expo (Its All About People). Our stand attracted lots of interest and we made some great connections with around 100 professionals from the Lincolnshire area who we will be working with or supporting in the future.
We have launched our website, our webinar series for carers and I have even been a guest on local radio.
What’s next?
Looking forward we have free Sleep Talker training relating to carers for professionals and volunteers in the Lincolnshire area. We will be hosting more webinars aimed at carers and next year will see the launch of our podcasts.
We will continue to support people by attending events and presenting at workshops and roadshows along with creating resources and we are looking forward to creating events with our collaborators around sound and nature, think sound bath experiences and creativity with soundLINCS as well as mindfulness and outdoor activities encouraging well being to facilitate a restorative nights sleep.
It’s been an exhilarating 6 months of the project it has flown and been a steep learning curve but we both love the role, the charity and all it brings.
We cannot wait to see what the remainder of the project will bring.
Watch this space.
Mucho love Elaine x