Hope springs eternal... and in spite of the wild weather and all the terrible things in the news, Alexander Pope's optimistic phrase still comes to mind once the birds start singing and the daffodils come out. And in that spirit, here's all the latest from us.
First, we're sorry to report that it's time to bid a fond farewell to Robin Lloyd-Jones, who at the age of 87 has stepped down as our Project Manager due to health issues. Robin has been our guiding light since the very beginning of Autumn Voices and I'm sure all our members will join our staff team and Steering Group in wishing him all the best for a long and happy retirement!
And now, here's some good news! Our Crowdfunder has now raised £7,232, including match funding from the National Emergencies Trust Local Action Fund. Heartfelt and sincere thanks go out to everyone who made a donation. The money raised will help us continue to provide all our services and activities as, with the help of our Steering Group chaired by Mark Daws, we work towards becoming a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
But.....we need your help! We're actively seeking voluntary trustees aged over 60. You don't need previous experience of being a Trustee - far more important is enthusiasm for older people, plus skills and experience in fundraising, healthcare, marketing or community engagement. The role is unpaid (although any travel expenses are covered) and the committee meets up to six times a year, at present mostly via Zoom. In line with our ethos of inclusion, we're particularly interested in hearing from women, people of colour, disabled people and the LGBTQ+ community. If you are interested in finding out more please contact us on admin@autumnvoices.co.uk
Our blog theme this month is d/Deafness. Are you d/Deaf? Do you live with hearing loss, tinnitus or disorders of the ear? We’re honouring Hearing Loss Awareness Month with content which signposts to important organisations and sources of support. We've just published two useful guest blogs - Audrey Carlin writing about Creativity and Tinnitus, and Roger Lever on his Otosclerosis.
Hearing conditions, d/Deafness and tinnitus have numerous causes and can happen at any stage of life. We’re especially aware of how creativity can enhance quality of life, so we’d love you to get in touch and tell us about how you manage tinnitus, hearing loss or d/Deafness through creativity. Details of how to enter are on our home pageand we have book prizes to offer - 'Deaf Republic' by Ilya Kaminsky, published by Faber and 'Deaf Sentence' by David Lodge, published by Penguin.
Our Quick & Quirky Questions feature is certainly varied - but we particularly enjoyed the recent piece written by singer and actress Toyah Willcox (63) and we hope you did too! Toyah and her husband, guitarist Robert Fripp (75), always cheer us up with their outrageous Sunday Lunch videos and Toyah also has some insights to share about her hearing disorder, hyperacusis. We're always looking for more participants to answer our QQQs, and you don't have to be as well-known as Toyah! Just get in touch with our team HERE.
As always, we have a wealth of wonderful content for you to read on our website - January's blog theme was New Hobbies, and although we mainly focused on photography, Finola Hughes (71) from Scotland won our monthly prize with her amusing piece on learning to knit! In February our theme was Love Languages, with content on and in Scots, Gaelic, Shetlandic and Welsh. David Thompson (89) from Somerset was our winner with his poem, Language Love. We also hosted a very special blog for International Women's Day from Edinburgh playwright and performer, Jo Clifford.
Don't forget to reserve your place for the second day of FREE poetry and publishing workshops in Gatehouse of Fleet at the beautiful Mill on the Fleet - now rescheduled for Saturday 26 March after a postponement due to Covid19 restrictions. Poet, short story writer and Southlight editor, John Burns will help you Start Writing Poetry and Sheila Wakefield, founder and editor of Red Squirrel and Postbox Press, will show you How To Get Published. Held in partnership with Gatehouse of Fleet’s The Bakehouse Community Arts, both workshops are offered as part of our Watering Grassroots live event series, funded by DG Unlimited. You can attend in person or via Zoom, and all the details are HERE.
AND FINALLY - in the spirit of springtime optimism, why not enter for the Lucent Dreaming Prize? They're looking for poetry, flash fiction and short stories on the subject of 'Hope' and there's a top prize of £1000 in each category. Submit your writing HERE!!
