Hello from Team ECHO!

ECHO Family Day ! 

Join ECHO for a FREE summer FAMILY FARMTASTIC DAY
​on Sunday 26th June, from 10-4pm at Kent Life family farm!
Address: Kent Life, Lock Ln, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3AU.
Follow the link below for more information and to register for this event.

Morning Activities:
0-10's: Farming adventures with our fully NNEB & First Aid qualified childcare support team

11 plus: ECHO Teen Club youth hub

Parents: Workshops and meeting ECHO members

Lunch: Bring your own Picnic

Afternoon: Family FUN at the FARM! 

Superhero of the month ...

Our Superhero of the month is ECHO Volunteer Dawn Matthews.

Dawn is mother of grown up heart child Charlotte, and has been an active member and volunteer since the early days of ECHO.

Dawn also recently volunteered with ECHO at both the London Marathon and the ECHO Superhero Run, helping to encourage the runners and support the ECHO staff to make those events a success! Dawn is often found in our storage unit sorting boxes or sending comfort packs to the Evelina too!

Thank you Dawn for always bringing bundles of encouragement, and at times you family to support us!

Dawn pictured at the ECHO Christmas Party with Han Solo and Princess Leia!

Staff Update ...

Tim Emsley, ECHO's Youth Development Worker, will be leaving his role with ECHO in June, to take on a new youth work role locally.

Since Tim joined our staff team he has worked with young people to develop the ECHO Teen Club, supported transition events, developed working relationships in the wider CHD community and supported ECHO members at many events, he has also brought laughter, fun and a diverse mix of skills to the team.

I’m sure you join us in wishing Tim the best of luck for his new role and thank him for the work he has done here at ECHO.

Moving forward I will be working with some ETC members to help recruit the next ETC leader.

We are postponing our upcoming ETC residential weekend until we have a new member of ETC staff. Not only will this give the new worker a great chance to meet our ETC members but it will be a great opportunity for those youth members to help plan the next steps for ETC- we will be in touch soon with new dates.

Tim will be hosting his last ETC event on Saturday 28th May near Old Street London. We have an 11am-1pm workshop planned for young people aged 11-19 looking at coping with bereavement and anxiety, led by a professional counsellor, me and Tim. After the workshop Tim will also arrange a tasty lunch and celebration of his work with ECHO. ETC members and parents or carers are invited to join him for lunch from 1pm (whether attending the workshop or not). 

Where: St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central St, London EC1V 8AJ

To book a place on the workshop or for lunch contact Tim: tim@echo-evelina.org.uk

If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas for the ECHO TEEN CLUB moving forward please do not hesitate to contact me directly: samantha@echo-evelina.org.uk​

“I have very much enjoyed working with ECHO and the ECHO Teen Club over the last three years.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work for such an amazing charity and be able to meet such wonderful people.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported the work of ECHO Teen Club.

Running ECHO Teen Club events has been great fun, and I wish all the young people every success in the future”.

Tim.

'Floating Bus Stop' Plans

St. Thomas' Hospital would like to raise awareness of plans to turn the main bus stop outside the hospital, on Westminster Bridge Road, into a 'floating' bus stop. This is to accommodate a planned cycle lane, but will mean that anyone travelling to the hospital by bus will have to cross the cycle lane after alighting at the bus stop.
The hospital and other community groups are concerned that whilst cycling is good for general health and should be encouraged, these plans could create even more difficulties for wheelchair users or parents with young children who are trying to get to the hospital.
Follow the link below to read more about the plans and about a petition against the new plans.
We advise members to consider the information carefully and come to their own decision about whether to support the petition or not.