Join REMAP Essex Central at this year’s Volfest!
1st June 2023
Join Us on Chelmsford High Street for this year’s VOLFEST!
Be it a day, a month or a lifetime commitment, whatever time and energy you can freely give has the potential to change someone’s life. Chelmsford CVS are thrilled to announce that on Thursday 8 June, we will again be celebrating #VolunteersWeek by taking over Chelmsford High Street for VOLFEST 2023.
Over 30 local charities will be coming together to showcase their efforts and promote their services in a festival of all the good that can come of our community working together. Come and join us for a day of feel-good activities, live music, food and fun!
Community is a work of heart and you’ll be able to see first-hand some of the wonderful ways in which charities, like REMAP and volunteers support the city, and find out how you and your loved ones can access that help.
The last VOLFEST in 2022 was an incredible success, Lorraine Jarvis from the CVS said “There was the most amazing buzz in the High Street, people chatting to the stalls, to each other, and finding out how all the local organisations showcasing could benefit them. Volunteering really is life-enhancing, it was an amazing day!”
Do come down on the 8th to find out more and help us celebrate all things community.
More information the event can be found here: http://chelmsfordcvs.org.uk/volfest
Archery stool hits the bulls eye
18th October 2017
At the Invictus Games in Toronto, team GB competitor Kerys Knight won gold individual and team bronze using a new archery perching stool designed and built by Remap.
Perching stools are used by impaired archers who having difficulty standing. However, they are not made commercially and are often bespoke, individual projects which makes them difficult to acquire and often expensive. Bob Smith, Chair of the Disabilities Advisory Group knew of the need for these stools and asked Remap for help.
Archery stool
Assistance came in the form of Roger Thorn, a volunteer with Remap South Bucks who has designed and made a suitable archery stool. Having come up with a winning design, Roger has also persuaded the company he previously worked for, Kellforms, to produce them in batches of ten. The costs are met by a generous grant from The Worshipful Company of Fletchers and the first batch of stools was delivered in October to the British Wheelchair Archery Association.
John Walker
The new stool was used successfully at the Invictus Games in September, then in October Paralympic gold champion John Walker checked out the stool before buying his. John won a gold medal in the individual competition at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
When the first ten stools have been sold, the money will be used to fund the production of the next batch of ten and so on. In this way many disabled athletes will benefit from Roger’s design. The stools are being sold at cost price from the BWAA’s base at Stoke Mandeville – anyone interested should contact Bob Smith on BWAACoaching@talktalk.net Four of the first ten are sold already!
Recreating the outdoor experience
3rd March 2017
Remap is proud to be supporting the Countrymen’s Club – a service for men with long-term conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s and depression.
Men who have worked outside all their lives miss the sensory stimulation of being in the countryside, so the “Seasons in a Box” project aims to bring the sights, sounds, smells and activities of the great outdoors to those who can no longer go outside to enjoy the real thing.
Julie explains the tractor simulator
The project was conceived by Julie Plumley of Future Roots, the organisation behind the Countrymen’s Club. She asked Remap for help in making tactile simulations of experiences such as the feel of snow, rain and the warmth of sunshine, driving a tractor and other farming activities. Retired farmer Dan Hodgson demonstrated some of these on Tuesday 28 February when the items were handed over. For this project Remap had input from apprentices at both Jaguar Land Rover and British Gas – both companies being keen supporters of Remap.
Remap’s local group in this area is the Dorchester Panel, chaired by Mike Cowley. It has around twelve active volunteers and Mike is always keen to hear from potential new recruits. If you are good at making things and have a workshop or tools you can contact Mike at remapdorchester@gmail.com or ring him on 01305 267860.
Olympic torch holder
2nd September 2016
Adelaide at the torch relay
It’s not often Remap gets asked to make a holder for a “heritage flame”, but the challenge proved no problem for Roger Thorn of Remap South Bucks.
Adelaide has cerebral palsy and was selected to take part in a Paralympic Heritage Flame event at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics. She was devastated to then be told this could not happen as there was no way to attach the torch to her wheelchair. Roger heard about this and set to work. He has made a stylish torch holder enabling Adelaide to participate after all.
Adelaide’s carer Gail Beard said “Adelaide is so excited about taking part in an historic event which wouldn’t have been possible without Remap.”
Hackcess
10th November 2015
We are excited to be working with FabLab London and others at the upcoming Hackcess #Hackathon to design and make equipment for people with disabilities. 3D designers, product specialists, makers, coders, idea people, engineers and inventors are all invited to join the hackathon in London on the 21st and 22nd November.
