Feel Alive Hub CIC & Drama Group

(WARNING: LONG POST 🤣)

🎀 AN AFTERNOON TO BE VERY PROUD OF 💗 🎀

Today our Thursday group hosted a very special Afternoon Tea Buffet in aid of Breast Cancer Now — and days like today really make us stop and realise just how far our members have come. 🥹❤️

We honestly could not be prouder of them.

Putting on an event like this involves so much more than simply baking a few cakes. Our members have learned so many skills along the way — and today they put every one of them into practice.

🧁 Baking beautiful (and absolutely delicious!) cakes
🎂 Decorating and presenting them to such a high standard
🧹 Making sure everything was clean and ready
🌸 Dressing the tables and preparing the room
☕ Making sure customers had everything they needed
😊 Welcoming people with a smile
❤️ Providing wonderful customer service
🫧 Cleaning and putting it all away before seating down to enjoy their own cakes!

Their confidence and independence have grown enormously. They were polite, attentive and genuinely wanted every person who walked through the door to have a lovely afternoon.

And what makes us especially proud is how little support they now need to do all of this.

We have come such a long way. ❤️

Of course, none of that happens without the people working alongside them. A huge thank you to our wonderful staff and volunteers, who continually go above and beyond to support our members, encourage them and help them develop skills that genuinely matter in everyday life. You should be incredibly proud of what you are helping them achieve. 👏❤️

But there was something else very special about today.

At Feel Alive, of course fundraising for ourselves matters. Every penny we raise allows us to provide more opportunities, activities and experiences for our members.

But today wasn't about raising money for us.

Our members worked incredibly hard and gave 100% to raise money for another charity — Breast Cancer Now. 🎀

To see them using the skills they have developed to help other people is something very special indeed. The money raised will support vital work that can make a real difference to people's lives, and our members should feel enormously proud of the part they have played in that.

💗 So far, together, we have raised an amazing £420! 💗

Our fundraising page will remain open until the end of August (link in comments) so there is still time to donate if you would like to support this fantastic cause.

And finally, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along today, everyone who donated online, our staff and volunteers, and most importantly our Thursday members.

The cakes were beautiful. 🍰
The food was delicious. 😋
The welcome was wonderful. 🥰
But the people behind it all were what made today so special. ❤️

We just hope that as our members continue to grow and achieve, more people will come along and support the events they work so hard to create.

Today wasn't simply an afternoon tea. It was a wonderful example of just how capable our members are — and how far they have come.

We are so, so proud of you all. 💗🎀👏

🧠💭 This morning, one group spent time learning about Tourette syndrome. There were quite a few surprised faces 😲 when we discovered that only around 1 in 10 people with Tourette syndrome have coprolalia — the tic that can involve swearing. Tourette’s is about so much more than that! 💙 Together, we explored the many different physical and vocal tics a person may experience and how we can support them. Then we put our new knowledge to the test with a balloon activity 🎈🎈💥 It was VERY loud 😂🙉, but great fun and a brilliant way of reinforcing what we'd learned! 👏🧠

🪨❤️ Meanwhile, another group explored emotions and consequences — thinking about how we respond to our feelings and how the choices we make can influence what happens next. Using stones and a variety of materials, they gradually created a piece of artwork 🎨✨ representing that emotional journey.

🍽️ After lunch, things got even busier!

🎨🖌️ One group combined stencilling and wood burning to create some beautiful decorated jars, complete with fairy lights. 🫙✨🧚 We’re hoping these will soon be available to buy! 🤞💡

🔨🪚 Elsewhere, work continued on the final props for Down on Avenue 2 🎭🎶, alongside a bit of proper woodworking as the group used their skills to make a tall table that will actually be used in the show! 👏🔧

And that's something we're particularly proud of. 💙 This is probably one of the first productions where almost every member of Feel Alive has contributed in some way. Some will perform on stage 🎭🎤 but others have painted 🎨 built 🔨 designed ✏️ made props 🪚 and helped bring the whole production together. And wait till you see our set 🤝✨

🛠️🔧 And if all of that wasn't enough, another group got stuck into assembling furniture for our kitchen and bathroom 🚪🪛 as we continue giving those areas a much-needed makeover! 🏠✨

A hectic day? Absolutely! 😂😅
But also a day full of learning 🧠 practical skills 🔨 creativity 🎨 friendships 🥰 and teamwork 🤝.

🌟💙 Just the way we like it 💙🌟

Happy 70th Birthday to volunteer Jenny and thank you for treating every one at drama to a very yummy carvery 🎂🎁🎉🎉

Wow… what a day! 😍 We’ve had creativity, teamwork, independence, competition AND some serious kitchen takeovers! 🙌

🧱 Upstairs – the ultimate Lego transport challenge!🚗🚓🚁

Our group were put into pairs and given one mission… use their imagination, work together and create something epic out of Lego! 🧱✨

And they definitely didn’t disappoint! 🤩

The customers then became the judges and voted for their favourite creation… and the winner was…

🏆The police quad bike!🏆

A huge well done to Declan & James for taking the win! 👏🎉

👨‍🍳 Downstairs – it was full steam ahead in the kitchen!

Manjit & Wayne have done it again! 🙌 Two weeks in a row they have successfully made the dessert completely independently! 😍👏

That is such an amazing achievement and something they should both be incredibly proud of. 💪❤️

And as for who is actually in charge of the kitchen… 🤔😂

Kieran… or the boys?!👨‍🍳

Because the boys are definitely starting to take the lead in there now! 🙌

From Lego creations to independent cooking, today has been all about confidence, teamwork, creativity and independence — and we couldn’t be prouder! ❤️

What a brilliant day! 🌟👏

Not keen on what's on the menu? Not to worry we can accomodate 😊

See you tomorrow 👋

Yet again this week, we’ve had the pleasure of feeding the children of Aspire Community & Support Alliance CIC Kids Club! ❤️🍴

Throughout the week, we’ve served hot dogs, pasta bakes, rocky road and lots more delicious dishes 🌭🍝🍫 The children have absolutely loved the food, and we’ve really enjoyed preparing and serving it for them 😊

Today, we finished off with a party and buffet together! 🥳🎉 As always, our guys came along to help entertain the children, and it was lovely to see everyone having such a great time. One of the things we’re most proud of is seeing just how far we’ve come. Barriers have been broken down, friendships have grown, and our guys have become so confident in helping, supporting and entertaining the children. We’re incredibly proud of everyone 🩵

And finally, a huge thank you to Mark and his fantastic team who have worked extreemly hard to genuinely make this the best Kids Club so far 👏 There have been some big changes to this year's Kids Club and they have definitely been for the better. The feedback from kids, staff and parents has been incredible 💪

As a team, we can all be very proud of the service we’ve provided and the work we’ve done together in our community 🤩

But for now… it's see you next year, Kids Club! 👋🥳

Yesterday was a lovely day out! ☀️😊

We started with a walk down to the local pub 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️, where we enjoyed a coffee ☕ and played some card games together 🃏. It was a great opportunity to get out into the community, socialise and have some fun. ❤️

We then took a trip to Mickleover 🚗, where everyone enjoyed spending time in the cold pool 💦🏊‍♀️. The water was certainly refreshing! 🥶😂 Everyone had a lovely time cooling off, relaxing and enjoying the afternoon together. 🌊☀️💙

Everyone began the day preparing the 'pass the parcel's ready for the Kids Club party 🎁🥳 The top layers may look a bit plain but inside there are some sweet surprises 🍥🍬🍭

Sean and Alex with Ashley did some great DIY on the walls in the hallway. 🧑‍🔧,🧰

Later, making use of the sun, one group enjoyed Solar printing. 😎🔆 Leaves and foliage were placed on a certain type of paper, 'cyanotype'. Left in the sunshine, the papers were then washed to reveal the mages created. 🌿🌱

While the other group had a great time printing flowers, petals and leaves onto fabric by hammering their designs into place. 🔨🌿🌼🌺

Excellent work by everyone with lots of fun 🤗

This morning the guys were cooking and baking independently, following recipes and putting all the skills they’ve learned over the last year into practice. Such a great achievement! we’re very proud of them! 👏❤️

🎭 We also had a fun hand-puppet workshop, creating our own characters and learning how to bring them to life.

🎱 A game of bingo and a little bit of gardening 🌱🪴 rounded off another lovely, busy day! 😊