Branches (Waltham Forest Churches Night Shelter Ltd)

A reshare from a local workshop and breathwork class! Regram @themille17: Friday Calm Collective Fri 17 January, 1pm - 2pm Take a pause with the Friday Calm Collective, a lunchtime breathwork class designed for everyone—no experience needed! Breathwork is a simple, powerful practice that uses guided breathing techniques combined with music and visualisation to help calm the mind, release stress, and support mental and emotional wellbeing. In this lunchtime session, we’ll explore how breathing techniques can boost mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and create a sense of inner peace. Price £5 Book via: https://buff.ly/4gN7AZV For more details please contact hollyhopkinsholistic@gmail.com Supported by The Mill’s “Grow Your Idea” programme. #breathwork #local #walthamstow #fridaycalmcollective #stress #stressrelief #mentalhealth #innerpeace #wellbeing

Our monthly thank you to all the kind donors from last month! THANK YOU to all the amazing donors who supported Branches Hostel in December! Your contributions—whether food, time, energy, clothing, toiletries, or money—mean the world to us. And a massive thank you to those donators in the background, who quietly set up direct debits and bank transfers, supporting our charity behind the scenes; we haven’t forgotten about you! We appreciate, value, and cherish you all for thinking of us and choosing us as a charity to contribute to ❤ December is one of our busiest times for donations and volunteers alike, there's always loads going on in the hostel and we're so thankful to everyone who thinks of us and our residents over the busy festive period. As always, we also want to give a special shoutout to our fantastic volunteers who selflessly donate their time. While we can’t list everyone, we’re so grateful for each and every one of you. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful community of supporters! Here are just a few of the wonderful donors we’d like to highlight this month: - @thefelixproject - @abundantlifehousing - @weareactschurch - @Shield of Faith - @ KICC - @Highams Park School - @Walthamstow Academy - @stowbrothers - @sainsburys - @8buildltd - @huber_parking_uk - @fmlondonoriginal Thank you from all of us at Branches! ❤️ If you have anything that you think could help our hostel or residents, please feel free to drop us a line at theoffice@wfcbranches.org.uk 📧 We’d love to hear from you! #walthamstowcharity #bigthankyou #appreciation #communitysupport #partnerships #2024 #brancheshostel #hostelliving #residentliving #supportus #wethankyou #e17 #hostellife #seasons #highlights #donors #homelessness #thankyou #donations #appreciation #volunteers #charity #localcharity

Regram @hornbeam_centre: Hornbeam Jumble Sale This Saturday!! The Hornbeam Centre is having a Big Attic Clear Out this week and we will be holding a Jumble Sale to distribute all the amazing treasures, this Saturday the 11th of Jan, in the cafe from 11am - 3pm. Come and rummage through 20+ years worth of project materials and lovely donations that we never found a use for. So much art materials! Many plates, glasses, cookware! 20 un-opened yoga mats! Clothes! Who knows what else we will find over the next few days. All funds raised will go back into supporting the awesome projects that The Hornbeam does such as People's Kitchen, the free community meal every Tuesday using surplus food. The Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH See you there! #localenterprise #community #jumblesale #donations #reuse

We take training, learning, and development seriously, and many staff members engage in ongoing training regarding the important issues that affect our residents at the hostel. We strive to stay up to date with the latest developments and news on mental health, well-being, and current research 😊 Recently, our therapist attended the annual Bipolar Conference at the Ortus and Events Centre, which is part of Maudsley Learning associated with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. They offer a wealth of regularly updated, expert-led, continuous professional development (CPD) mental health courses to ensure that we remain informed about the latest research, practices, and legislation. Their courses cover a wide range of topics, from paediatric to geriatric care, improving physical health for mental health, and managing challenging clinical situations. They also provide groundbreaking immersive simulation and virtual reality (VR) courses! #traininganddevelopment #learning #skills #branchesteam #mentalhealth #researchandnews #southmaudsley #ortuseventscentre #groundbreaking #bipolar #conferences #therapywork #continuousprofessionaldevelopment #developingstaff #cpd #homelesssector #mentalwellbeing #understanding #e17 #homelesshostel #hostellife #holisticsupport #supporting #hospitals #clinicalwork

We had a Strategic Away Day recently with our Trustees and Senior Management Team - we have a wonderful building and workspace, but space can be limited when it comes to big events of larger meetings. It was a lot of work to bring it together in our library (done with precision!) as team 🙂 So, when we received this warm feedback from one of our valued, long-standing trustees, we were touched! “thank you for arranging such a great day, I've been to many strategy days over the years but that was one of the best. Great to be able to engage so positively in what I've realised was Trustee’s Week! Well done everyone involved and thank you for being brilliant” Delighted to receive such great feedback, and so glad the Trustees found it as useful as we all did! 🌟 Our Strategic Away Day was to spend time away from our desks, all together as one team, to plan strategy, strengthen teamwork, and reflect on our future goals and ambitions as a charity – and how we make all of that happen. We are really looking forward to actioning our thoughts for change for the better in 2025! #trustee #trusteeweek #charity #actioningchange #homelesscharity #resettlementcharity #walthamstowcharity #walthamforestcharity #volunteers #strategic day #brancheshostel #hostel #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #teamwork #feedback

Baking with Nick! 🧁 Our new Volunteer Coordinator, Nick (intro post coming soon!), has had a sweet start at Branches! 😍 A few weeks ago, he hosted a baking workshop for residents to have some fun in the kitchen... and it was a roaring success! They baked mini Victoria sponge cakes topped up with butter frosting in a beautiful Christmas-themed cupcake casing - it was perfectly baked! It was a great way for Nick to get to know some of the residents better, and it was enjoyed by all! Especially the office, who also all got a cupcake! More on Nick and his work here at Branches soon! 🙌 #bakingwithNick #baking #hostellife #cooking #meninthekitchen #cupcakes #foodie #bakingskills #hostel #charity

The official commentary from our infamous pool competition from October! We posted a pic from our pool competition a few weeks ago, but here’s the low down from the referee and host himself! 🤩 It’s been a rolling success here at Branches, so much so we’re wondering if we could use it to help fundraise for the charity! What do you think? Could you sponsor a player? Sponsor our refreshments? Watch the competition live? Ideas welcome! 💡 Thanks again to Satvinder for organising! It’s a real highlight here at the hostel! #charity #homelesscharity #poolcompetition #competition #fundraise #fundrasing #fun #tournament #localcharity #sponsorus #walthamstowcharity

Please meet Alan, by way of reintroducing another of our long-standing Trustees 😊 Alan has been a HR professional since 2004 and fellow of the CiPD. He has varied HR experience through a range of roles within the Civil Service and Charity sector. For three years he was a Charity Works Graduate Scheme Mentor. He is currently Director of People and Culture at Magic Breakfast, a charity focused on ending child morning hunger as a barrier to learning, now and for good. A local resident, Alan has been a board member since 2017 building on his previous experience as a Trustee in Haringey. He is proud of the impact Branches makes in the local area and committed to contributing to the next exciting phase of its development as we realise and take forward our strategic ambitions for a move on property. 🏠 Thank you to Alan for his hard work over the years, and for being so present, and patient, with all of our needs as a small local charity. We couldn’t do what we do without you, Alan! 🌟 #trustee #branchesteam #charitysector #meetalan #volunteer #brancheshostel #local #supportingcharities #volunteerwithus #thankyouvolunteers #hr #hrprofessional #humanresources #volunteersupport #enablingindependence #tacklinghomelessness #supportlocal #charity #personnel

At Branches, our ethos is rooted in providing holistic support, encompassing a wide range of care. We believe in empowering our residents to achieve independent living, whatever it takes. Every person is unique, and at the centre of our mission is the commitment to person-centred care that identifies and embraces individual needs. Understanding that no single approach works for everyone, we adapt our support to honour each person's journey. Our therapist employs dual modalities, blending Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques with humanistic counselling that is deeply focused on the individual. Inspired by an insightful article from the BACP, we reflect on the transformative support we offer at Branches. We also proudly provide walk-and-talk therapy, encouraging connections with nature and ourselves. While uptake may dip during the colder winter months, we continue to advocate for this powerful form of therapy 😊 👉 https://buff.ly/3OCHVqt #walktalktherapy #bacp #counselling #psychotherapy #cbt #ethos #brancheshostel #individualsupport #seasons #support #independentliving #personcentred #learning #deeprooted #hostellife #e17 #walthamforest #journey #therapy #homelessness #walk #bodyandmind #mindmatters #physicalhealth #nature #connections #naturenurture #holistic #therapist #mentalhealth #health

Kicking off 2025 as we mean to go on! Dates now for your 2025 diary! Our 'Mindful Collective' group sessions continue 🧑🤝🧑👫👭 After a roaring success this year, 2025 sessions have just been officially released 🙌 The safe space provides an opportunity for residents to speak, share a common focus, and support one another. 💪 Both former and current residents of the hostel are welcome to join, where they can enjoy a hot drink and engage in open, organic dialogue😊 Have you ever tried group therapy? What were your thoughts? We'd love to hear from you ⭐ #groupsession #mindfulcollective #supportcircle #homelesscharity #conversation #dialogue #speakeasy #supportingresidents #hostellife #residents #brancheshostel #cbt #psychotherapy #mentalhealth #combattingmentalhealth #offload #formerresidents #life #mindmatters #hostel #lifeissues #stress #ongoingsupport