Cornerstone News Summer 2013

Spring/Summer 2013

www.cornerstone.org.uk

We have also been named as one of three finalists in the Alick Buchanan-Smith Enterprising Communities Award category; atThe Grampian Awards for Business Excellence - organisedby Enterprise North East Trust.T h i s a w a r d r e c o g n i s e s organisations operating for thebenefit of their communityand awards will be presented on Thursday 27 June in Aberdeen’sArdoe House Hotel.

CornerstoneNews

Recognition For Excellence

Spring/Summer 2013

Both the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Care Accolades and The GrampianAwards for Business Excellencehave recognised the outstanding work our teams do through the nomination and presentation of highly coveted and prestigious awards.

We were awarded a special Chair’s Award at the 10th AnnualS S S C C a r e A c c o l a d e s t o acknowledge our achievements. This is the third year that a Chair’s Award has been presented and goes to a finalist chosen by the Chairman of the judging panel, Gary Coutts, in recognition of outstanding success. Chairman of the judging panel, Gary said,

“Sifting through all the applications this year we were really impressed to see that one organisation was entering superb projects in categoryafter category after category - absolutely first class projects that were telling us here is an organisation focused on quality and looking to do its absolute best throughout all of its operations. It was a pleasure to present the award to Cornerstone.”

We were shortlisted in the ‘Investingin the Workforce’, ‘Developing Practice’, ‘Children and Young People’and ‘One to Watch’ categories. The finalists of these accolades all deserve recognition for the work they do and we would like to congratulate them on doing such a wonderful job.

Cornerstone News Spring/Summer 20132

A Tribute to Cornerstone’sFounder Nick BaxterNick Baxter, Cornerstone’s founder and former Chief Executive, passed away on Sunday, April 28, surrounded by his family.

“As founder of Cornerstone he was always a strong advocate for people with learning disabilitiesand did so much to change attitudes and improve the lives of so many,” said Edel Harris paying tribute to Nick’s life and work.

Nick began his career as a trainee child care officer for Birmingham City Council after graduating from London University with a degree in Sociology. He returned to academia gaining a professionalqualification from The Universityof Aberdeen in 1971. During his studies he met and marriedLouise, an Aberdonian, and they returned to the city to live. Nick took a post with GrampianRegional Council’s Social Workdepartment, eventually beingoffered the position of senior SocialWorker responsible for learningdisability services.

Nick’s work highlighted the lack and negative nature of services for people with learning disabilities in Scotland. In the late 1970s, the concept of Community Care did not exist and people with mental disabilities were often marginalised. Nick believed that people with learning disabilities should be able to live

within their own communities and have their own homes and jobs, and not have to live in institutions. He recognised that people with a learning disability were peoplefirst, and he worked with their parents or carers to allow them to be supported in the community. This was the motivating factor behind Nick’s decision to pioneer care in the community in Scotland and found Cornerstone. Using his entrepreneurial skills including initiative, drive and enthusiasm, Nick brought together a small group of people to campaignfor services to be based in the community for people with a learning disability, and managed to persuade the authorities in Aberdeento back his vision of a small community based service.

Cornerstone Community Care (as we were then known) was established in 1980, with the support of a small group of par-ents and social work profession-als and was initially run from Nick’s dining room. In 1982, the first service was opened in Aberdeen. As the organisation grew, Nick recognised the importance of management and, in 1994, he undertook a Master of Business Administration (MBA) run jointlyby the University of Aberdeen and The Robert Gordon University. Throughout the course Nick continued to work for those who needed his support.

Apart from the fulfilment of our aim ‘to enable the people we support to enjoy a valued life’, Nick considered one of his major achievements to be the establishment of the Garthdee Project in Aberdeen in 1989, which was then one of the first services in Britain to be designed based on the needs of an identified group of people. In 2001, the Scottish Executive committed itself to closing all Scottish learning disability hospitals which provided Cornerstone with an opportunityto grow.

In 2003, Nick was awarded the Ernst and Young UK Social Entrepreneur of the Year and he went on to win other prestigious titles including the 2004 Institute of Directors, Director of the Year Award; the British Chambers of Commerce, Scottish Entrepreneurof the Year 2004 Award and The New Statesman 2005 Upstarts Award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

“The charitable work of Cornerstone will always be part of Nick’s legacy and his commitment to ensuring thateveryone in society had a chance to live a valued life won’t be forgotten.”


The Young Start Fund has awarded Cornerstone £49,990 to start a weekly youth club offering activities currently not available to children aged eight to twelve in Bourtreehill, Irvine. The funding will allow the Bourtreehill Youth Club project to run for two years offeringweekly evening activity sessions.

Susan Lorimer, our Children’s Services Manager, said, ‘The fundingwill allow us to fund staff such as a Team Leader, Support Worker and four Support Assistants as well as covering the costs of a range of activity materials such as outings,entrance fees, mini-bus hire, workshops, drama groups, sportfocus groups, themed events and arange of activity materials.

‘The club will provide activitiesthe children have asked for and at the same time help them become more involved in the community.’

The Young Start Fund uses money from dormant accounts to create opportunities for people aged

New Irvine Youth Club Set For Bourtreehillbetween eight and twenty-four and have chosen to support this project benefitting thirty childrenwith disabilities.

The fund’s aim is to help children realise their potential, and we are delighted that they have chosen us to meet this aim in Irvine.

CornerstoneFundraisingToolkit

Get Inspired, Get In Touch & Get Involved... with our new fundraising toolkit. If you have not yet checked it out, do it now! There are a fudgillion * of different hints, tips and ideas to inspire and support your fundraising activities, so until you have a peek here are some A,B,Cs to fundraising :

A As New Sale: AKA posh jumble sale. Ask everyone you know for unwanted belongings and hold a sale evening. Auction of Services: Auction the services of people and businesses - anything from singing lessons to dinner for two.

B Baked Bean Bath: Get sponsored to spend the day in a bath of baked beans, why not charge friends to join you. Barbecue: Add stereo, football and rounders bats and make it a whole day event.

C Car boot sale: Cash in your old belongings, or sell pitches. You could raise more with bouncy castles, raffles, etc. Car wash: Wash cars at shopping centre or office car parks.

If you can’t wait until you get home for more hints and tips download the mobile version now!*A Fudgillion is not a real number, but there is a MASSIVE collection of fun and interesting ideas for you to explore.

Children in Irvine are set to benefit from the £50,000 cash boost

Stewart Duff, Associate at Space Solutions, said: “This topping out ceremony marks an exciting milestone in the development of Cornerstone’s new property and we are pleased to have been invited to attend the celebration. We share the enthusiasm and excitement of Cornerstone and the residents in seeing the buildingprogress and look forward to its completion in the autumn.”


Cornerstone marked a milestonein the construction of ourpurpose-built social housing complex for adults with learning disabilities on the 22 May at a topping out ceremony on the site.

The ceremony marked the completion of the highest part of the new accommodationin the Bourtree area of Portlethen,with Jayne Findlay, RegionalDirector, North of Scotlandsecuring the final roof tile.

Representatives of Cornerstone,Bancon Construction, the contractor appointed to the build, and Space Solutions, who were involved in the design of the building, attended the ceremony.

Situated in Portlethen, there will be six flats in the new build, which will allow six people with disabilities to enjoy a home of their own. Each flat will use the latest technology

Portlethen Topping Out Ceremonyto allow the people who live there to be supported by Cornerstone staff and feel safe while maintaining an optimum level of independence. The properties willalso be equipped to deal with residents’ changing needs.

Land for the flats was securedwith the help of AberdeenshireCouncil, and funding for the scheme was provided by the ScottishGovernment. Our fundraising campaign ‘Home Is Where the Heart Is’ has so far seen £160,000 of the project’s remaining £300,000 target raised by, community groups, private companies and individuals.Bake sales, coffee afternoons, gifts in kind and event sponsorship are some of the ways people have been helping generate funding. Weare especially grateful for thelittle donations coming through from our donation boxes andcampaign text line (see opposite for more information).

Drew Robertson, Site Manager (Bancon); Elaine Duffy, Service Manager (Cornerstone); Mark Chalmers, Senior Architect (Space Solutions) and Jayne Findlay, Regional Director North of Scotland (Cornerstone)

Cameron, Callum and Fred who will be moving into the flats later this year.


To support our ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is‘campaign we launched out text donation numberwith our 5 Days To Make A Difference campaignwhich ran from the 22 – 26 April. Over the five days we encouraged as much involvement as possibleto kick start text donationsand we have had afantastic response from the public.

The lines are still open, make a difference, text

‘PORT12 £1’ to 70070.

Time To Make A Difference

TEXT today!

Meet Fred who wil l be moving into our new development in Por tlethen. He’s been excitedly visiting the site to see how the build is moving on and taking photos for an album. Your text donation will change Fred’s life by offering him a home to call his own in an environment that meets his needs and offers him greater independence.

Our Community Justice ServicesManager has been selected from over 1,000 applicants to receive aprestigious Winston Churchill Travelling Research Fellowship. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust offers travelling fellowship to UK citizens to travel overseas and bring back knowledge and best practice for the benefit of others in their professions and communities.

Lynn Jolly, who is based in our Glasgow office, will spend this autumn visiting services in the USA and Canada, which provide support services for ex-offenderswith learning support needs.

Edel Harris, Cornerstone CEO, commented ‘I am delighted that Lynn has been afforded this incredible opportunity. Cornerstoneand the people we support will benefit hugely from her experience and we are very proud of the fact that one of Cornerstone’s employees has been selected following a hugely competitive process’

Prestigious Scheme Placement

Lynn has developed services within Cornerstone which support peoplewith learning support needs leaving prison or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system. The Positive Tracks and Partnership Projects are being developed beyond Glasgow to the North of Scotland.

Lynn was delighted to have been given this opportunity to travel to California and Toronto, She said, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with people who have learning supportneeds in the community justice system of Canada and the USA and demonstrates some important learning opportunities for those of us developing suchservices inthe UK.”

Keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter for updates from Lynn’s travel blog .

Lynn at the Star Awards with her CNR International Award for Innovation


Phe-GNOME-enal Response at Gift Corner

KilimanjaroChallengeF I L L

THESEBOOTS

Visitors to our Stonehaven social firm, Gift Corner, were en-couraged to help decide what we were to call a namelessgnome who appeared in the shop window in March.

Gift Corner on Evan Street received the gnome from staff at the Asda store in Portlethen and invited members of the public to vote for a name from a shortlist suggested by staff, which resulted in hundreds of people visiting Gift Corner to register their votes.

Shoppers were offered a 10% discount if they voted in the poll, either in person or on Cornerstone’s Facebook and Twitterpages and on 8 April the votes were counted and Gerome emerged as the most popular name for the little chap.

Shop Supervisor Suzanne Smith said, “We’re delighted that Gerome now has a name and would like to thank everyone who took the time to visit Gift Corner and vote. The response was amazing and he has clearly got people talking!”

Gift Corner stocks a range of gift items as well as goods produced at Woodview Embroidery and Print Services, another one Cornerstone’s social enterprises. Gift Corner is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday - Saturday, offering training and employment opportunities to over 20 people with learning disabilities.

Do something memorable next year - Climb Kilimanjaro for Cornertone. In March 2014 help make lifeless of an uphill struggle for the people we support; fill these boots and raise much needed funds for children and adults with disabilities across Scotland. For more information please contact us on t: 0141 550 7580 or e: [email protected].


Celebrating its 10th year, the Cornerstone annual dinner has raised over £400,000 since the first event in 2004. The hugely popular black tie event is a firm fixture in the North East social calendar and is one of our biggest fundraising events drawing in over £37,000 this year.

Entertainment at this year’s event was provided by the topical musical comedy duo, Vic Rodrick and Annie Gunner Logan, who specialise in political parody and put their own twist on well known songs, thoroughly entertained our guests. Additional entertainmentwas also provided by our auctioneer for the night, Alex Fleming, whose unique style not only encouraged additional bids but also plenty of laughter. This year’s dinner was co-sponsored by BP and Petrofac. Vanessa Smith, Regional CorporateRelations and Fundraising Co-ordinator, said, “Everyone at Cornerstone would like to thank the ongoing support of BP and Petrofac. The help given has enabled us to make this event a huge success and allowed us to raise significant amounts of moneyto continue our work caring for children and adults throughout Scotland who need our support.”

Tim Smith, Vice President for Communications & External Affairsat BP said, “BP has supported Cornerstone since it was founded

over thirty years ago. During that time, the charity has made a real and meaningful difference to the lives of many people with disabilities and support needs. We value this long standing partnership and are proud to be able to sponsor the tenth anniversary of this major fundraising event. “

Eleanor Bentley, Vice President, Finance, Petrofac Offshore Projectsand Operations said, “We are delighted to be able to support the dinner and to be involved in its landmark tenth year is doubly special. Petrofac has worked closelywith Cornerstone over many years and we are well aware of the huge contribution that the dinner has made to providing support for children and adults in need.”

There are plenty more pictures of the night on our facebook page, search: CornerstoneCharity. For more information about our fundraising events and being a sponsor please contact our fundraising team at [email protected]

Celebrating A Decade of Annual Dinners

Top: Our wonderful voluntary team who helped the evening run smoothlyBottom: A selection of photos of our guests.


What does a typical day for you involve?

This is a hard one, there is no typical day as the job is so varied.The Fragile X Society has two fantastic Family Support Workers in England, but this post is the first in Scotland, so this is very exciting both for the society and of course myself. The family support element can include dealing with calls from families looking for help with DLA forms, sleep issues, looking to talk through practical strategies in managing behaviour or lookingfor information pertinent to carriers. I also receive calls from professionals looking for specificinformation or to talk through certain situations for the people they are supporting. As the post is new in Scotland a large part of my role is raising awareness of FragileX and what the Fragile X Societycan offer families. So far I have presented to Genetic Nurses, Child Partnerships in Glasgow, linked in with schools, early years, learning disability teams and social work departments. Each day brings so much learning and I am veryexcited to see things beginning

In the last edition of Cornerstone News we mentioned that thanks to several grants from the Scottish Government we have been able to take on a Family Support Worker for a three year period who will offeradvice and information to those affected by Fragile X. This role has now been filled by Sandra Thoms, who we caught up with to provide a little bit of information about herself and the importance of her role:

F r a g i l eWhat Is Fragile X?Fragile X is the most common known cause of inherited learning disability. The gene that causes Fragile X is carried on the X chromosome and both men and women can be carriers. It affects 1 in 4,000 boys and 1 in 6,000 girls.

Fragile X can cause mild to severe intellectual disability,speech and language difficulties, over activity and poor attention span, anxietya n d s e n s o r y p ro b l e m s.

We support people across the coun-try with Fragile X, such as Ross (top) who has found work in our social firm Woodview. We also promote awareness through activities like sponsoring the Dundee showing of MIssion to Lars at DCA last year

to happen in Scotland. It has amazed me how many peopledo not know about Fragile X, so I have a huge task ahead I am sure, but one I am thoroughly enjoying.

Why is your role so important?

I think my role is important in many ways, families are dealing with huge challenges on a day to day basis and I think it is essential that they can have someone to call who can listen and offer some support and information, especially after diagnosis which can be a criticaltime for families. It’s great that the Fragile X Society has information on a range of issues written by some of the top experts in the field of Fragile X.

What experience do you bring to the role?

I have nearly thirty years experience working with people with learning disabilities and their families. For the last 16 years I have specialised in working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Past posts have included development of services


The Fragile X Society was formed in 1990 by families whose childrenhad just been diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome. At that time there were no facilities to supportand inform families about any aspect of Fragile X, and so the Society came into existence.

Membership of the Society is FREE to families, carriers, carers of children or adults and anyone else whose life is affected by Fragile X.

X FocusThe Society’s Aims are to:

provide support and information to Fragile X familiesfrom those who share and understand their concerns and needs

educate and inform the public and professionals about Fragile X in order to raise awareness a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e syndrome and so improve the care of all people affected by Fragile X

encourage research into allaspects of Fragile X and publicisethe results.

Scotland-wide, delivering training,working in a one-stop-shop offering pre and post-diagnosticsupport to adults and managinga Transition Project for young people with ASD and ADHD in West Dunbartonshire. Although I have specialised in ASD this post has really thrown me out of my comfort zone as there was so much to learn about Fragile X. I am learning so much from the familiesand colleagues I have met so far and I am looking forward to learning more and using it to change people’s lives.

Which regions will you be working in?

I am concentrating mainly on the central belt at the moment and linking my networking in with the Genetic Centres and links that Cornerstone has in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

What would you like to achieve in the next 6-12 months?

I would like to reach as many people as I can in Scotland, both families and professionals. My goal is to see links forming, everyone working together and having information about FragileX widely available. I hear so many families saying, “people don’t ‘get’ my son/daughter” or

professionals asking “what is Fragile X?” so I think if this stress could be reduced for families it would be a major achievement. I also want to see support groups up and running as we have a family member in Glasgow keen to help so we are hoping to getour first group started this year. Who inspires you?

The list is endless but my first choice would be Maya Angelou, I remember seeing her at MayFest in Glasgow and being totally inspired. I had read her books but she stood up for three hours and talked, read her poetry and sang and it seemed like five minutes. She is an amazingly strong and positive lady.

If you have questions Sandra can be contacted at [email protected]

What does a typical day for you in-volve?This is a hard one, there is no typi-cal day as the job is so varied, each day is very different. The Fragile X Society has two fantastic family support workers in England, but this

Sandra Thoms, Fragile X Family Support Worker for Scotland

Cornerstone News Spring/Summer 201310SC

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Phones For Funds CampaignWe can recycle your old or unwanted phones to raise valuable funds to help support our services across the country. Scan the QR code below and think of us when you replace your phones - whether it be your own or as part of a company-wide upgrade, and send the obsolete handsets to: Phones for Funds, First Floor, Atholl House, 86-88 Guild Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6LT. Or [email protected] for self addressed envelopes and more information.

Our new website has been launched and has a refreshed look along with some great added features, including a calendar showing our 2013 events planned in local communities throughoutScotland. The new calendar also provides supporters with the ability to register their own event, set up online sponsorship pages and access marketing and fundraising support - makingevent planning that little bit easier for everyone. If you have not already done so, visit the site today to find out more about our wide range of services, volunteering and job opportunities and our work in the community.


do not need alcohol to have fun.- why not have a go and make a Mango Fandango for yourself.

• 2partsMangojuice• 1partElderflowerwater• 2partsPineapplejuice• Crushedice• Atiny-weenieumbrella (not essential)

Mix together and shake/stir well and enjoy a tasty non-alcoholic cocktail perfect for sunny days. Why not try making your own Mocktails this summer and let us know what your favourite recipe is?

At the start of the new year many of us reflect on the excesses of the party season and make the resolution to be healthier. So to help employees maintain the resolution of moderation and self control, our Healthy Working Lives group agreed to encourage a dry start to the year with ‘Mocktails’. The group thought it would be a good idea to provide some alcohol free cocktails during the month of January to highlight that a non alcoholic drink can be enjoyable and fun. This tied in with plans to promote healthy eating through to March and made for a good opportunity to promote fruit juicesas a healthy and enjoyablealternative.

Cornerstone offices across the country got involved by holding non-alcoholic office parties where a range of delicious drinks were prepared to highlight that you

Cornerstone Support Worker,Donald Shankie, secured 50tickets from the HibernianCommunity Foundation forthe people we support to attend a home game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.This is the second time the Hibernian FC have gifted tickets to Cornerstone; they reguarly donate them to us through their Kicks for Kids scheme. We are very gratefulthat with their help we can offer a fun day out with their peers to cheer on the team.

A Footie Day Out

Why Not Have a Mocktail?

Photos from our regional offices’ mocktail parties

We feel that any organisation that supports people with disabilities deserves recognition and that is whyour employment services jumped at the chance to be sponsorsof the Business Diversity awardwhich will be presented aspart of the Northern Star Business

Recognising Others’ Excellence In Ser vice Provision

Awards 2013, 26 September, at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

Paul Tytler, Employment Service Manager said, “Seeing people with disabilities being given opportunities in employment isgreat as there is a lot of bias out there which sees people who are capable of doing a job being overlooked due to their disabilities.We are happy to sponsor an award that encourages and recognisesorganisations opening their doors to people with disabilities.”


Cornerstone’s CEO, Edel Harris, has been asked to Chair the Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s £50 mil-lion Life Changes Trust which aims to transform the lives of young people leaving care and the lives of people with demen-tia and their carers in Scotland.

BIG Lottery created the Life Changes Trust as they identified young peo-ple leaving care and people with dementia and their carers as two of the highest priority groups in Scot-land today. There are currently over 16,000 looked after children in Scot-land, and over 84,000 people with dementia. The £50 million will be evenly split (£25 million each) be-tween the two beneficiary groups.

Edel Harris Chair For Life Changes Trust

Too Early to ‘Countdown’ The Days to Christmas?For the fans of Countdown, aired on Channel 4, the signature teapotsfeatured on the show are something to be coveted. These teapotsare only awarded to winners and cannot be purchased. This fact was revealed to Alan, supported by Cornerstone in North Ayrshire,much to his disappointment. Being a huge fan of the show his wish for Christmas last year was to receive a Countdown Teapot.Not to be deterred, the staff team wrote to ITV on Alan’s behalf.They explained that Alan has autism and over the seven years we have supported him, Alan has not missed an episode. He loves the programme so much that last year, when he had to be rushed into hospital for an emergency operation, his only concern was that he would miss Countdown.

For Alan’s dedication the kind people at ITV make an exception and sent a teapot that arrived in time to bewrapped and placed under the tree for Christmas.

Alison Davidson, Team Leader, said, “Alan was absolutely delighted to receive the teapot for Christmas, It is hard to think of a time I have seen him happier. Alan buys the Countdown board games and collectsCountdown memorabilia but the thing he wanted more than anything was a Countdown teapot”

It is never too early to think about Christmas and how you and your organisation can make wishescome true for the people we support. If you would like to know more about the options availableto give that ideal gift please contact [email protected]

Edel said: “It is such an honour to be asked to Chair the Life Changes Trust. With my fellow trustees and our new CEO I am looking forward to working with many people and organisations in Scotland to see what we can do col-lectively to really make a difference to the lives of those living with dementia

and their carers and for young people leaving care. We want to invest the £50m in such a way that ensures sustainable, trans-formational change and im-proves the lives of many indi-viduals and families in Scotland.www.lifechangestrust.org.uk


Cornerstone Discusses Changing Times at WestminsterOur CEO Edel Harris, Depute CEO John Grant and Chairman Peter Nicholson met a group of MPs at Westminster in a bid to strengthenrelationships and help shape policy in what is a challenging time for the social care sector. The dinner, was hosted by Dame Anne Begg, Labour MP for Aberdeen South, and was attended by several other MPs, at the House of Commons in London and sponsored by BP. The group got together to discussthe challenges facing our charitywith the advent of self-directed support, the proposed integrationof health and social care in Scotland, cuts to funding of social care services and the Government’s welfare reform.

Many of the people we support currently receive the DisabilityLiving Allowance (DLA), a benefitprovided by the state tosupport people with disabilities and long-term health conditions; irrespective of employment status.As of April 2013 the welfare reforms saw the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which will slowly replace DLA between 2013 – 2016.

The main difference between the two benefits is that while DLA is based on self-assessment PIP entitlement requires a face-to-faceassessment, discussions with your doctor and medical record checks and eligibility will also be kept under review.

Dame Anne said, “The dinner gave Cornerstone the opportunity to describe the services it provides in Scotland, we also discussed the challenges it presently faces. The group of MPs Cornerstone met had a wide knowledge and direct experience of disability, the voluntary sector, local government and social enterprise. As a result the discussionwas detailed, interesting and veryworthwhile.”

Visiting the House of Commonswas a great opportunity for Cornerstone as these reforms will not only affect the people we support but also the way in which we provide our services. Other MPs who attended included Cathy Jamieson, MP for Kilmarnock & Loudoun and formerMinister for Justice; Anne Maguire,MP for Stirling and Shadow Ministerfor Disabled People; and Former Headof Communications for the LiberalDemocrats Olly Grender.

Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

If you are at all concerned with how these reforms will affect you, we highly recommend that you visit both the government and Deparment of Work and Pensions (DWP) websites. Both sites have a range of downloadable packs and information to help you understand how these changes will affect you.

w w w . g o v . u k / p i p

www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/pip-toolkit/

If you have any concerns about how this will influence the services you recieve from Cornerstone, please feel free to contact us and we can discuss any issues you may have.

Contact details for our local offices can be forund on the back cover of this newsletter.


An outstanding evening of traditional entertainment and good food was held at the Invercarse Hotel to help raise funds for the work Cornerstone and Help For Kids do in Dundee and surrounding areas. This year’s supper raised £16,356 which will be used to change the lives of local children, young peopleand adults. This black tie event saw guests enjoying a champagne reception, four course meal and outstanding entertainment.

The top table was graced by a top quality line up of speakers including Lord George Robertson, Tich Frier, Andy Hall and Scottish traditional singer Sheena Wellingtonwho treated guests to a rare live rendition of ‘A Man’s A Manfor A’ That’. Cornerstone’s HR Advisor, Douglas Orr, was also on hand to play the pipes at the traditional Scottish evening.

The event was held in partnership with Dundee radio station Wave 102’s Help For Kids charity and all the money raised was split evenly between the two organisations.

Our Fundraising Manager, said, “We were thrilled to be joined by a variety of guests from the business community all of whom were treated to a truly memorable celebration of the Bard’s life. We would like to thank everyone involved for making it such a wonderful evening. The considerable funds raised from this event will go directly to supportsome of the most vulnerable children, young people and adults in Dundee and the surrounding areas.”

Adam Findlay, Managing Director of Wave 102 in Dundee, added, “Yet again the generosity of Dundee businesses has shown no matter how tough or challenging times are – they will always give charity and life changing causes the highest possible priority.”

For more information about our fundraising events please contactour fundraising team at [email protected]

Cornerstone Burns Supper 2013

A picture with some of our guests, Our HR Advisor, Douglas Orr, on pipes and Roger Benton addressing the haggis

Kincardineshire Silver Jubilee Trust run Jubilee House which is an attractive holiday home in Stonehaven to provide comfortable accommodation for groups with support needs and disadvantaged families and to enable them to enjoy a holiday at a reasonable cost. The Trust was set up with funds raised at the time of Her Majesty The Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, and since 1981 has run Jubilee House as a popularHoliday Home.

We highly recommend Jubilee House as a great destination for holidays, for more information please call 01569 762971 or visit their website www.stonehavenjubileehouse.org.uk.

Have a Holiday at Jubilee House, Stonehaven


Started last year this project aims to provide worthwhile activities for the people we support, focusingon three main areas: health; fun; and education through the deliveryof various activities. Word of the work we are doing is spreadingand we were very grateful for the £200 gifted to the Connect project from the Coatbridge and Airdrie Rotary Club who took an interest in the work we are doing in the area.

The project has three new groups: The Dance group; Pamper group; and Taster Group – a group allowing people to try the activitiesthat they cannot attend at the moment offering an idea of which groups they would want to join during the summer holidays. With the busy events schedule a new member of staff has also been taken on to help with co-ordination. To help promote the regular disco Connect will be running, the first event had a speed dating element making for an enjoyable evening. A lot of fun ideas have been passed on by our keen disco goers and we are looking forward to planing the next event.

Patrick Strickland, Connect Team Leader, said, “With the weather clearing we can focus on finishingour garden and arranging a massive Pétanque competitionto thank all our supporters.”

Cornerstone Connect Update

With start of the year’s weather having been so poor, the gardengroup got involved with the localB&Q who provided the opportunityand resources to make ornaments,such as planters, bird boxesand litter bins for our patch of land at Summerlee Heritage Park.

experience and industry recognisedcertification to access career opportunities in catering,mechanics, social care and oil & gas.

Alan Kennedy, Operations Director at The Prince’s Trust, commented,“Working in partnership with Cornerstone, our combined knowledge and expertise will help young people to realise their full potential and provide them with the opportunity to make a very positive and lasting difference in their lives.”

The Prince’s Trust Scotland and Cornerstone are working in partnership to deliver the Getinto Social Care programme which will offer young unemployed people from Aberdeen a trainingprogramme aimed at giving them access to a career in the care industry and is supported by The Wood Family Trust.

Careers In Care Opportunity With The Prince’s Trust

Commencing 27 May, the five week training programme will give 12 young people aged between 17 and 24 the opportunity to train and develop necessary skills relating to the industry through work experience placements. In addition they will achievea series of recognised accreditations and Cornerstone has guaranteed all young people an interview for a position within the organisation upon completion of the course. The Trust’s Get Into programmes are designed to give young peoplethe skills and qualifications required to gain employment by providing them with work

Pat receiving the £200 from the Coatbridge

and Airdrie Rotary Club


A Thank You To Our Corporate Volunteers.

10 members of Morgan Stanleystaff teamed up and took part in a team building day at the Community Justice - Positive Tracks project in Maryhill where they cleaned and decorated a studio flat for a new referral to the project. Morgan Stanley not only provided the bodies but also purchased all paints and materials for the day.

A team of 10 volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group purchased paints and materials for a day of redecorating the hallway and downstairs bathrooms of a Bishopbriggs service that experiences a lot of wear and tear due to moving and handlingequipment in the communalareas of the service.

Further up north in Kincorth, Aberdeen, a team of 25 more volunteers are creating a vegetablepatch and a sensory gardenwhile also cleaning up, paintingthe fence and shed as well as building a seating area. The volunteers have bought all of the materials, seating and sensory equipment.

Twenty people from the Bank of Scotland volunteered at one of our services in Kincorth as part of the nationwide ‘Give and Gain’ day. The team put in a massive effort over the course of an entire day and managed to create a vegetable patch, seatingarea and a sensory garden filled with a variety of plants and flowers, water features and wind chimes providing calmingsounds and vibrant colours.

Special thanks must go to Raemoir and Foxlane GardenCentres for all their help providing a lot of plants which helped to make this possible.

As part of ‘Give and Gain’ day nine people from Aberdeen Asset Management volunteered to make several improvements to one of our services in the city centre. Kindly donating £600 the team bought decorating and gardening equipment selected by the people we support specifically for the makeover. The team of volunteers worked for a full day and made lasting improvements to the garden by painting, tidying, potting lots of plants and adding decorations.

The team also redecorated two bedrooms belonging to the people we support who chose the colours they liked best. They also painted the lounge and four bathrooms in the building. The team of dedicated volunteers worked really hard and made a big difference to the people we support by brightening up their home.

Staff from FirstGroup Shared Services (FSS) have transformed a garden at one of Cornerstone’s local properties that has sufferedfrom winter wear. The FirstGroupteam of 19 created a list of gardening and DIY tasks to complete over a three day period, Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 May.

Ernst & Young provided us with a team of 15 volunteers who spent a day at Cornerstone Connect Gardening project at Summerlee Heritage Park in North Lanarkshirewhere they created a sensorygarden including a wheelchair ramp and a paved centre piece.

The Royal Bank of Scotland have kindly supported Cornerstone by donating their time and resources to decorate our Wardendand Dyce services. In fact RBS, Queens Cross Branch, have been supporting Cornerstone for the last three years through the continuous efforts of Stacey Davidson who hasbeen acting as an ambassador for us and encouraging in branch fundraising and getting peopleto take part in volunteering days. The Royal Bank of Scotland has helped us many times in the past and we are very gratefulfor their continued support.

Ernst & YOUNGA team of 15 volunteers spent a day at Cornerstone Connect Gar-dening project at Summerlee Her-itage Park in North Lanarkshire where they created a sensorygarden including a wheelchair

Since January Cornerstone has been running The Link, a day activities provision for the peoplewe support in Moray. This scheme currently offers one and a half hour activity sessionstwice a day, Monday to Friday.

The benefits of The Link have already been made clear with everyone from Support Workersto the people we support notinghow significant this provision is. The people attending sessions at The Link are experiencing i n c r e a s e d a n d i m p r o v e d s o c i a l i s a t i o n , d e v e l o p i n g confidence and definitely havingfun. For a number of people The Link is the only opportunity they have to meet others and be part of the wider community.

The Link is currently held at Birchview where there is capacityfor eight people to attendeach session. Most sessions, withthe exception of Friday Arts andCrafts have room for more peopleand we want to make sure as

Providing A ‘Link’ In The Community

Our task group in Aberdeen is now co - ordinated by our volunteer, Leanne Ross.

Maersk Oil’s Fantastic Fundraising Efforts


We owe the employees of Maersk a huge thank you for their fundraising efforts which totalwell over £40,000! A number of their employees have undertakena range of exciting and, at times, dangerous activities to raise this fantastic sum - including competing in the gruelling Marathondes Sables and climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.

many people as possible know that such services are available to them. Our services are branching out and we have several opportunities allowing us to offer a growing number of activities.

We are forming an IT group in partnership with Moray Collegewho already allow us to runwoodwork sessions. There are also opportunities available to work with community groups in Moraysuch as ‘Earth Time’ and Moray recycling where we hope to enable the people we work with to access activities that are of benefitto themselves and encourageengagement in the community.

Susie Cheeseman, Team Leader, said, ‘Already The Link is looking like it could be a long lasting and significant service for people with disabilities in Moray, we are planning on doing as much fundraising as possible to make sure we continue to offer the services people want to see and ensure that we go from strength to strength.’

Ta s k G ro u p V o l u n t e e r

Launched on the 5 March the Hub specialist service in Glasgow provides peopleaged 55 and over with a place where they can share their hobbies with others and pick up new ones along the way. The Hub offers opportunities to meet new friends and most of all have fun! We provide this service from:

68 Dale StreetGlasgow G40 4TL

If you would like to find out more you can contact us [email protected] by calling us on 07769792131.

Cornerstone

H b

Geoscientist Duncan Chedburn, who is incharge of Maersk Oil’s Sports and SocialCommittee, presenting a cheque to our CEO

Our Portlethen project has received a donation to the value of £10,900 from William Wilson and its manufacturers. The donation comes in the form of goods and time which will be put towards the development set for completion later this year. Included in this is a brand new heating system, bathroom suites and an external drainage system, which were kindly given by William Wilson, Myson Underfloor Heating, Ideal Heating, McDonald Engineers, Grundfos & Danfoss, Ideal Standard, Kohler Mira and Polypipe Terrain.

David Mackinlay, Deputy Managing Director at William Wilson, commented “We are delighted to have been involved in such a worthwhile cause as the Home Is Where The Heart Is appeal. It was also a good fit for us because we were able to co-opt in some of our major manufacturing partners, and I express my thanks to them all. We were also able to add value to our contribution by offering technical expertise through our unique heating design service.”


Corporate Support For Portlethen Housing

It is thanks to donations like these Fred (pictured above) is able to see his dream home constructedright before his very eyes. If you would like to help the dreams of the six individulasmoving into our Portlethen project or put a smile on the face of someone else we support please contact our fundraising team [email protected]

As part of the Premier Oil Plc. aim to support longer term fundraising projects contributing to local infrastructure and education, the very generous sum of £10,000 was donated to help develop our ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ campaign. This is a fantastic amount of moneyand we are very grateful to Premier for their support.

Exploration and production company Apache have helped the development of our six homes in portlethen with the kind donation of £2,000.

Aberdeen-based gas supplier, Dominion Gas, has boosted our ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ fundraising campaign with a generous donationof £1,500.

From left to right: Fred, one of the residents to move in later this year, looking at how much progress has been made in such a short time, the underfloor heating that had just been fitted and being shown the plans for the rest of the development with Drew Robertson, Site Manager, Bancon


Peter Nicholson Visits Ours Services in The West

Who looked after you while you were in Glasgow?

Hazel Brown was my enthusiastic tour guide. Anyone who knows Hazel Brown will testify how strongly she promotes each of these services and the amazing people we employ. We agreed to meet in the regional office first for a chance to meet many of the managers and staff and what struck me immediately was the camaraderie and banter in the office, busy people with stressfulroles but all pulling together.

Where did you visit next?

Hazel recommended we visit Cornerstone Connect in Airdrie first where Patrick Strickland and his team were very actively engaged in some exciting daytime activities ranging from painting and creative crafts to some pretty difficult looking 3D jigsaw/ model making. Lots of creative ideas in Airdrie and my thanks to Shona Murray and her team for makingme feel so welcome.

In his recently appointed role as Chair of the Board, Peter Nicholson is keen to visit our services across the country to meet our wide ranging staff teams and the people we support. In March, armed with a full itinerary and teamed up with Hazel Brown, Regional Director West of Scotland, Peter met teams of dedicated colleagues, was entertained in Airdrie and sampled some culinary delights at one of our social firms. Peter tells us more...

We hear you visited one of our social firms for lunch, how was it?

I had heard so much about Coffee Corner over the years and it more than lived up to expectations. Not only does Coffee Corner provide excellent food at very reasonable prices to the local community, but it also provides skills training and employment. The service was the fastest I have had at any restaurant or cafe for many a year. Hazel, KennethStirling and I enjoyed soups, two drinks, macaroni cheese and a sandwich for only £6! I am amazed that people weren’t queuing out thedoor.

What did you do after lunch?

Our final visit was to DalmarnockRoad where I met with Eric Boslemand his team. Much of the surrounding area has recently been redeveloped and it was good to see this wonderful Cornerstone serviceso clearly a part of this newcommunity.

Was your trip beneficial?

Yes. Having been privileged to sit as part of the judging panel for the Cornerstone Star awards I have had exposure over the years to the wonderful services we provide in the West of Scotland and it was fantastic to finally visit the people and places that I had only read about until then. Throughout my trip to the West of Scotlandthe one constant was the dedication and commitment of all the staff that I met. People were passionate about their work and the people they support. I felt very proud to be a part of Cornerstone. My thanks to everyone who so warmly looked after me this trip. I look forward to visiting again.

From left to right: Peter being shown Makaton, a language of signs and speech used by the people we support, and images from our Cornerstone Connect project during creative crafts time

Getting to KnowYou...

Cornerstone’s latest Member of the Board

Cornerstone News Autumn / Winter 201220

There are lots of ways you can support Cornerstone

Make a donation

Fundraise for us

Become a member of Cornerstone

Visit our social network pagesBecome a Volunteer

Attend Cornerstone events

More information can be found on the following pages.

fCornerstoneCharity @CornerstoneScotCornerstoneScotland

Or to find out more please contact us at any of the the following

What was your first job?

It was a Saturday job in the local ironmonger’s shop. I was 16 and wore a brown overall that made me look like a young Arkwright in “Open all Hours”!! Although there are fewer around now, stepping inside an ironmonger’s shop with its characteristic smells still takes me back to the days when I sold everything from nuts & bolts to bedding plants! My first “real” job was a switch from selling to buyingand the start of a varied career in Procurement working firstly in Manufacturing then Construction and now in Retail. 35 years on I still enjoy it!!

Who inspires you?

Lots of people do! Some from publiclife others closer to home. My late piano teacher called Jim McColl (not that one!) was also a great mentor.I find Tony Benn inspirational – someone who speaks his mind

North: 01224 256000East: 01382 220238West: 0141 5507580

www.cornerstone.org.uk

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Unlike many of today’s teenagerswho know exactly what they want to do, I really had no idea! I loved studying music but didn’t fancy teaching and so music became a fulfilling, lifelong hobby. I’ve always been interested in industry and commerce and so a commerciallybased career at least had some logic to it. I was once heavily involved in the church and some years ago considered part-time ministry but after some soul-searching decided against it.

rather than saying what some people might want to hear. I havehuge respect for the Salvation Army and can’t ignore a rattling collection tin! What does being a Cornerstone Board Director mean to you?

It’s about sharing knowledge and experience to help the organisation deliver its strategyefficiently and effectively. It’s also being part of a team that listens to those seeking opportunities to make a difference and helping make that happen.

Andrew Lockhart

Cornerstone News Summer 2013

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Transcript of Cornerstone News Summer 2013