The end of this challenging year is nearly upon us and that means it's time for The Limes to pause for winter break. The centre will be closed from Friday 18 December, reopening on Monday 4 January. Click 'more' to find out January return dates for all our services, plus booking info

We are hiring SESSIONAL WORKERS.

Would you like to work with some amazing children, young people & young adults in a safe & inclusive setting?

Our dynamic charity would like to hear from you. Find out more and apply at thelimes.org.uk/jobs

IH was so happy to be back at Zest Kitchen, he immediately rustled up some delicious tomato soup.

And it really was delicious!

Calling all Tanz Toddlers & Family Playtime members... as we work hard to resume services, we really need your input.

Please fill out our short survey by Tuesday 6 September – it will help us to shape services to match your needs and give us insight into how we can best support you through these times.

We look forward to your responses and thank you, in advance!

Please click the link below:

Tanz Toddler & Family Playtime survey

We’re hiring a new Head of Services.

Join our dynamic team, providing inclusive services to children, young people & young adults in Waltham Forest.

If you're passionate about play and understand the importance of inclusion, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply by 5pm, Mon 5 Oct 20 at thelimes.org.uk/jobs/head-services

Here are some of the new systems in place to keep our children, young people and young adults safe:

The temperature of each child/young person will be checked at the door and, if necessary, a socially distanced queue will be formed at the gates. Temperature readings will be contactless and will not be written down. 

For now, the playground is silent and our doors remain closed but rest assured... the team are all working harder than ever to make sure that we will reopen and as soon as possible. 

Understanding how important our services are, to so many families in Waltham Forest, is driving us all to succeed. We won't let you down.

We will need to make changes and are working on creative ways to safeguard our children and young people while they play and learn. 

Measures include: reviewing our safeguarding policy, adapting our space for social distancing – while still providing a fun environment, implementing extra hygiene measures, redesigning services and making plans to provide extra support online.

It's challenging but we will make it work, if we can secure the necessary funds.

We rely on the generosity of people like you. If you can make a donation, every penny raised will help our fight to continue providing vital services to children and young people across the borough.

Thank you. We can't wait to see you and in the meantime, please stay safe.

Job: HR & Facilities Manager

Due to current circumstances, we are extending the application deadline for this post to Monday 18 May, 10am.

New applicants: Please go to thelimes.org.uk/jobs

Existing applicants: Thank you for your applications, we appreciate your patience at this difficult time.

Job: HR & Facilities Manager

Due to current circumstances, we are extending the application period until Friday 4 May, 6pm.

Existing applicants: Thank you for your applications, we appreciate your patience at this difficult time.

New applicants: Please go to thelimes.org.uk/jobs

IMPORTANT SERVICE NEWS

Please read our statement on how Covid-19 has affected services at The Limes...

The Coronavirus situation is a fast-moving one but rest assured we are closely monitoring all latest advice. We will take appropriate measures, as necessary, to protect the children & young people in our care.

For now, we are opening as normal with extra precautions in place... but we are also relying on you to help us, by making sure you do not attend if you or your child is in any way unwell. Please notify us by phone or email but do not come to the centre. 

We will keep you updated in the coming days.

Many thanks for your cooperation in keeping the children, young people and staff safe.

Liz Fraser, CEO.
On behalf of all the team at The Limes.

Happy half-term with PlayScheme! The best of inclusive fun for children, age 6-12 
Activities: sensory play, arts & crafts, cooking, music, plus trips out.
When: Mon17/Tues 18 Feb. 10.00am -3.30pm. 
If you haven't booked, call the team on 02085098985 to check for cancellations. thelimes.org.uk

Great news! Following a 'technical glitch', we are delighted to announce that all services will resume from Mon 3 Feb. 

Until then, Tanz Toddler will run as normal, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9.30-11.30 & Family Playtime will run Sat 1 Feb. 9.30-11.30.
And with half-term hurtling towards us, book now for Play & Teen Schemes. These schemes book up quickly, so don't delay

Email us at services@thelimes.org.uk

We can't wait to see you all and get back to making sure that 2020 is the best year ever for our children & young people. 

Find out more about all of our services: thelimes.org.uk/services

#Children #Youth #Play #Inclusive #Activities #E17

We apologise that some of our regular services at The Limes are temporarily suspended.  

As an Ofsted-registered childcare provider, The Limes is required by law to ensure that it has a manager who is registered with Ofsted as a suitable person on-site at all times when care is being provided for children and young people under the age of 18.  This applies to those services where children and young people are attending The Limes without a parent or guardian also being present.  We are in the process of registering new managers with Ofsted, so that these services can be re-opened as soon as possible.

This has happened because several of our staff have been unwell over the last few weeks.  As a small charity, we rely on a small number of core staff, and illness meant that we have not had enough staff who are also Ofsted-registered managers available to run all our services.  We had to suspend some services in December due to staff sickness, and we are still waiting for Ofsted to confirm that our applications for our new managers to be registered have been accepted before we can re-open these.  Unfortunately, the Christmas period when government offices are closed has delayed the registration process, and the applications are still being processed. 

Staff and the Trustees at The Limes are all working very hard to be able to re-open all our services as soon as possible.  

We will update this message regularly, and we will let all our regular service users know as soon as our Ofsted-registered services can re-open.  We hope that this will be in the next few days.  Our other services for children accompanied by their parents and guardians are open as normal.

We look forward to welcoming you all back to our full range of services at The Limes very soon.

As we begin a new year, we're looking forward to new beginnings, new adventures, new challenges and welcoming new friends to The Limes.

All the team would like to thank you for your continued support as we strive to make sure that all children can experience the power of play, in a safe and fun environment.

We couldn't do it without you!

#play #inclusion #disability #community 

Santa's coming early with 12 days of giving from Ecclesiastical.com 

Please vote for us as, each day, 5-20 Dec, £1k will be donated to the charities with most nominations.

It's super-easy to nominate, just go to https://www.ecclesiastical.com/movement-for-good/12-days/ and enter our charity number: 1099064

Please nominate us ... it could mean more festive fun for our children & young people.

#12days #MovementForGood

Please note: There will be no CLUB on Tuesday 26 Nov, due to staff training. But don't worry it will be back in action on Thursday 28 Nov, 4-6.30pm with lots of fun activities.
Hope to see you then! 

#Youth #Activities #AfterSchool #E17 

The Club is our free and inclusive drop-in session – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 4-6.30pm.
Find out more at thelimes.org.uk/services/club

DashDotDance at The Limes is proving to be so popular, we're now trialling another new and inclusive dance group!

Junior Dancers for children age 6-11 will run on Fridays 4-5pm, from Fri 1 November. £2.50.

Every child in Waltham Forest should experience the joy of dance and we’re working with DashDotDance, to make it happen!

Book now: admin@thelimes.org.uk or 02085098985

Funded by Waltham Forest Borough of Culture 2019

Our Zest Kitchen chefs have prepared a perfect Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta with Side Salad for tomorrow’s Lunch@The Mill on Coppermill Lane– 12-1.30pm. £3.

After tomorrow, we'll be back at the Mill on Wed 30 Oct. Happy half term to you!

Zest Kitchen is the horticulture strand of our Creative Journeys programme, preparing young people with disabilities for employment. 

Find out more about Zest Kitchen: thelimes.org.uk/services/zest-kitchen

#LunchLocal #E17 

The sun will come out tomorrow, so get yourselves to The Mill on Coppermill Lane – 12-1.30pm, where our Zest Kitchen chefs will be presenting an awesome Autumn Squash and Apple Panzanella. £3.

Hailed as being 'what good, solid people-focused community work looks like', our collaboration with The Mill is going from strength-to-strength and providing vital experience for our young people.

Zest Kitchen is the horticulture strand of our Creative Journeys programme, preparing young people with disabilities for employment. 

 We have a club running every day, Mon-Fri. Packed with games & activities, there's something fun for everyone.

The Club: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday, 4.00-6.30pm. 10-25 yrs Free 
Inclusive drop-in after school club. Mingle & make friends. Activities: table tennis, music-making, indoor & outdoor games, arts, baking, chill zone.

#SuperSaladWednesday is back!

Today at The Mill on Coppermill Lane, 12-1.30pm, our talented Zest Kitchen young people will be serving up scrumptious stuffed sweet peppers with halloumi cheese & fresh corn on the cob. Support disabled young people as they prepare for employment – Pop in & tickle your tastebuds for a tasty £3!

Zest kitchen is the culinary strand of our Creative Journeys programme, teaching young people with disabilities valuable life and employment skils

Could you be a trustee of The Limes?

If you have the necessary skills and would be interested in joining the board of our dynamic and creative charity, please apply at thelimes.org.uk/trustee-registration-form

Look what's happening at The Limes... Staff from the Walthamstow branch of Sainsbury's are busy painting our main hall. Yay!

We're chuffed to be chosen as this year's #Sainsburys150 community cause. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who have been working so hard, in the middle of a heatwave, to transform the hall for our children & young people.  They are going to love it. 

#Community #Kindness 

Dance Is Freedom is the newly released film by Waltham Forest Borough of Culture 2019. It shows DashDot/YouthDance working with children and young people at The Limes, alongside the aspirational Stopgap Dance Company. A truly inclusive and inspiring project. 

Watch the film here: http://youtu.be/Mq0LIseCiNo. It's a thing of beauty!

If you would like the chance to see #DashDotDance in action, they will be performing at the Walthamstow Garden Party this Sat 13th July 3pm  on the News From Nowhere stage 

Creative Journeys is a programme designed to prepare young people with disabilities for employment.  

On Wednesday 10 July between 6-7pm, we invite you to come and meet the team and find out how this entrepreneurial scheme guides young people through the transition to adulthood and gets them ready to enter the world of work with confidence.

Throughout a 16 week journey, participants learn valuable life and employment skills, enabling them to take their rightful place in the community.

It's all go at The Limes... our young people are busy making lots of goodies, for our stall at the Walthamstow Village Festival.

Come and visit the stall on Saturday and meet Qasim, a past participant of our Creative Journeys programme.

Find out more about how the scheme prepares young people with disabilities for employment, through three strands:
Edible Forest Garden (horticulture)
Make & Create (Crafting)
Zest Kitchen ( Culinary)

We're hiring sessional workers.

Do you have the necessary skills to work with children and young people, age 5-25 years, with and without disabilities?

If the answer is yes, we'd really like to hear from you. 

Don't delay... apply today

https://thelimes.org.uk/jobs/sessional-staff 
 

Bakers & cakers... We need you!

To raise money for specialist toys, we're having a bake sale at our Pirate Party, 15 Jun - 12-2.30pm.

We need cupcakes and we're hoping you can help?

Drop off your cupcake donations by 8pm Fri 14 or bring them on the day and stay for the party!  

Thanks for your support. 

Each Wednesday our talented Zest Kitchen young people serve up a scrumptious salad or soup, at The Mill on Coppermill Lane. 12-1.30pm.

Lovingly prepared healthy food a very tasty £3.  It's guaranteed to sell out so get there early.

Zest Kitchen part of our Creative Journeys enterprise programme designed to prepare disabled young people for employment.

To find out more about Creative Journeys or any of our services, contact the team at admin@thelimes.org.uk or call 0208 5098985.

Tomorrow's Super Salad Wednesday at The Mill on Coppermill Lane features Fabulous Feta, Veg & Couscous with a lemon dressing.

Made for you by our Zest Kitchen young people, as part of our Creative Journeys enterprise programme. They'll be serving up a storm between 12-1.30pm...  but at a very tasty £3, you'd better get there early! Everyone welcome. 

Zest kitchen is part of our Creative Journeys programme, preparing young people with disabilities for employment.

We are unable to run our Tanz Toddler group on the following dates:

Tuesday 7 May
Thursday 9 May
Friday 10 May.

We look forward to seeing you for more fun and games from Tuesday 14 May, 9.30am - 11.30am.

The Royal Court Theatre in collaboration with the National Trust are running Listen Local’s Mini Forest Cinema Tour, as part of Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture.

Our Creative Journeys young people were delighted to be involved, helping the team to transform a humble carvan into an enchanted forest cinema, on our Edible Forest Garden site.  

The Listen Local caravan is showcasing over 50 short films by local residents, as it tours the borough. Find out more about the project here: http://bit.ly/2L7xhtS

As part of The Club, our after-school scheme - open to young people aged 10 and over – we have been running a ‘Building Connections’ workshop, tackling the issue of youth loneliness. From spray paints to word play, music and video our young people have been exploring the issues surrounding loneliness.

Win the perfect Mother's Day gift,  A beautiful handloomed Tibetan shawl – courtesy of sparkleohara.strikingly.com. To enter, just got to our Facebook page and find our competition post. www.facebook.com/@thelimese17. In the comments, tell us your mother's most memorable words of wisdom - in no more than 30 words. Add hashtag #TheLimesLovesMums. Like our page and... job done! The competition closes at midnight Friday 22 March 2019 and the winner will be announced Saturday 23 March 2019, on Facebook and Twitter. Your prize will be presented at our Mother's Day Sunday Market, 24 March 2019, between 12-3pm. If you cannot collect at this time, please contact admin@thelimes.org.uk to arrange an alternative time. Full terms and conditions are below. Good luck!

We're thrilled to announce that DashDot/YouthDance, a Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 project by Artistic Director Vicki Busfield, is coming to The Limes! Vicki Busfield, is partnering with us to provide creative dance workshops, for the SEND children & young people of Waltham Forest and the workshops will take place, right here, at The Limes. 
Taster dance sessions will run every Wednesday from now until 3 April.
Find out more information below...

Would you like to be our new Edible Forest Garden Co-ordinator? Or maybe, our Zest Kitchen Co-ordinator? Or how about both?!

Both jobs are part of our Creative Journeys programme and can be offered as indiviual positions or combined into one role, for the right person.
Click HERE to find out more about these exciting opportunities and to apply. We're looking forward to hearing from you...

More excitement for The Limes! 
Vote for us before 24 Feb and we could win £500 – thanks to Taylor Wimpey's national Proud campaign, which makes positive contributions to local communities.
To vote, please email: ProudEastLondon@taylorwimpey-pr.co.uk and put The Limes Community & Children's Centre in the subject line.

Thanks for your support #walthamstow

VACANCY: FACILITIES OFFICER 
Closing date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 17:00

Thank you so much for choosing us as your Co-op local cause

Come along to our Sunday Market, Sunday 25 November, 12-3pm. Christmas shopping made fun!