There was great sadness over Christmas when we heard of the death of Betty Walker. Betty passed away on 20 December 2008 at the age of 74.

Betty was a member of the ODEF Core Group, which she had served for over five years. Although illness had prevented her from attending meetings in recent months, she was a dedicated supporter of ODEF and a passionate believer in doing as much as she could to help Ollerton. Very quickly after being elected to the Core Group, Betty was involved in ODEF activities and she became the chair of the newly formed town centre partnership called the ODEF Market Towns Action Team. She presided over a number of community initiatives that were designed to regenerate Ollerton as a thriving market town and she always showed a keen interest in the progress of every project.

Always a popular and familiar face in the town, Betty was involved in a number of other local activities and organisations and she will be missed by a great many people.

ODEF would like to wish all our clients and members a very happy Christmas! 2008 has been a busy and successful year at ODEF, with over 400 new people registering to use our services. During the year there have been plenty of success stories, as people have found employment, learnt new skills and joined our volunteering scheme. We are looking forward to serving the community again in the New Year.

In the gloom of winter, plants can add some welcome colour to a room. Last Friday, six enthusiastic students from the Dukeries College teamed up with ODEF to hold their first 'Home Grown' plant sale at The Eco Shop. The morning was a fantastic success, with students taking £60 for two hours' work. Jane Paling, Community Liaison Officer at the Dukeries College , said that some of the profits will be reinvested into the plant scheme, and the rest will be donated to charity. If you missed your chance to purchase a plant, you will be pleased to know that the students are returning to The Eco Shop on Friday 5 December, which coincides with the day of the Christmas Lights Switch On in New Ollerton. The Shop will be open between 1.30 and 3.30pm. ODEF is hoping to host more Dukeries College plant sales in the future, so we will keep you posted about future events.

The Eco Shop team welcomes Gloria

News from the Core Group (November 2008)

A summary of the latest Core Group Meeting is now available to download. This month the group discussed the impact of the credit crunch on employment opportunities within the Ollerton area, the extension of the contract for ODEF's Skills for Life training and Newark and Sherwood District Council's Local Development Framework.

Download the summary here (PDF, Adobe Acrobat required)

ODEF Services reaches out into new communities

ODEF has been successfully delivering a local employment support service in Ollerton for the last two years during which time over 400 jobseekers have been registered as users. The demand for this type of service shows a continuing upward trend and ODEF has recently been successful in obtaining a grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to continue the service for a further two years. However, there is a growing need to attach an outreach arm to the service for those people living in the neighbouring communities around Ollerton. Notably, ODEF receives very few clients from Clipstone, which houses an area of deprivation and high unemployment.

ODEF intends to provide an outreach element to the employment support service. The outreach service would involve members of the ODEF staff delivering weekly sessions for those people living in the target areas who are unable, or unwilling, to travel into Ollerton to access the employment support service. The funding would be used to ensure that the facilities on offer at the outreach locations replicate, as far as possible, the level and quality of service received by visitors to the ODEF office.

A summary of the latest Core Group Meeting is now available to download. Finally, we can report some encouraging news for the railway, as the County Council has expressed an interest in funding a new feasibility study. The Eco Shop project is progressing well, with a funding application being considered by the Alliance SSP for a local food initiative involving the Eco Shop, Feel Good Foods and the Dukeries Farm Unit. The Transport Action Team has been investigating the traffic problems along Petersmith Drive - hopefully there will be some improvements soon.

Download the summary here (PDF, Adobe Acrobat required)

ICT courses take off!

One Wednesday, back in March, ODEF invited anyone interested in attending a basic ICT course to an open evening. To the delight of the training team, the event was a real success and they launched a training project. Every Wednesday evening, between the hours of 5-7pm, eager students have been gaining a little more confidence in their ICT skills - whether it is surfing the net, learning how to email and message friends or finding out about IT security. Now, the training team are pleased to announce that all the students who submitted their work for an OCN qualification have passed. Congratulations!

Following the success of the pilot project, the training team have now extended the training sessions to two evenings per week, which are very popular. Anyone wishing to join the sessions should speak to Lynda or Lara on     01623 863887  01623 863887     01623 863887  01623 863887 or please email us to find out more.

How life can change!

One of our clients, Mark Eggleton, was so pleased with ODEF’s support service that it inspired him to put pen to paper and write about his experiences. He had been involved in an accident at work that left him with a serious brain injury. As a consequence he approached ODEF's training team to help him renew his skills. Here is his letter in his own words, reproduced with his permission. He hopes that it will encourage others in a similar position to feel confident about approaching ODEF for help.

“Well, how do you start a story like this? I’d had an accident at work and I was feeling ‘Christ, what has happened to me? Why me?’. I knew there was no possibility of me returning to drive a lorry for a living. To start with, I felt scared. I took the plunge to do a basic computer course. The emotions were different; when I was walking up the stairs, for the first time in my life I was wary and unsure if this was the right thing to do. But, as the course unfolded, the changes in me have been great. The ladies have made a great difference as they have made the computer course feel easy and something I could conquer. I will be honest; before the accident it was something I would not have done. It helped that all the people I have met on the course have had the same fears and being in the 'same boat' has helped. You can see the improvement in everyone. The knowledge I now have has made me full of confidence, and I don’t have the feeling of nervousness anymore. Lynda gave me a notebook once so that I could write the things down that I was struggling with at home and it is now full. I am now back in full time employment.

I am looking forward to the next course. Cheers everyone.

Mark

Free NVQ Customer Service course offered to community and voluntary organisations

In partnership with Lincoln College, ODEF is offering staff and volunteers who work for voluntary and community groups, charities and social enterprises, a fantastic opportunity to gain an NVQ in Customer Service.  The training is free of charge, flexible, and anyone working for a relevant organisation can apply - no previous qualifications are required.  Come along to our information session at Ollerton and Boughton Town Hall on 8 October 2008 to learn more. To book your place, please contact Nikki or Carol by telephoning ODEF on     01623 863887  01623 863887     01623 863887  01623 863887 or emailing carol@odef.co.uk

Future of local bus services decided

Employment service set to continue thanks to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust

The ODEF Training Team returns from a successful foray into Leicestershire as part of the BBC RaW Family Storytelling Festival. Lara and Lynda joined Max and Lara’s Travelling Space Circus at Abbey Park for the weekend to help promote reading throughout the East Midlands region. Around 1000 people visited this event undeterred by the rain and thunder. ODEF challenged families to work together to write and illustrate a second ‘Dora the Dragon’ adventure. The original book was written by young mums who attended Ollerton Youth Project and was a great success. More RaW events are planned and we will update you about them as soon as we have more information.

ODEF is proud to announce that Joan Seager has won 2008 ODEF's 'Service to the Community Award'. A tireless worker for many local groups, including ODEF's Disability Action Team, the Older Person's Forum, the Celebration Dance Group, Activity Friend and Ollerton of Yesteryear, Joan has shown that age is not a barrier to being active in the community. Mike Manning (pictured), a community support officer at ODEF, gave a warm and witty speech about her contributions, mentioning her role as a Volunteer Ambassador in which she motivates older people to volunteer. One thing is for certain, keeping active has meant that Joan has the energy of someone much younger. Well done Joan!

News from the 2008 AGM by David Heathcote, Development Manager

The 15^th Annual General Meeting of ODEF took place on 3rd July 2008 at which the Trustees presented the Annual Report. Those in attendance were also asked to vote for members to serve on the Core Group.

The Chairman welcomed everyone and in his opening address referred to the important work being done and how ODEF was still a key player in the regeneration of Ollerton and its surrounding villages.

The Annual Report and Accounts showed that the year began on an optimistic note with the news that The Big Lottery would be supporting ODEF’s Community Breaks project with a grant worth £284,000 over three years. ODEF was also successful in obtaining a grant from the Alliance SSP Market Towns Challenge Fund to enable the opening of an eco-shop in the town. ODEF’s most successful public service remains the Employment Support Service. This was the third year of operation and the average number of new clients rose sharply during the year. ODEF has continued to offer training courses with many students gaining qualifications – sometimes for the first time in the lives. As well as basic skills training in literacy and numeracy, ODEF has introduced a selection of environmentally themed courses. ODEF’s volunteers continued to play a part and the various Action Teams were very busy during 2007/08. The report concluded with the news that, in the future, ODEF will need to address the problems of office space and the inadequate computer network.

The Company Secretary presented the Annual Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2008. The Accounts showed a much-improved financial position due to two large funding grants and increased earnings from public services.

The Annual Report 2007/8 is now available to download from the website, please click here to access it (PDF, Adobe Acrobat required)

News from the Core Group (June 05 2008)

A summary of the latest Core Group Meeting is now available. This month it includes an update on the progress of ODEF's funding application to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, discussion about the future of the Local Strategic Partnership and, as could be expected, more debate about the future of Ollerton Roundabout and traffic congestion around Ollerton in general - does Ollerton need a bypass? Download the summary (PDF, Adobe Acrobat required)

Transport to health centres and hospitals - what do you think?

Organising transport to a hospital or health centre can be difficult. The Transport to Health group, chaired by Mike Manning from ODEF, is carrying out a survey to find out what you really think about this subject. Judy Byrom, from the Newark and Sherwood Voluntary Transport Scheme has set up a survey online, and would really like to know your views, which will be kept confidentially. All the results will be collected and analysed and then presented to the Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust. Adrian Hartley (Foundation Member) and Tracey Brassington (PALS Manager) represent the Trust on the Transport to Health Group. To fill in the survey, please click here. Thanks for your time!

News from the Core Group  (April 23 2008)

ODEF, in partnership with Eco-logic – a local Community Interest Company specialising in environmental and social regeneration – is currently developing an NOCN (National Open College Network) course in environmental and horticultural skills. The course, entitled 'Living Naturally' aims to develop the health, personal and practical abilities of the participants, whilst improving the local environment at the same time.

It is anticipated that participants will be introduced to the concepts of ecology and conservation and will gain an understanding of local habitats, in particular those within the Sherwood Forest area. They will develop skills in garden horticulture, such as identifying plants and flowers and caring for plants grown from seed. Participants will also be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle by exploring their personal fitness and diet. The project will be located within the heart of Sherwood Forest and practical projects will take place in Ollerton and within the surrounding countryside. It is hoped that the project will be developed alongside the innovative ODEF Eco-Shop, which aims to encourage people to live in a more sustainable way.

The NOCN is the leading credit-based awarding body in the UK , offering high- quality and flexible qualifications. It is recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). If you are interested in the above course or would like training in similar areas, please contact the ODEF office for more information.

* UPDATE - AS OF SEPTEMBER 2008, THE COURSE HAS NOW FINISHED. AS SOON AS NEW FUNDING HAS BEEN GRANTED WE WILL POST NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE ON THIS WEBSITE.

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