N e w s l e t t e r Unit 1, 2 Parker Hill, Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 ( opposite the swimming pool )

E-mail : thegatewaynewsletter@gmail.com Blog : projectgateway.blogspot.ie

Phone : 085 752 1220 OR 01 4977005 ( Office hours )

Hours : Monday and Thursday 1.00 pm - 5.00 pm 2016 JULY

G a t e w a y

Hello Readers!

Here we are in the Month of July. It has not let us

down weather wise which will make all our activities

within the month so much easier and more enjoyable.

The coming months are filled with summer festivals

and outdoor activities we can all take part in.

During the coming moths we will be sharing around

Gateway various activities we can all enjoy and have

fun with.

The newsletter team

RESEARCH IN GATEWAY!

Research is

underway to

gather members’

thoughts about

Gateway. This is

really important

to us as a Project

so that we know

how people feel about Gateway, and also so that we

know if it has a positive impact on people’s lives. It

will greatly help us in the future to make the case for

continued funding for Gateway. There are focus

groups happening on Tuesday the 5th and

Wednesday the 6th of July from 2 till 4pm. Please

sign up for one of these in the office! We’d really

appreciate hearing your views. All input will be

anonymous. There are also surveys that you can fill

out online or in drop-in which are anonymous as

well. Catherine C is here to help you with queries

and surveys.

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

The Arts and Crafts group

are coming up with

alternative projects to take

part in while we await the

arrival of a new replacement Arts and Crafts

teacher. Further information will be in Drop-In.

If members have any ideas of projects or days out

they would like to organise and would appreciate

support to do so from a Project Worker do not

hesitate to ask. We are always pleased to support

upcoming projects within Gateway.

Also our Newsletter is always seeking new recruits

so if you think you would be interested in taking

part please pop into us

on a Thursday from

2.30 till 4.30 and join

us. You don’t need any

special skills, just bring

yourself! :)

THERE ARE SOME WHO CALL HIM

‘TIM’

It was indeed a sad day when told of the news that Tim

our long standing

dedicated Art and Crafts

tutor was

saying

goodbye

us.

Commuting for half a day weekly had

become difficult. It was a hard decision

for Tim to make

and after much

pondering and

thinking he

arrived with the

decision.

Gateway took this

opportunity to

show Tim how much we all

enjoyed him and will miss

him. In turn Tim took the

opportunity to enjoy

one final project with

his Art group. Tim

drew a huge tree on

one of our walls,

while each and every person who passed through was

invited to paint their hands and put their prints upon

the

branches

of

growth.

Mary

joined

with

chats and goodies and members

shared and

remembered.

Tim was

presented with a

beautiful photo

of memories, a plant to grow and

remember his Gateway friends

and a beautiful bunch

of equality flowers.

We say goodbye, but

not forever. For

Gateway will always be open to you. Thank you for

years of fun Art and Crafts memories!

GRATEFUL TO GATEWAY

“We few, we happy few, we band

of brothers/sisters. For he/she today

that sheds his/her blood with me

shall be my brother/sister.

In Gateway I feel part of a team; a

band of brothers/sisters. I feel a

fierce loyalty to each and everyone

there. This is as a direct result of

feeling accepted there and thus feel

free to be myself, warts and all. A

tremendously healing experience

for me and great fun too.

I feel an immense gratitude to

Gateway; for me it is a lifesaver

(possibly quite literally at times).

For someone who has lived a very

isolated life for a long time it is a

refuge of light from darkness; a

refuge of warmth from the

harshness of the world. It’s simply

great to have somewhere to look

forward to every week knowing I

will have both fun and support there

with likeminded people who have

shared a similar journey and thus

are in a position to understand me.

I count myself very fortunate

indeed to be a member -Tom C.

BONE CARE

During these summer months we are all aware how exposing ourselves to

the sun and outdoors is good for our Mental wellness. Here I am going to

share some important information on looking after your bones. Many

need more vitamin D than others as it helps absorb Calcium. The best

source of vitamin D is the sun and the best form of calcium, vegetables

not milk. Increase vitamin C when we lack vitamin c soft tissue become

weak. Sources include peppers, dark leafy greens, kiwis, broccoli,

berries citrus fruit and tomatoes. Get more active for bones to become

stronger it needs to be stimulated through physical stress. Try cycling,

walking, yoga, tai chi. Low amount of Vit D cause muscle weakness which you can get from oily fish and

mushrooms. Irish sun isn't enough. Top up with Vit K from Spinach, broccoli veg oil and groups. Take

Omega 3 supplements which have been found to ease arthritis and osteoporosis and joint inflammation. Mind

your bones they carry your whole body. -Dee H

A CA CHATHAT ABOUTABOUT NNATUREATURE

On the 30th of May 2016, as part of Gateway’s

monthly WRAP Café, there was a discussion about

Nature.

The session started with those present saying what

words come to mind when “Nature” is mentioned.

These included trees, water, birds and sunlight and so

on. We talked about how we use our 5 senses to

interact with nature. Our senses provide a deep

connection to the World around us. This helps us to

understand ourselves and the planet we live on.

Then we went outside to briefly examine some of the

wild plants that have grown in the lane beside

Gateway. I admire how plants grow in the cracks of

walls and in concrete. When we abandon buildings,

plants and animals will quickly reclaim it! Also we

looked at a wide range of images representing various

aspects of the world around us.

We chatted about the effects of humans on the planet

and the huge changes that have occurred over the last

200 years. This has often disconnected us from nature.

To conclude the session, we watched and listened to

various animals such as the fox, a sneezing Panda and

the soothing sounds of a rainforest.

Thanks to all who attended and contributed to the

occasion. -Richard.

Thanks and appreciation to all our supporters MY MIND in Ranelagh is offering discounted

counselling services. Vouchers are available to

Gateway members at €10 per session for 5

sessions. Contact Gateway on 01-4977005. Thank you to

the ESB for supporting this service.

Gett ing to know you, gett ing to

know al l about you… Margaret C

1. What is the best thing that has happened to you

in the last 12 months? Gateway.

2. If you had a super power, what would it be? To

Fly.

3. Can you tell us your 3 best traits? Outgoing,

reliable and trustworthy

4. What do you value most in life? My Family

5. Name one thing you would like to change about

yourself? To lose weight.

6. Where would you like to visit ? Hawaii

7. Name something you miss about childhood ?

To be carefree

8. Name your three wishes ?

9. What is your favourite film ? Gone With The

Wind

10. What is your favourite book ? Swiss Family

Robinson

CLODAGH’S MUSIC GROUP

Still meeting every Thursday at 1pm and

rockin’ some great tunes!!

in comfort and before the

heat of the sun tired its

fresh plants throughout. I

was not disappointed.

Both the show gardens

and the flower displays

had me returning and

returning to admire them.

I could not pick a

favourite. This one

among the

wildlife of the

country seemed

most peaceful

and natural to

me. If you link

into Bloom 2016

website you will

be able to view

all the gardens.

Music and food

stalls and craft

stalls were a

large part of the

day. It is an

excellent family

day as it is an

excellent

wellness day to have

alone or with a friend. A

place to get completely

lost among the love of all

things natural and

beautiful. When coming

home I decided to walk

through Phoenix Park and

complete the day taking

in the beauty of our

largest park in Europe.

The sun shone all day for

me and that very day – all

day – I had not got a care

in the world.

Thank you Gateway

If you cannot physically a

garden, visit gardens.

Because either way you

still get goodness from it

I PROMISE!

-Dee H

BLOOM AND ALL

ITS BEAUTY

In our last few issues we

have had some truly

encouraging and

interesting articles on

gardening and the overall

goodness of enjoying

nature as a whole. Being

an advocate of this very

theory myself I jumped

at the opportunity of a

ticket to Bloom this year

courtesy of Gateway for

volunteering service. I

received even more

appropriate a visit this

year as there was a centre

around Health and

Wellbeing.

Friday Morning early I

set off to catch the

Shuttle bus to Farmleigh

the Phonenix Park. At

10:30am there was

queues gathering already.

They were short lived as

busses were departing

every 5 minutes. I

immediately set for the

gardens before crowds

gathered. So I could

have a view of them all