Swanage Disabled Club made up for getting drenched at a rain-soaked summer fete, with a highly successful fund raising seafront sale in altogether sunnier weather.
The club, which offers vital services and a social lifeline for 30 elderly Purbeck residents, relies on funds from selling hand-made craft items to keep running and was left disappointed when their last outing at the Purbeck and Swanage Rotary fete was drenched by an August storm.
Rain jackets and brave smiles at Swanage and Purbeck Rotary’s rain-soaked summer fete 10 days earlier
Fund raising is vital for the club
The Swanage Disabled Club took a stall at the Rotary fete on Thursday 8th August 2024, but although its volunteers braved the weather for a while, their crafts were in danger of being thoroughly soaked and the club had to pack up its stall early.
However, a midweek sale on Tuesday 20th August 2024 along Shore Road attracted much better weather, along with scores of locals and visitors who bought so much that production of knitted animals, costume jewellery and greetings cards now has to begin all over again.
For those who missed out on their stall, the Swanage Disabled Club will be out selling their gifts again as part of the Planet Purbeck Nature and Wellbeing Festival Fair along Swanage Seafront on Saturday 21st September 2024.
Funds raised are vital for the club, which runs a unique service to make sure that the disabled of Swanage can attend hospital or dental appointments and other occasions such as funerals when there is no other transport alternative.
Chair of Swanage Disabled Club Susan Payne, setting up stall on a much warmer and brighter Shore Road
“We count loneliness as a disability”
Chair of Swanage Disabled Club Susan Payne said :
“We have a small vehicle which takes a wheelchair and up to four people, and use it to drive people to important appointments and occasions. There is no wheelchair taxi in town or even in Wareham any longer, so it can be very difficult for the disabled to get around.
“We don’t charge for the service, but we do suggest making a donation to help cover our costs, and we can’t do it on demand as it relies on our volunteer drivers, so we need advance notice, but we do try to help out the disabled wherever we can.
“We have about 30 members at the moment with disabilities of all kinds – those with sight problems, hearing difficulties or mobility problems.
“We also help those living on their own, perhaps with no family nearby, as we feel strongly that loneliness is social deprivation and we count it as a disability.”
One of Swanage Disabled Club’s two minibuses made an appearance at the sale
Minibuses made available to care homes
The club was originally part of the Dorset Association for the Disabled, which covered the whole of Dorset, but over the years small groups began to pull out and set up independent, more local groups.
Swanage Disabled Club did just that around 12 years ago in order to become financially independent and start using its funds to improve the lives of local people.
It was offered a minibus for a bargain price when a similar group in Wimborne folded, and has since raised enough money to buy a second.
Both vehicles, which can take up to 14 people, are used to take club members to meetings and on social trips, as well as being made available to local care homes which need transport with tail lifts and able to take wheelchairs.
Left to right: Finella Dean, Susan Payne and Virginia Payne celebrate a successful sale for the disabled club
“We try to provide a service to the community”
Susan Payne said:
“We always provide trained volunteer drivers and escorts for our buses so that care homes can use them to take their residents for a day out – we do try to provide a service to the community as well as just being a club.
“We have our own outings once a month, like a tour of Poole Harbour on the Dorset Belle boat which is specifically for the disabled, or to a garden centre, or Portland Bill – generally places where we can get lunch or tea, because this is what our members really enjoy!
“But in order to be able to provide all of this, to maintain and run the minibuses and our community car, as well as to run the club, we do need to raise funds.”
Hand-knitted animals are always a favourite at the table top sales
“Everything sold is made by our members”
Susan added:
“The club runs meetings every Monday afternoon at All Saints Church, Swanage, where the members play games like Scrabble, Upwords, dominoes and cards, and we also have speakers or groups come in to entertain us, like ukulele players or belly dancers.
“But our members also try their hands at arts and crafts like painting, knitting, jewellery making and everything that we sell at our fund-raising stalls are items made by our members, not commercially sourced.
“We have three or four stalls on the seafront during August, which we rely on to bring in a lot of our funds, so when the weather was appalling at the Rotary Club fete and we had to pack up early because everyone and everything was getting soaked, it could have been a disaster.
“Fortunately, our Shore Road sale was much better, although we do now need to make lots more items to stock us up again before our next sale at the Planet Purbeck event in September!”
Jewellery making classes have quickly become a favourite amongst members at Swanage Disabled Club
Club members also tried their hands at planting pots of succulents
Further information
- Follow Swanage Disabled Club on its Facebook page
