We’re doing the 400 miles distance from Leeds to Ballina, Ireland IN ONE DAY!

LIHH are working in partnership with Laing O’Rourke to take on this mammoth distance in one day.  Virgin Active Health Club are hosting the event in their amazing gym.

Each person who takes part will get free access to Virgin Active in the Light for the remainder of March.

When?

Friday, 16th of March, 2012

Where?

Virgin Active Gym, The Light,Leeds

How does it work?

You choose whether you want to walk, run, cycle or row and you decide what distance you

can do. It’s a combined effort and we need plenty of people to reach our target of 400 miles. You log your distance in advance and get moving in March!

How do I get involved?

You can do this as a team (maybe take on 30 miles as a team?) or an individual. LIHH will set up the fundraising page.

Call Jenny to find out more and log your distance or email jenny@lihh.org

 Click here for full event details.

PLEASE DONATE NOW

LIHH were are the forefront of establishing the official friendship link between Leeds and Ballina.  These new flights offer us great new opportunities to strengthen the ties between Yorkshire and Mayo.   The new flights will start in April.

If you would like to know more about the link between Leeds and Ballina please contact Jenny at 0113 262 5614.

‘How many stairs would you have to climb to equal the distance to Mount Everest?’

This mammoth challenge started with that simple question asked over a cup of tea in the Laing O’Rourke staff room.

The engineers figured out that it would take five people approximately 7 hours of climbing stairs to equal the distance to the top of Everest.

Was anyone man (or women!) enough to take on this challenge?!  YES…which was great news for Leeds Irish Health and Homes because the Laing O’Rourke staff decided to raise money for us through this sponsored climb.

Five brave men stepped forward from the ‘Expanded’ division of Laing O’Rourke, their demolition crew.  Thank you to Rob Weston, Dave Waterhouse, Jonny Lawler, Scott Gurney and Bal Dhillon for their efforts.

The climb took place at West Riding House, Leedson Friday the 18^th of November, 2011.  In total they achieved the equivalent of the summit in less than 4 hours. This was due to volunteers coming along to do a full 50 flights of stairs to help the team out! Other volunteers were on hand with refreshments and encouragement to help the team get through the gruelling challenge.

Laing O’Rourke raised £1000 which was split between Leeds Irish Health and Homes and The Scottish Mental Health Association.

Dan Doherty, Regional Director from Laing O’Rourke said he’s keen to stay involved with Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

“We know that LIHH looks after many older Irish men who came over to England in the construction boom in the 60s and now find themselves isolated.  It’s good to know that there’s an organisation in Leeds who offer support to these people”

If you would like to take part in future fundraising events then please contact Jenny Whisker on 0113 262 5614.

Can you believe they're still smiling after 3 hours of climbing stairs?

Go to our facebook page to see more photos http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.317393511624872.79620.213813135316244&type=3

‘I was made to feel very welcome, I was finally part of something.  The party really lifted my spirits’

Those were the comments of one of the clients of Leeds Irish Health and Homes speaking after our Christmas Party. The party took place at St.Chad’s Community Centre in Headingley and was attended by over one hundred people including the clients, volunteers, staff and Board of Directors of LIHH.

A three course meal was served, followed by a raffle, live traditional Irish music and a disco.  This was more than just a Christmas dinner; it was a chance for everyone to spend time with friends, to chat, to laugh and to remember that there are people out there who care about them.

We received so many calls after the party from clients who thoroughly enjoyed the day and were grateful to LIHH for organising such a great party.

Thank you to all the volunteers, staff and clients of LIHH who helped make the party such a great success.

Skills Needed:
Good listener, non-judgemental, reliable and trustworthy.

Times You Can Volunteer:

• Monday: All day
• Tuesday: All day
• Wednesday: All day
• Thursday: All day
• Friday: All day
• Saturday: All day
• Sunday: All day

If you would like to buy a candle please contact Jenny Whisker on 0113 262 5614.

Choose from one of the lovely candles pictured below

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Jim Mc Kenna and Lady Mayoress Councillor Andrea Mc Kenna speak to Jenny Whisker from Leeds Irish Health and Homes about their year in tenure.

We welcome volunteers at the walking group.  If you would like to join us on a hike then call Tanya on 0113 262 5614

This group provides an informal and friendly meeting place for people to get together, make new friends and get out of the house.

The group runs regular outings as we recognise that people often want to get out and about but don’t always have the confidence to do so on their own; it’s more fun with other people!

Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided. There is a £1 charge and this goes towards the cost of running the group.  The £1 includes either a raffle ticket or a game of bingo.  Most weeks are informal get togethers, but we also have film mornings, live Irish music a couple of times a year and craft days. We also host a Wii Bowling Championship – new players or spectators are always welcome.

The group has an open door policy and new members are always welcome.

Here are some comments that group members made about the group when asked what they got out of it:

‘a lot of enjoyment’

‘nice to catch up with people’

‘staff are nice to talk to if you’ve got a problem’

‘love days out’

‘company and friendship’

‘all friendly people’

‘takes your mind off your problems’

‘brings you out of yourself for a while’

‘love having our own little parties at Christmas and St Patrick’s Day, makes us feel special’

The South Leeds Social Group meets every fortnight at the Potterdale Resource Centre, next to the  One Stop Shop on Dewsbury Road, LS11 6ER.  Click on the Events Calendar to find the dates/times the group meet.