Music Therapy at the Alzheimer and Parkinson Day Centre at Vila Sol

The club has organised and funded a professional Therapist specialising in music therapy to attend the centre providing music therapy to elderly people. For this purpose we purchased a music system with two Bluetooth Mics  linked to a central control. The system is capable of playing CD’s and SD cards which can be linked to the TV for visual stimulation. The therapist organises the clients into sing-alongs and some who can also dance to the music.

APAV-CAP-Sul.

This organisation deals with people (primarily women but also children and men) who have been abused either violently or sexually. The association initially provides safe custody at a secret location. They then organise the rehabilitation of the clients to meet their best interest safely, including if appropriate the repatriation of some foreign nationals who may have been trafficked. As the needs arise we supply the association with items ranging from clothing, hygiene products  and furniture for the safe house.

Associação Social e Cultural de Almancil (ASCA)

This Community Centre supplies on a daily basis hundreds of meals either in the canteen/restaurant or at the clients’ homes delivered by their van. They also supply clothing and furniture which has been donated to them.  Our club supports them with 400 euros per month to assist the food programme.

Sao Lourenco

This is a small Centre at the east end of Almancil run by four ladies on a voluntary basis to assist individual persons and families who are a little more remote from town. They produce food parcels tailored to the specific needs of each client.  Currently they help seventy families including fifty-five children.   Our club assists them with a donation of 250 euros each month to purchase fresh food items which are not normally supplied by a food bank or other organisation.

Almancil School- Happy Snack Project.

The school asked for our help to give a boost to those children who come to school without breakfast or who for various reasons start to falter in the course of the day.  Although the school provides a free lunch to the students who are entitled to them, there are no financial provisions for feeding those who in the course of the day lose concentration, becoming disruptive in some cases due to lack of some sustenance.  The club provides funds to supply snacks that are needed for up to seventy students each per day during term time and sometimes a small number during school holidays.   

Mobility  and other Items

Over the last few years we have received Donations of mobility equipment from people who no longer need them. These have included a Zimmer Frame, Crutches, and more recently,from our Member Lou, two wheelchairs of a very high standard; one for use in a shower and one for transport. We have also been given an electric bed/bath hoist. These items are available on loan to any person or Organisation which has a need for them and which can be returned to us when no longer necessary.  We also received a quantity of adult nappies and feeding tubes which will be donated to a hospital in the Ukraine.

Members Christine and Richard returned to the UK from the Algarve and were kind enough to donate a large number of towels, bedding and other household items which we were subsequently able to donate to Madrugada, an organisation which provides hospice care nurses to people who are sadly terminally ill.