If you would like to keep up-to-date, all of our blog posts are also available on Facebook and Twitter

30 Day Challenge
Volunteer Team of the year
At long last... new outings! Just in time for summer
Looking forward to new outings
Outing plans going forward
50:50 winners for this month
50:50 winners for this month
Coronavirus policy and risk assessment
SPONSOR TEAM LADYBUGS!



Help Kendall & Wall - a charity that prevents loneliness by running outings in wheelchair friendly mini buses for aunts and uncles, grannies and granddads or anyone else who might be lonely or at risk of social isolation.

Choose your own challenge and stick to it for thirty days. Any thirty days between now and New Year’s Eve. Get your friends and family to sponsor you and help Kendall & Wall to prevent loneliness by running outings in wheelchair friendly mini buses.

The details are on our Donation page


Return to Blog index

On Wednesday the 7th of June Support Staffordshire hosted the virtual event of the year: The Volunteer Star Awards. The Lichfield District Award for Volunteer Team of the Year was sponsored by Bromford and awarded to the Kendall and Wall Charitable Trust. We were nominated by Tessa Dudley, one of our long-standing clients - much to the delight of all the Kendall and Wall volunteers who send a very big thank you to Tessa.

When the award was announced Michael Wall said "Our fantastic team work so hard they really have earned this award. They put in a tremendous effort and it is nice to see that this is recognised." Our chairman, another volunteer, Stephen Sanders added "our happy band have kept up their commitment all the way through the covid crisis. Instead of helping clients on and of our buses, we have been drawing up phone rotas to keep in touch with our clients to make sure they were safe and lending a helping hand when we have needed to. Our drivers even joined forces with the District Council to help. Jonathan, John and Stephen waded in to help people with their shopping who were shielding."

All a far cry from the normal programme of outings Kendall and Wall usually have to offer.

Of course we are proud to join in celebrating the outstanding achievements that have been made through the commitment of volunteers and organisations throughout Staffordshire.


Return to Blog index

Our new programme covering June to September 2021 is now here!


Return to Blog index

How are you coping with the pandemic, the lockdown, the new regulations et al?

If you are a regular client of Kendall & Wall and you have been on some trips on our minibuses I hope you have some happy memories of cheerful outings surrounded by friends and volunteers, revisiting a favourite place or exploring somewhere new. Maybe you even have some photos to remind you. We are really sorry that we cannot come and pick you up. The volunteers are 'chomping at the bit' and can't wait to get out on the buses and meet all their friends again.

That is why we are trying to do different things to keep us busy and to help you stay cheerful. I hope you are all receiving your In Touch newsletter with news of favourite trips we have done and new trips we want to do as soon as we can. Volunteers often write a piece about themselves and clients are encouraged to tell us all about their adventures so if you have got a story to tell please get in touch and share it. You can write it out yourself or talk to one of our volunteers on the phone and they will write it up for you. Have a go at our competitions too. You might win a bottle of 'medicine'.

We can also help if you need assistance with shopping or a volunteer can phone you once a week, whether you feel like a moan or a cheerful chat. If there are other ways we could help please contact us (see below) to chat about your ideas.

If you have never heard of Kendall & Wall but what you’ve read so far sounds interesting perhaps you would like to join us. Have a look at our webpage if you have a computer or just phone to get some answers to your questions. If you are feeling lonely or isolated our cheerful newsletter or a regular phone call may help you through until we can get the buses out again.

As soon as the restrictions are lifted we will distribute a new programme of trips to everyone on our list and you will be able to book the ones you like the sound of. On the day, our minibus will arrive at your door and our volunteers will be ready to either help you up the steps or take you up on the lift at the back of the bus. We will ensure you are safely strapped into a seat or that your wheelchair is safely strapped down, then you can get to know your fellow passengers on the way to our destination. Don’t be shy. Join us now and you could be out and about on our first trip of 2021.


Return to Blog index

Unfortunately, we have had to cancel outings for the forthcoming week (Monday 14th September to Sunday 20th September)
Everyone booked on these trips has been notified

We are now planning how to safely proceed with the our program under the new guidelines
The latest updates will be available on this page

Everyone booked on a future trip will notified if it is affected



Return to Blog index

We had the second draw of the 50:50 scheme on Tuesday after our Home Cinema. The winners this month are:

1st prize: £100 - Mary Smith
2nd prize: £50 - Kiko Wall
3rd prize: £30 - Keith Jervis
4th prize: £20 - John Brown

We are now contacting the winners directly

There are still a few numbers available. You could be part of the October draw!

The 50:50 club operates as a lottery where members buy a number for £4 per month (£48 a year)
The number of members is limited to 100. There are 4 cash prizes each month

Please help to support Kendall & Wall by joining our club. You ask to join here


Return to Blog index

We had the first draw of the 50:50 scheme on Monday evening! The winners this month are:

1st prize: £100 - Ben Westfield
2nd prize: £50 - Maureen Bratt
3rd prize: £30 - David Salford
4th prize: £20 - Claire Craddock

We are now contacting the winners directly

There are still a few numbers available. You could be part of the September draw!

The 50:50 club operates as a lottery where members buy a number for £4 per month (£48 a year)
The number of members is limited to 100. There are 4 cash prizes each month

Please help to support Kendall & Wall by joining our club. You ask to join here


Return to Blog index

It is intended to resume outings in August. By this time most businesses will be open and the travel restrictions on both the general population and the high risk population (over 70’s and those with existing medical conditions) will have been substantially eased.

While the virus is in the general population it will never be possible to completely eliminate risk, so this risk assessment is based on the ALARP principle (as low as reasonably practicable). The risk of spreading the virus without controls is considered high so this has not been included in the risk table as it is acknowledged that controls are necessary at every stage.

Risk categories

Clients or volunteers who are over 70 or who have pre-existing medical conditions may be at higher risk of being severely affected by the virus. Volunteers who fall into this category must consider whether they want to come on outings or not.

Symptoms of coronavirus

Volunteers or clients who show symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, a new continuous cough, loss or change to sense of smell or taste) should not go on an outing. They should self-isolate, stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if they have corona virus.

Clients should be contacted the day before the outing and asked about symptoms. If they have any of the symptoms they should be told not to come on the outing.

On the day of the outing when collecting clients from their homes volunteers must take the client’s temperature using a hand-held forehead thermometer . At the same time they must ask clients if they have any of the symptoms (cough, loss or change of smell or taste). If the client’s temperature is at or above 38°C (100.4°F) or if they do have any of these symptoms they must be told not to get on the bus and to self-isolate.

Social distancing

The risk of infection increases the closer someone is to a person who may be infected by the virus and the more time spent in close contact. As a general principle volunteers and clients should obey the ‘1 meter plus rule’. This means that individuals should try to keep at least 1 metre apart but should also use other measures , such as face covering, frequent handwashing etc. to limit the spread of the virus. There will be situations where this will not always be possible – for example when pushing a wheelchair or assisting somebody to board a minibus. Where the social distancing guidelines cannot be reliably followed in full volunteers must always wear a face covering and should try to avoid close face-to-face contact with other people. They should also keep the close contact time as short as possible.

Hand washing

Volunteers must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on. You should wash/sanitise your hands regularly and should encourage clients to do the same.

Face coverings & Personal Protective Equipment

All volunteers are required to use face covering when they are unable to maintain social distancing.

Clients should also be encouraged to use face covering but should not be penalised if they refuse to do so. Please bear in mind that some people find it difficult to communicate with somebody wearing a face covering.

It is perfectly OK to remove face covering while eating or drinking.

There is no need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) other than a face covering

Social distancing in minibuses and in restaurants

We will maximise separation of passengers in the minibuses by using window seats only. Aisle seats will be blocked off or will have a ‘DO NOT USE’ sign.

All restaurants will have been pre-booked and seating arrangements should follow social distancing guidelines.

Cleaning buses

After each outing the minibuses will be cleaned inside using disinfectant wipes to decontaminate all touch points (buttons to open doors, hand rails etc.

Disinfectant wipes will be available in each bus and volunteers are encouraged use them to decontaminate touch points during each outing.

Ventilation

Wherever possible volunteers should ensure that the minibuses are well ventilated and that fresh air is constantly flowing through the vehicles. This may involve opening the ‘sun roof’. Do not use the vehicle ventilation system on ‘recirculate’ mode.

Clients should be advised beforehand that the minibus will be ventilated and that they should bring a cardigan.

If a client requests a blanket ensure that they use the same blanket throughout the trip. At the end of the trip used blankets must be collected into a black bag and must not be used again until they have been washed.

Communications

Volunteers should keep passengers informed of the safety measures that we have put in place. This is best done as a safety briefing once all the passengers are aboard. The safety briefing should contain the following points:

- Symptoms of coronavirus
- Need for social distancing
- Face coverings
- Handwashing/sanitiser
- Bus cleaning regime
- Ventilation
- Any questions

Coronavirus risk assessment

Significant hazard:
- Spreading of virus between volunteers and clients

Specific control measures:
- Ensure volunteers & clients with symptoms are not allowed on minibus
- Ring clients day before outing to ask about symptoms and advise to bring cardigan because of air conditioning
- Recheck for symptoms as clients are collected
- Take temperature using forehead thermometer
- Wear face covering
- Regular handwashing/sanitise
- Maintain social distancing (1 metre plus) at all times as far as possible
- Use window seats only in minibuses
- Minibus to be well ventilated –do not recirculate air
- Decontaminate touch points regularly
- Thorough decontamination of minibus after each outing
- Keep passengers informed of safety measures including a safety briefing at beginning of trip


Return to Blog index

SPONSOR TEAM LADYBUGS! Chloe and Stephan are taking part in a triathlon between July 20th and 25th

"Ways to Sponsor" are listed below the pictures

Team Ladybugs, is taking part in a triathlon especially for Kendall & Wall. They have very kindly offered to help our fundraising by making it a sponsored triathlon. Running, cycling, and possibly swimming a long way if it is safe to do so…. So get your wallets out!

Father and daughter duo Stephan and Chloe Couture from Warwickshire, have already done countless miles swimming, biking and running at events across the globe. Chloe’s mother and father Diane and Stephan have always been keen to make sure that Chloe leads as active a life as possible, never letting her Cerebral Palsy or visual impairment stop her from enjoying the thrill of a race.


Chloe and Stephan

How to sponsor
1) You can download the Sponsorship Form. Please round up your friends and family and ask them to be as generous as they can be
2) You can make a donation by sending a cheque to Kendall & Wall or giving us the money on your next outing with us
3) You can donate online at JustGiving

Chloe, who is fourteen, and Stephan have completed over 50 triathlons. Their enthusiasm has propelled them from local races, to national races and to World Triathlon events. This makes Chloe a seasoned traveller. She loves ‘hotels and airplanes’.

It takes a huge amount of preparation, dedication and commitment to be able to compete at any event.

Diane explained to In Touch “disabilities don’t need to have boundaries. We got involved in racing in 2011 initially simply doing running races. After getting the kit to allow Chloe to be towed behind Stephan’s bike we realized she was a speed freak. She was clearly really excited to be out and the faster we went, the more excited she became!

Stephan said “getting involved in triathlons seemed a good idea, but it was the swim part that held us back, so we got in touch with a local open water centre and they were able to lend us a sit-on kayak which Chloe reclined on whilst I swam”. With the help of the safety team Chloe and Stephan took their first swim together. “Chloe’s huge smile and her obvious excitement started us on the journey to where we are today.”Their first event was a 5km Santa Run in Stratford Upon Avon, since then they have completed 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathons and marathons as well as sportive and triathlons.

The first relay triathlon they did was at Eton Dorney in Buckinghamshire. Stephan explained “it was a great experience because there were loads of people there to help anyone with any disability get involved with triathlon”.

Clothing is a really important consideration because Chloe is stationary throughout and therefore prone to being affected by the temperature.” Diane says “they started training in and around our local area. It takes a lot of energy to push Chloe in her race chair but Stephan never gives up and neither does Chloe. Stephan can come back from a training run or a race and be absolutely exhausted but Chloe is already negotiating the next activity and outing”!

Stephan summed up saying “I’m lucky to be able to train and race every day with Chloe; she is the best and toughest training partner in the world. She’s my inspiration. Knowing how much she enjoys getting out and about motivates me to keep going in rough weather and tough races.

The most important thing is to enjoy it! Chloe loves being out and about and lives for her racing. We are delighted to be able to help Kendall & Wall. We all admire the effort that the volunteers put in and the enjoyment their clients get out of all your activities”.


Return to Blog index

It might not seem like it at the moment but spring is in the air! The weather can only improve and we are planning to take advantage of it. Our new programme is out and there are some great trips to be enjoyed. Birmingham and the Black Country feature strongly with trips to Birmingham Cathedral, The Pen museum, a metro trip through the Black Country and two separate visits to Bilston – the market and the craft gallery! We’re also going to the Crooked House at Himley and Mad O’Rourke’s pie factory at Tipton. If you don’t fancy the Black Country there’s plenty more on offer including canal trips, theatre, cinema, stately homes and a Welsh waterfall. For a full list of our outings see ‘Outings’.

We have recently published our second annual report covering the period October 2018 to September 2019.The report sets out our achievements and ambitions. The full report is available in the section ‘Annual Report’

The photos below show some of what we have been getting up to over the last 4 months


An 'angel' in Stafford


Glass blowing in Dudley


Jodrell Bank, November 2019


Trent Cruise, January 2020


Coventry Cathedral, February 2020


Pancake races, Lichfield 2020


Return to Blog index

As usual we have had a very busy, possibly even exciting, few months. We had some great trips over the summer including outings to West Midlands Safari Park, Ashbourne Street Festival, a barbeque at Mike & Kiko’s house, a cruise on the River Trent, two trips to Barmouth, Proms in the Park in Lichfield, Oak House in Sandwell and a treasure trail in Stafford –to name just a few! The photos below show some of the things we get up to on our outings.


West Midlands Safari Park July 2019


Trent cruise August 2019


Barmouth August 2019


Proms in the Park September 2019


Oak House Sandwell September 2019

We have been incredibly fortunate to have recruited a number of new volunteers in recent months. Sarah Bennett, Neil Briand, Mike Dunkley and Andrew Stiles have all joined our happy band as our new volunteers.

It has now turned cold and the winter is almost upon us. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and peaceful festive season.

Our winter programme is now under way For full details of all our Outings


Return to Blog index

It’s been a long winter but we have had some very enjoyable outings nonetheless. In addition to the usual Christmas lunches, shopping expeditions and Christmas Fayres we experienced some tremendous foreign food, including a Lebanese meal in Birmingham, a Chinese buffet and a memorable Italian meal in Lichfield. We visited the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank, the needle museum at Redditch, Hartlebury Castle and the BBC studios in Birmingham. There were theatre and concert trips, too: not forgetting film shows held at Mike & Kiko’s house – Dr. Zhivago and The Cruel Sea were incredibly popular.

Our spring programme has now been published (see outings on this website) and some of the outings are proving so popular that we have had to put on additional trips to ensure that people are not disappointed.

We have now completed our first year as a charity and our annual report has been sent to the Charity Commission. A copy of the report will be made available on this website within the next few weeks.

A significant feature of our report has been our success in raising money for the charity. In 2018 we raised more than £8,000 from grants, donations and fundraising events such as raffles, bring and buy sales etc. We are grateful to the following individuals and organisations who have generously given grants or provided goods in 2018 and 2019.

• Tesco
• Lichfield Coop
• John Lewis
• Harry Payne Fund
• Barchester Health
• Cllr David Smith
• Cllr Janet Eagland
• Cllr B Adams
• Cllr N Pullen
• Lichfield Bower
• Midland Expressway
• Halfords, Tamworth
• ASDA, Tamworth

At the time of writing we are selling tickets for our Spring Raffle which will be drawn at our Easter Bonnets lunch on 23rd April. The first prize is a food hamper worth £60 and there are lots of other wonderful prizes. Please support us by buying a ticket.

More great news – we have managed to secure the support of two more patrons:

The Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ian Dudson CBE KStJ, has kindly agreed to join us.

Ian was an industrialist whose family business, manufacturing ceramic tableware for the worldwide hospitality industry, has been based in Stoke on Trent since 1800. He was awarded the CBE for services to the ceramics industry in 2002 and made a Knight of the Order of St John in 2017. The Lord-Lieutenant and his wife Jane are hoping to come on one of our outings later this year.


Ian Dudson CBE KStJ

We are especially lucky to have the support of Tony Christie, who is originally from Yorkshire but now lives in Lichfield. Tony is best known as a singer and musician but is also an accomplished actor. He has had numerous hits in this country and in Europe including “Las Vegas” and “Is This the Way to Amarillo”. We look forward to seeing more of Tony in the months to come.


Tony Christie