APRIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our latest round robin with all our news and the dates and times of our April Jolly Days.

The allotment is open!

As we step into spring, we celebrate our allotment gardening group coming back to life and seeing pals new and old at the plots again. This year, there will be much more to enjoy, including our new pond area, thanks to Wessex Water, Dorset Community Foundation and Community Access Fund for helping us to develop this area and to Tony who has kindly given his expert knowledge on pond planting and wildlife – including giving us some tiny pond snails and other creatures to bring life into the water and some of his own plants. We’d also like to thank Brian Hennessey of Treeworks who very kindly provided the mulch for our paths.

You don’t need any experience of gardening to join in. Some like to sit and chat, whilst others harvest vegetables and pick flowers. As well as gardening, we offer art, crafts, live music, storytelling and gentle yoga and we supply tea and biscuits.

If you’d like to join us, it’s essential you get in touch to book your place: sarah@injollygoodcompany.com

What’s on in April

Wimborne

Museum of East Dorset, 23-29 High Street, BH21 1HR
(2 - 4 pm)

Thursday 2nd
Caroline Pugh with music and song.

Thursday 16th
A warm welcome back to Susan Old.

West Moors

The Guide Hall, 24 Ashurst Road, BH22 0LS
(2 - 4 pm)

Wednesday 8th
Music and song with Kate on Piano.

Wednesday 22nd
Karaoke with Max.

Blandford

Woodhouse Gardens, DT11 7DN
(2 - 4 pm)

Monday 13th
Music with Caroline Pugh.

Monday 27th
Music with Paula Fleming.

Shaftesbury

Royal British Legion, Coppice Street, SP7 8PF
(10 am - 12 pm)

Tuesday 14th
Music with Peter and Noel.

Tuesday 28th
Karaoke with Max and Yoga with Suzanne.

Wimborne St Giles

Wimborne St Giles Village Hall, BH21 5LX
(12 pm - 4 pm)

Monday 20th
A delicious lunch prepared by The Friendly Food Club, followed by a visit from the Reminiscence Volunteers from the Museum of East Dorset.

There is only one meeting this month due to the Easter Monday Bank Holiday.

Step Outside Garden Group

Kingston Lacy Allotments, BH21 4EG
(2 - 4 pm)

Friday 10th
Friday 24th

Please remember to bring a mug, gloves, suitable clothing and footwear.

The Jolly Brekkie Club

The Green Man, Wimborne, BH21 1EN
(10 am - 12 pm)

Friday 3rd
Friday 17th
Booking is essential, contact me: sarah@injollygoodcompany.com

Please note the 17th April is the last session you will need to book with us in advance. After that, you can just turn up and have breakfast at the Green Man and meet your friends on any Friday from 11 am and still at a special Jolly price. Our huge thanks to Kat and Scott for their hospitality, generosity and delicious food.

We’re on the move

Our ‘Beyond the Lines’ photography and audio exhibition created by our Jolly guests is on tour this month. Leaving Poole Lighthouse on the 28th March and moving into Dorchester Hospital main corridor on the 15th April, where it will stay until mid-July as part of the Arts in Hospitals initiative.

Become a Jolly Good Friend

We’d be so grateful if you would consider helping your small local charity to continue to support older people in your community. £5 a month pays for seeds at our Step Outside Allotment at Kingston Lacy, £10 a month pays for a meal at a Jolly Day or as part of our winter lunch delivery service, £20 plus helps us to provide creative opportunities and entertainment at our Jolly Days and supports local artists and musicians.

If you are a UK taxpayer, and can supply us with your name and address, we can collect Gift Aid to boost your contribution.

If you would like to set up a monthly Standing Order to help us, our bank details are as follows: In Jolly Good Company CIO Sort Code: 08 92 99 Account Number: 67375286

In return, you can receive our Jolly monthly newsletter, to see how we use your money and you are invited to our Jolly Good Friends Day annual get together.

Please get in touch with me for further information: sarah@injollygoodcompany.com 07884 333117

And the beat goes…

A big thank you to Blandford Town Council, who are giving us half-price hall hire this year for our Blandford Jolly Days.

Our Blandford guests love a good old sing-along and were delighted to welcome back firm favourite, Paula, who always gets everyone singing and joining in with the percussion. It was a joy to see 98-year-old Rose get up and lead the dancing and singing!

Luke’s doing it again!

We’re delighted that local long-distance runner Luke Ballard will be fundraising for us again this year, inspired by his family’s experience of dementia.

Last year, Luke took on two incredible challenges. He completed the 56 km Ultralight Trail Snowdonia in 11 hours 30 minutes in May. Later, he ran solo across Dorset from Lyme Regis to Tollard Royal, an 18-hour effort!

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, Luke is tackling one of his bucket-list runs: Rat Race The Wall. He’ll run the full length of Hadrian’s Wall, from Carlisle to Gateshead in Newcastle, a 70+ mile ultramarathon with challenging climbs, in a 26-hour time limit.

You can follow Luke’s training and support him via his JustGiving page.

Do you know a business that’s looking for a charity to donate to?

If any of our readers work for a company or organisation that likes to give to charity – please consider In Jolly Good Company – all our funds go directly to improving the lives of the people we support. 

We are reliant on the voluntary donations of our guests – but these have been badly affected by the increase in the cost of living. We are a registered charity and we constantly need to raise funds to subsidise our Jolly Days. It currently costs us £50 per guest for a Jolly Day and £70 per head when lunch is supplied.

We are so grateful to The National Lottery for our funding as well as all our other funders – but this does not cover the whole cost of running our vital service.

See you at the Jollies