| Kells Connections A periodic news update from The Kelly Foundation June 2026 |
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| Foreward by Emma Rees, Head of Charity. |
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Coincident with John stepping down from the Chair to undertake more fundraising activity, we were surprised and delighted that on behalf of the Charity, he was nominated for a “Pride of Swindon” award. We’ve taken the opportunity here to reprint the citation and we all look forward to working with John in the future in his new role. We are honoured to propose John Stooke for the “Pride of Swindon” award in recognition of his exceptional dedication to our community, his resilience through unimaginable personal tragedy and his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others. John has endured the heartbreaking loss of not one but two children to mental health struggles. Such profound personal devastation would understandably cause many to withdraw from the world, but instead John chose a different path. He channelled his grief, his strength and love into building something that would perhaps prevent other families from the experiencing the same pain. This extraordinary act of courage led to the creation of The Kelly Foundation, a Charity that offers essential life changing support for local people facing mental health challenges. Through the Kelly Foundation, John has become a tireless advocate for individuals who often feel unseen or unheard. He helps people navigate complex systems, ensures they receive the support they deserve, and stands by them through some of the darkest periods in their lives. His compassion is not passive it is active, practical, and deep-rooted from a belief that every person deserves hope, dignity and a chance to rebuild. Beyond his charitable work John is also a respected Local Historian and author, known for his contribution to preserving Swindon’s heritage. His books, talks and research, play a vital role in celebrating the town’s cultural identity and ensuring its stories are passed down to future generations. He is widely admired for his knowledge of Swindon, and generous with his time and passion for community history. Despite his own loss John has given countless hours to supporting others, leading projects raising awareness of mental health issues, and building a Charity now stands as a lifeline for so many. His ability to have transformed personal tragedy into community strength is extraordinary John represents the very best of Swindon, resilience, kindness, service and a refusal to give up on people. The impact of his work can be seen every day in the individual individuals empowered by The Kelly Foundation, and in the families helped through crises, and in the wider community that be benefits from his advocacy and leadership. John’s contribution is not only significant, it’s inspirational. |
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| A word from the Chairman…some changes |
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Hello Everyone I’m Rob Abbott and it’s a real honour and a pleasure to be introducing myself to you, as the new Chairman of The Kelly Foundation. I was delighted to be asked to step into the role having been a Trustee for the last 3 years, which has given me a real insight into the wonderful work that the Charity does and how much it has become a real feature of the local community that it serves. What John, Emma and the whole team have created here, is something of which everyone can be massively proud, and I look forward to doing whatever I can to ensure this continues to grow, prosper in the future, and we can help even more clients to navigate the pressures and problems that modern society delivers on us all. John will of course continue to play a leading role as a Trustee and his support and guidance will continue to be crucial. Finally, I want to say thank you to all of you, our Supporters, without whom the Kelly Foundation could not exist. “Your continued support and involvement to help local people in our Community, is truly inspiring and something everyone can be justifiably proud of”. If we haven’t yet met, I do look forward to that opportunity. Rob |
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Many of you will remember with great fondness, our very own Sarah Forrester, who left us in somewhat tragic circumstances in November last year.
Whilst Sarah will always have a place in our hearts, we also wanted to have a slightly more tangible tribute to the amazing work that she did and the pivotal role she played for the charity, in the time she worked with us.
As a fitting and permanent reminder, we decided to redecorate and rename one of our individual therapy rooms "Forrester". We also included in the furnishings, a fully reclining, powered, leather chair to aid relaxation during hypnotherapy sessions, which was paid for by a kind donor. We hope you agree this is an appropriate and worthwhile memorial. Sarah will be remembered by us for as long as the Charity continues to exist.
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| Mental Health Week- One Million Acts of Hope |
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For Mental Health Week during May, we hosted a Tree of Hope. This was a space where anyone could come along, pause for a moment, and share a message of hope, kindness, or encouragement. Each of those messages will now become something bigger, reminding us that even the smallest words can make a difference. We were also pleased to go along to the Outlet Centre to put a more public face of the Charity on show, during mental health week.Whilst it was quieter than we expected, we did meet a number of people, some of whom were not aware of the Charity and not aware of the easy accessibility for those with limited financial means to get rapid high-quality support when they or their family are struggling. |
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An especially busy week, the final Saturday saw us at two events, in the morning we were pleased to join the various groups at Lydiard Park who had turned up to recognise the vital work that the Charity sector is doing in this area and in the afternoon we visited Haydon Wick Skate Park to interact with some of the younger members of the community and their parents, who were enjoying the fine sunshine. |
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The Kelly Foundation presents…A Tribute to the Dire Straits! The two-hour theatre show includes faithful renditions of classic studio tracks along with extended live versions from some of the legendary Dire Straits concerts. For over a decade, Dire Streets have performed Dire Straits’ incredible back catalogue to thousands of theatre-goers across the UK. No other Dire Straits tribute act comes as close to reproducing Mark Knopfler’s distinctive guitar and vocal tones – making Dire Streets as near to the original band as you can see live. The six-piece band is made up of some of the country’s top tribute musicians and delivers a stunning show that fulfils their mission of doing justice to one of the most original and talented bands the UK has ever produced. At Christchurch, Cricklade Street, Swindon Friday September 25th 2026 Doors Open 6.45 Licenced Bar (“this band is authentic and musically faultless, quite simply a brilliant show”)
For tickets go to www.ticketsource.co.uk then scroll to The Kelly Foundation.
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| | Black Tie Event- Oceans and Stars For the first time, Everybody Sing presents a Black Tie Charity Gala Evening - Oceans & Stars.
Join us for a wonderful evening of music and fundraising at Blunsdon House Hotel, featuring a three-course dinner and a beautiful concert by Bel Canto, all in support of The Kelly Foundation and the life-changing work they do for young people. Our Bel Canto singers are already working incredibly hard in rehearsals, and we can’t wait to bring this special performance to you. Oceans & Stars promises an evening not to be missed - all for an important cause. Saturday 14th November 2026 £55 per person Black Tie |
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| For tickets go to: www.ticketsource.com/everybody-sing/t-plmlkra We’re so excited to share these brand new events with you and hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a truly memorable nights. |
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| | We were delighted to learn that two new sponsors this year have decided to help us in the monumental task of raising enough money to keep the Charity in business, enabling us to help all those who present when they are in trouble, who either don’t have the means to pay for private therapy or counselling or are simply overwhelmed with the pressures of life in 2026. |
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Firstly, Slinn AllStars, who you may know are a fantastic running group that operate out of St John’s Church in Haydon Wick on a Tuesday night. You may have seen literally hundreds of them, pounding the streets around North Swindon. We were delighted to visit them recently to tell them about the work that we do in the local Community. |
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| | Additionally, the amazing Michelle Hobbs, who is the Governor of Swindon Moose Hall, and her team, have adopted us this year as a charity of choice. Their logo “Get more out of life by helping others” chimes beautifully with the sentiments that guide our work. It is incredibly rewarding when we see the huge improvement in clients health and optimism, clients who often, when they come to us, have nowhere else to turn. |
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| Thank you to both organisations. Your involvement means so much to us and will allow us to continue to deliver vital mental health therapies, tackle social isolation and support those in crisis right across our community. |
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Graham Carter If you are an active in the Local Heritage Community, you are no doubt be fully conversant with Graham Carter and the unrelenting efforts he makes, to both research and present Swindon’s Heritage in a straightforward and addictive way, either in magazine, print, through many of the books that he writes, or indeed the presentations and talks that he regularly delivers all around Swindon. |
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| What people might not know is that he does charge a modest fee for these historical talks, which is invariably donated to charity and we at The Kelly Foundation are very proud and pleased that he is such a great supporter of the work we do. “Thank you publicly Graham” for your contribution to the life of Swindon and for the unwavering support for the Kelly Foundation over the last four years. |
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Some of you will know from personal experience, just how good Greggs sausage rolls can be when you are looking for a quick lunchtime fix! They also sell an astonishingly good vegan version. What you may not know, is that they have a Charity Foundation and they have approached us to make a bid in the SN2 area of Swindon, in line generally within improving food security for disadvantaged families. We have enthusiastically responded with a detailed proposal which has several elements to it. Improving food education, food security and combating loneliness. No guarantee that we will be successful, but we really hope we can put this project together for the benefit of local people. We think there is an assessment in the summer and it could start as early as December 26 if we are chosen. Fingers crossed!! |
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Don’t forget our two support groups, now open, running and available to all .. |
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What can we say? If you were there you will know just what an incredible band Supersonic Queen are. If not then you really did miss a night to remember. We must also pay thanks to all those at Christchurch who helped us and especially our very generous sponsor, Noel Beauchamp, without whose help this concert would not have been possible! |
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New Face Those of you who knew our café leader Hayley Lawler, will have noticed that she has recently decided to move onto different challenges. She will always be a great friend of the charity and we will miss her energy, enthusiasm, and “special cleaning skills!” We all wish her the very best in whatever she decides to do next. HOWEVER, we now want to introduce Jojo Hall who has joined us as our new Assistant Manager for Kells Kitchen working alongside Siobhan, our Cafe Manager and Jo our Cafe Supervisor. Jojo works Mondays and Fridays. She brings a wealth of experience to the cafe team having previously worked in roles supporting vulnerable adults and as a kitchen assistant in a school. She is passionate about mental health and supporting vulnerable adults to learn new skills. From us all, welcome aboard Jo Jo! |
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| | Ministerial Visit We were delighted to host the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves at Kells Kitchen around the time of the local elections. The visit gave her a good insight into the work we are doing and also allowed us to stress to her, how difficult it is for independent charities, who are simply supplementing work that the NHS either can’t or doesn’t do, to raise funding, to stay in business. If the intention was to encourage local people to support her party, I think we would have to say that on that front the meeting was a little less successful! It was pretty good though, that the individual responsible for running the whole financial structure of the country, could take an hour out of her packed schedule, to call into our café. She is pictured with Diane and Glenys. who chatted away on quite a few subjects.
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| Colleague of the Month You don't normally see much of our little Miss Cakemaker, Glenys Cox-Stokes (although she appears twice in this issue!) You will surely, however, have tasted her delicious cakes. We normally keep her behind closed doors, locked in the kitchen, but she was recently awarded 'Colleague of the Month', so we thought we would put her out there. Please say hello (and many thanks for her volunteering) if you see her. |
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| | Naltraxone Training During the month we joined Second Step and Central Swindon North Parish Council and CGL for important new Naltraxone training.
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Naltraxone is a life-saving medication, available as a nasal spray or injection which can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose. Our thanks to Colette at Second Step for inviting us and Hannah from CGL Swindon for delivering such an informative and practical session. A special thanks also to Stuart Elliot for providing language support for our deaf colleague, ensuring the training was fully inclusive and accessible to everyone. We now hold Naltraxone in the Cafe and our office. |
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| | | Although a little old now, our team really does appreciate these messages, do keep them coming ! |
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| | And we don’t get too many of these! |
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| Can you help us distribute our brochures? |
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| | Please let us know if you have premises where these could be displayed for the public and we will arrange a pack for you. Email info@4kelly.org with your contact details. Many thanks for your support. |
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| | Volunteers are important within our community and vital to our charity! We are looking for the following help and support: Volunteers who may like to work one day in our café, Kells Kitchen or even fill in for holiday cover. Lots of different roles, no experience needed. Qualified mental health support workers or therapists who may be able to spare us just one hour a week or a fortnight to help us with our waiting list and support individuals having a tough time, with nowhere to turn. Want to join our Fundraising Committee? We are currently pulling together a team of fundraisers to handle local events for us. This could be attending a fete, organising a cake bake, managing collection tins in the local community etc
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| | Copyright (C) 2023 . The Kelly Foundation. Registered Charity No: 1200389. Registered Address: Pinetrees Centre, The Circle, Pinehurst, Swindon, SN2 1RF. All rights reserved.
EMAIL - info@4kelly.org
TELEPHONE - 01793 200710
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