Yercombe Lodge Fundraising and Awareness Evening

A Fun Evening

What fun we had at the Yercombe Lodge Fundraising and Awareness Evening held at St Cyr’s with the Dursley Male Voice Choir on Friday 26 August.

Over 100 attendees came along for this fantastic evening in the newly updated St Cyr’s which is now Open2All and how we enjoyed the range of songs and music – from Sea Shanties to The Bare Necessities as well as tasty refreshments.

During the interval, Cee Kay, the Manager of Yercombe Lodge told us about the background and services offered and due to the many people saying how unaware they were of what happens there, I thought I would share her words with you.

Yercombe Lodge

Yercombe Lodge is in Stinchcombe, on the left, as you leave the village towards Wotton Under Edge (on the B4060). We have some unbelievable views over the river Severn towards the hills of South Wales and the Forest of Dean and it is an absolute joy to come to work every day and see the changing scenery throughout the year.

Yercombe Lodge is a local charity providing residential, respite and day services for the “elderly, frail and disabled” of Gloucestershire. It is friendly, homely and small, situated in 18 acres of woodlands and gardens with those stunning views. We have 11 rooms for short respite stays and full residential stays – often needed where the person has no family to help, or the family cannot help or the family need a break from caring.

I say “elderly, frail and disabled” but our users are often elderly but not old, our users live with disability and are not disabled. They are all in need of our help in one way or another

We also offer a wide range of additional services including day care as well as a day centre with a full range of activities, encouraging arts, crafts and a social atmosphere.

We believe that all those who come to Yercombe Lodge experience a high-quality, person-centred approach to care and support to which we are dedicated. This happens within our friendly, homely environment, while respecting peoples’ personal dignity, individuality and privacy.
In order to achieve this goal, we continue to develop and deliver our services so that they are tailored to the changing needs of our service users, their families and carers.

In 1939 Herbert Maxwell Workman bought the house and the adjacent field. In the fifties he added to the property by buying Yercombe Wood. In the later years of his life he devoted much time to planning for the future use of his home – a centre for the disabled and elderly of Gloucestershire

Yercombe (Gloucestershire) Trust was set up in 1972 in order to carry on Maxwell Workman’s charitable work. Since that time numerous Trustees have continued the founder’s aims and developed the Trust to what it is today. The present facilities within the house are far beyond Mr Workman’s original vision. We are now open 24/7, 365 days a year

The Pandemic and now the cost of living rise though, have taken their toll on what we have been able to deliver and to keep our rates affordable. The pandemic meant we had to shut our Day Centre for many months and as a result we are now struggling to fill it again.

We need your help to publicise what we do. In particular we need to re-fill our Day Centre and improve the lives of those individuals who so desperately need help. Please accept our challenge and be our voices in the community. Wherever you see a need please make them aware of what we can do.

Clearly if you, or someone you know, has a desire to donate to our cause, fundraise or volunteer your time to help out then we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to speak to any of the Trustees or me if you want more information or feel you can help in any way.

Thank you. Cee Kay

To Learn More

To find out more or make contact with Yercombe Lodge please call 01453 542513 or look on our website and thank you again to all who have supported this event.

Julie Thomas, Trustee.