Monday
Make-To-Sell (Karen)
Every Monday, morning and afternoon, Karen now plans and leads her Make-To-Sell session, and this involves the team first developing a concept, before then pricing up the items needed, before then physically making a product, and then taking orders. So far, Karen’s group of volunteers have made gifts for Halloween, Christmas and Valentines!
Check out what the team have done so far!
Community Art
Thanks to Community Rail & Network Rail, a small team of our volunteers have the platform to express their creative talents and design regular artwork, which is displayed at Havant Train Station. The pieces are there to promote events in the local area, as well as different train stops across the South Western Railway line.
Keep up the great work guys!
Tuesday
Random Acts of Kindness
Tuesday mornings consist of our volunteers thinking of different ways to help give back to their local community, through the form of group discussions, and activities done so far include; making puddings for Wednesday’s Pallant Soup Kitchen, designing positive posters, to be displayed around Havant town, making hampers to give out to members of the community and local organisations who have helped us in some capacity, and occasionally helping the Events Team with outstaning tasks, such as making decorations, paying in money to the bank and dropping off flyers for upcoming Chaos, and public events.
(Spring/Summer only)
Pallant Prep
Following feedback during our first year of working with the Pallant, it soon became apparent that warm soup in the Spring - Summer period was not as popular as the colder months, and with it, our Pallant Warm Space group asked whether they could change their menu to fresh jacket potatoes - to which we swiftly agreed to!
Side dishes are prepared in-house, by the RAOK group off-shoot group - Pallant Prep - and although coleslaw is often made most weeks, we change the menu each week, to make it more exciting for everyone involved, through group discussions, budgeting and working out what other side dishes could be made.
Examples of dishes made include: couscous, Quorn Bolognese (without the spaghetti), vegetable curry, meat-free rice dishes, potato salad, and different types of coleslaw from around the globe!
Chaos PA’s
The Chaos PA’s was set up to allow our volunteers to assist with the day-to-day running of the charity itself, and fulfill outstanding tasks for Alison, now Tara and Jon, as well as design birthday cards for their peers upcoming birthdays. Also, on occasion, the group would assist other sessions across both Chaos Havant and Chaos Cosham, if they were able to.
Ordinarily, the group will buy the vegetables needed for Thursday’s Soup Making (RAOK), as well as buy basic provisions for the Community Hub, as well as design birthday cards, before then fulfilling any other tasks requested by those at Chaos Havant and Chaos Cosham.
Have a look at what our awesome volunteers have done so far!
Wednesday
St. Faith’s Charity Shop (Bradley)
On Wednesday mornings, Bradley has been volunteering his mornings at St. Faith’s Charity Shop, and his role is to tag clothes with labels, hang them up onto hangars, before then hanging each item onto the railing to be steamed. Bradley will finish this session with a latte on occasion, as a reward for his hard work!
Take a look at a video of his work below!
Pallant Warm Space
Every Wednesday since the start of 2023, Creating Chaos have joined forces with local charity, the Pallant Centre, to help feed the vulnerable members of Havant Town, as well as the general public, by serving fresh soup each week, during Winter, for an optional donation only, which is made every Thursday for the following week by Soup Making (RAOK).
In the Summer months, our group instead serve jacket potatoes, which varying sides each week, following feedback from the community, and have incoorperated a new session into our Spring/Summer timetable on Tuesday’s, The Pallant Prep group, who prepare the sides for the following day.
In December 2023, Creating Chaos and it’s volunteers went a step further and hosted a Walk-In Christmas Dinner, to feed those that reguarly attend, in one of the toughest times of year, without a fixed price, and through optional donations only, raised over £115!
Just look at the brilliant work that has gone into this project below!
Upcycling
In-house every Wednesday, we have our Upcycling group, who are tasked with revamping old and disused items, into fresh and vibrant products, which are occasionally made on commission, with all proceeds going towards enhancing the project itself.
This session allows for our group of volunteers to express their creative skills and work together as a team to develop items and offer an alternative product, for an affordable price, whilst also promoting environmental awareness and the re-use of old household goods and materials.
Have a look at some of the work achieved by the group!
Thursday
(Autumn/Winter only)
Soup Making (RAOK)
Each week, our hearty volunteers prepare and cook the vegetables purchased from Tuesday’s Chaos PA’s, ready for the following Wednesday’s Pallant Soup Kitchen, by putting small batches of the vegetables into both our slow cooker, and soup maker, before steadily getting through the bulk of the vegetables in the morning.
We also always encourage a taste test for those wanting to ensure it is safe for human consumption… take a look below at all the hard work gone into this project!
One Church (Emsworth)
Since September 2023, every Thursday, our volunteers at Creating Chaos take the 700 Bus to Emsworth to assist One Church, and help out packaging food provision bags in the food bank, as well as helping to pack hampers, both of which go directly to vulnerable members of Hampshire, and West Sussex.
Check out the brilliant work our volunteers have been doing in Emsworth!
Gardening/Litter Picking
To continue the kindess acts of the morning (Soup Making, One Church), our volunteers participate in maintaining two garden plots in Market Parade, thanks to Community Rail, as Creating Chaos are signed up to the Hills to Harbour scheme, and have become Station Adopters of Havant Train Station. Occasionally, our volunteer group also tidy up the vegetation at the back of the Community Hub!
Additionally, our volunteers also strive to ensure the cleanliness of Havant Town by reguarly litter picking and tidying up the area, and once a month, are joined by a volunteer from the Final Straw Foundation.
Have a look at the brilliant work undertaken by our magnificent volunteer team!
St. Faith’s Charity Shop - Tom & Jay
Tom and Jay visit St. Faith’s every Thursday afternoon, and although Bradley attends on a Wednesday, the groups undertake different tasks. Whilst Bradley focuses on just clothing, Tom and Jay ensure that the DvD’s, CD’s and Video Games are all in good order, labelled and in the correct case, before then working their way through any clothing Bradley has not worked on.
Have a gander at the pair’s work below!
Friday
Make-To-Sell - Lynne
Much like Karen’s Make-To-Sell every Monday, Lynne plans and runs her own seperate Make-To-Sell project every Friday, which spans the morning and more often than not, the afternoon as well. The premise is the exact same as Karen’s group, in which products are developed and produced by our volunteers, and the group have made products for celebrations such as; Valentine’s, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, and of course… Christmas!
Check out some of their work below!
Litter Picking
Albeit not a permenant fixture on a Friday afternoon, from time to time, a handful of our volunteers wander around Havant Town seeking to clean up the community they serve, and often, this is led by Jimmy, who is a big part of the day on a Friday.
Have a look at the magnificent cleaning our volunteers have been doing!
Other Activities
Independence Skills
Every morning and afternoon, there is a list of cleaning jobs that are undertaken, by Chaos staff, such as washing up & drying up, hoovering, stocking up PPE, fire checks, and checking the temperatures of the fridge, and freezer, not to mention general tidying. At every opportunity, we always encourage our volunteer group to support their staff and take ownership of maintaining the cleanliness of the Community Hub.
Take a look at some of the skills being used below!
Decoration Making
As mentioned in Tuesday’s RAOK, our volunteers do occasionally make decorations for events, both in-house and in the community, and have been doing this since 2018, at South Street, and now, at our Community Hub.
Have a look at some of the work done by the troops!
Events
From time to time, we also attend one-off events, or day trips, some of which are hosted by Creating Chaos, and in turn, Chaos Support, meanwhile, there are other events which are hosted by outside organisations. Events include; Sponsored Walk, Winchester Go LD, MacMillan’s Coffee Morning, Community Art - Isle of Wight Day Trip, Pallant - Isle of Wight Day Trip, Halloween Workshop, Creative Showcase, Walk-In Christmas Dinner, Chaos Havant Christmas Meal, and Carol Singing - Havant Train Station.
Have a look at the fun our volunteers have had!
