Well, the year is certainly not panning out quite how any of us could have expected. We hope everyone is managing to stay safe and healthy as we continue to navigate with the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Despite the lockdown, the Clockwork team have still been working hard behind the scenes, and we have some important news to update everyone on.  We are very pleased to say that we are now in a position to offer free and confidential counselling to young people aged 14-24 in the Oxted area, working in partnership with Heads Together, East Surrey.  More details can be found below. 

A Message From Our Patron

“In a season when mental health issues have, for many young people, been heightened by lockdown, Clockwork is moving forward with its vital work. The link with Heads Together is a natural, positive partnership and these online sessions will reach out to those who feel most isolated at this time. We’ve missed so much in these last months: live music and performing arts, especially, have been at the heart of Clockwork’s story and the loss of these things has been hard to bear. As we begin to be reunited with all that we love, Clockwork is committed to bringing relief and hope to our troubled young people, that they might sing a new song. I commend to you their brilliant work”.

Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury (formerly Rector of St Mary’s Church, Oxted)

Counselling Services

It has always been our aim for Clockwork to be able to provide counselling for young people, and since 2018 have been funding additional counselling capacity, provided by Relate, at Oxted School. However, we wanted to be able to offer counselling provision outside of the school environment, and to expand the age range to 14-24 year olds, which this partnership with Heads Together allows us to do. 

This service is provided by qualified counsellors, supported by experienced supervisors, and will, usually, consist of six weekly sessions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, all sessions will be conducted on-line, although face to face sessions will be available in the future, when the Covid-19 situation allows this to be done safely.

For the present time, and while possible, the service will be free to use. We rely on donations and fundraising to be able to continue to support young people in our community, and so if service users wish to make a donation we would appreciate it, but this is not a requirement and there is no pressure to do so.

For more information on the counselling service, or if you would like to request an appointment, please email us at support@clockwork.org.uk

What Else We’re Up To

Clockwork is now an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). We believe that our membership is a clear demonstration of our commitment to best practise when it comes to employing counsellors and offering counselling services, and we will make use of the BACP’s advice and resources to ensure we can provide safe, ethical and professional counselling services to the community. 

The BACP has also been a rich source of helpful advice for looking after mental health during the pandemic, as counsellors have shared their thoughts on what can help people navigate this challenging time. Links to several of these articles can be found on the Clockwork homepage (clockwork.org.uk), or at https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2020/18-may-mhaw-looking-after-your-mental-health-during-the-pandemic/. 

We have also signed up to be a member of The Small Charities Coalition, which provides support and information for small charitable organisations all across the UK. We look forward to being able to draw on their knowledge and expertise going forward. 

On Sunday 8th March, we held the second Clockwork Open Mic at the Master Park Pavilion. It was a great turn-out on a very damp and miserable afternoon, and we raised just under £100 in donations. Special mention to Jake Gamble and Mitch Mullender, who were superb examples of the brilliant young musicians we have locally. Once it is safe, we very much look forward to organising another open mic. Let’s hope it won’t be too long. 

In the meantime, we have launched ‘Clockwork Live’ on our very own YouTube channel (‘Clockwork Charitable Trust’). Music is a huge part of Clockwork’s identity, and Clockwork Live features home-recorded performances from some extremely talented young musicians in our community. So far, we have had contributions from Sofia Ford, who performed her brilliantly catchy song ‘How Does It Feel’; and Susie Mills, with a beautiful cover of Oh Wonder’s ‘Landslide’. Check them both out! More songs are coming up in the next few weeks, so please subscribe to the channel. 

As mentioned above, Clockwork continues to fund additional counselling at Oxted School through Relate. Although the school remains closed due to the pandemic, the counselling sessions have continued on-line. Clockwork has confirmed to Oxted School, and to Relate, that we will continue to fund these extra sessions at least until the end of the 2020-21 academic year. When lockdown occurred, Clockwork was within days of holding a seminar for Year 13 at Oxted School aimed at “Managing Stress for Exam Success”. We are hoping to be able to run this postponed seminar in the Autumn term for a number of Year groups.

In March, we were looking forward to the return of our Parents and Carers Support Group – a secure, friendly and confidential space to discuss concerns and worries, share experiences and offer each other support – but, unfortunately, the pandemic struck and we had to cancel the meeting. We look forward to holding a group when the Covid-19 situation allows, and, in the meantime, are looking at the possibility of running an online meet-up or seminar for parents and carers.

Fundraising & Thanks

Stephen Putman has been Captain of the Seniors’ section of Woldingham Golf club over the past year, and selected Clockwork as his chosen charity to support during his tenure. At events throughout the year, and at every weekly meeting, he collected money for the charity. There were raffles at dinner events; some members donated their winnings on the golf course; and one member regularly came armed with a cake baked by his wife, with the slices sold off and the money put in the pot for Clockwork.

At the end of his time in charge, Stephen and the other Senior members of Woldingham Golf Club had raised over £4,600 for Clockwork!!! We are simply blown away by the incredible generosity of the Seniors of Woldingham Golf Club. Thank you so much to Stephen and everyone at the Club who contributed.

Mark Johnson, who competes in triathlons with Clockwork’s good friend Phil Vowles, has donated a £1 for every mile he accumulated on Zwift last month (which is an augmented training platform for running and cycling), which came to £464.00 in total! Thank you to Mark for such a generous donation – we imagine you must be worn out!

We would like to express our heartfelt and continued thanks to Oxted Classic Cars, The Ginistry, Robertson’s Coffee Shop and Nicola Last for their amazing, ongoing support of Clockwork. And thank you to Champ Consultants and Clara Scrivener for their donations: we are hugely appreciative!

Clockwork is a registered good cause with the Tandridge Together Lottery, meaning that when you play you could be donating to us! It’s very quick and easy to sign up (at tandridgelottery.co.uk).  Each ticket costs £1 per week, with a maximum weekly prize of £25,000. For each ticket sold, 50p goes to your chosen good cause, and an extra 10p to other good causes in the community. Thank you to everyone who has selected Clockwork so far. Fingers crossed for you!

And, finally, Clockwork has been chosen as the nominated charity for the week by Jukebox Lockdown. It’s very simple. You request a song to be covered by one of the brilliant musicians at Jukebox Lockdown – featuring members from Randy & The Rockets, Moonshine & Molly, The Whiskey Sours and The Form, among others – make a donation, and in a few days your chosen song will be recorded. Follow Jukebox Lockdown on Facebook for daily additions. There are dozens of superb covers already there for your viewing pleasure! The Hayes family taking on Florence & The Machine is worth a watch…

For the latest on what we’re up to, give us a follow on Facebook @clockworkcharity and Instagram @clockworkoxted. And you can always get in touch with us via email enquiries@clockwork.org.uk.