All the latest Circle News

Celebrations, Suggestions, Donations & Innovations!

Read on to find out more

Celebrate good times, come on!

It's been a busy couple of months here at HMR Circle. During that time we celebrated our 7th Birthday with a sell out event!
For the first time we took our Birthday Party to the impressive Middleton Masonic Hall and Members were entertained by a live band - Groove Yard and had fantastic HMR Circle cupcakes thanks to CakesByRebeccaLouise.

During the party Members who had reached landmark attendance records were presented with certificates.
The certificates record when a Member has attended 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 events. A special certificate was presented to Steve for setting a new record by attending over 600 events!
We are looking for ideas for next years Birthday Party, so get in touch with your thoughts!


Suggestion Time19 Aug 2019, 2:00 pm

We’re always listening to your suggestions for events, and will answer any questions you might have - but Suggestion Time is an extra chance to give your feedback, and hear more about the great work Circle is doing across the borough and beyond!

Join us to help make Circle better than ever before!

Tea and coffee will be available on arrival.

This is a FREE event

Robinson Way-To Go!

HMR Circle sends a big thank you to Robinson Way, based in Salford, who have made a donation to HMR Circle to support our work.
Robinson Way have made the donation as part of their award winning Corporate Social Responsibility Programme.
The Rochdale Soup Kitchen is another local good cause who have benefitted from the Robinson Way CSR programme.


Kim Ho, a popular member of staff here at HMR Circle is undertaking an exciting new role, working with the residents of Rochdale Boroughwide Housings (RBH) Independent Living Schemes.
Working with residents and staff at the schemes, Kim will be bringing classical and innovative events and activities into the schemes as well as offering the wider Circle activities.
Kim will be piloting his work in a handful of selected schemes before widening the project across all the RBH Independent Living Schemes.

Claire joins the #CircleFamily

We are very proud to welcome Claire Yardley, the latest addition to the HMR Circle family.
Claire has been volunteering with the HMR Circle Volunteer Drivers Service since August 2018. During that time we have been more than impressed, so when we were able to secure funding for our latest project - The Magnificent 7 - Claire was the obvious candidate.

The Magnificent 7 project will see Claire complete targeted work in Kirkholt and Norden to develop events and activities using local people to build up and deliver. 
We are hoping to announce a new Lunch Club-Club based at the impressive new Strand facility on Kirkholt very shortly. 

Claire has hit the ground running and has been out and about meeting older people and getting involved in some HMR Circle activities such as the Morrisons Chatter Table and Social Eating Group.
We are sure everyone will make Claire very welcome as we grow the #CircleFamily.

Growing the #CircleFamily

The #CircleFamily is certainly growing.
Working with internationally renowned social entrepreneur Helen Sanderson, Community Circles and Wellbeing Teams, we developed a strategic partnership as part of an exciting development in the Circle story.
Working with the Wellbeing Teams we are helping to launch a series of tech-enabled but very person centred versions of the Circle model in Abingdon, Ashton and Tilbury & Chadwell.

As well as our work with Helen and the Wellbeing Teams we are working with partners in North London and New Moston, Manchester to launch bespoke versions of the HMR Circle model in these localities.

The Haringey and New Moston Circles will be launching very soon as we continue with the evolution of the HMR Circle model.
To ensure these new Circles have the best chance of thriving and developing we are working with the University of Manchester and their MBA programme. We aim to build an infrastructure support framework which supports and nurtures the Circle model.


As part of this development we have launched Gerasphere. Gerasphere allows us to offer a bespoke and professional consultancy service for those wishing to work with the HMR Circle model, also around developing a successful Social Enterprise or start up or growing business.
If you are interested in the HMR Circle model or consultancy support for your Social Enterprise or Business please email hello@hmrcircle.org.uk


 
International Bright Young Things!

The road from South Korea to HMR Circle has become a well worn path with two delegations visiting us since May.
The first of the two latest groups was made up of local elected councillors from the Seoul Metropolitan Council, researchers and academics.
The visitors were interested in the workings of the HMR Circle Model and how it could be best adapted to work in South Korea.
The second group from South Korea was made up of students from the University Dongyang who were studying community care.
The students had learned about the HMR Circle model at University. They made the mind blowing statement that due to research done on HMR Circle by South Korean academics that 'HMR Circle was the most famous community care organisation in South Korea!'
Our recent visit to Brussels was a huge success for HMR Circle where we presented to an international group of academics about how and why HMR Circle uses technology when there is a lot of reluctance from traditional social enterprises to invest in tech/IT.  HMR Circle will feature in the report the research is undertaking and will be used to support the drive to encourage the sector to work with improved technology.