Hello! How has your March been? It’s hard to believe we’re a quarter of our way through 2026 already!
Flynne’s Barn has been buzzing since we last wrote – keep reading for some highlights from the past few weeks 🐑🌼🐸🌦️
🍷 Flynne’s Barn Fine Dine🍷
We welcomed 10 guests for Flynne’s Barn’s first ever fundraising Fine Dine, with culinary delights served up by legendary local chef, David Jackson. In spite of the weather’s best efforts to dampen the evening, it was a huge success, raising over £1300 for our work with the young cancer community.
Huge thanks to David & Linda for the top notch food and service, our corporate partner Booths for the wine donation and to all the guests for making it a gorgeous evening. We’ll be back for more later in the year – keep your eyes peeled! 🎉
☀️ Trustee Visit ☀️
In mid-March our trustees joined us for an in-person meeting in glorious spring sunshine. It was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to meet face-to-face and have the chance to discuss the governance of Flynne’s Barn in depth.
The main purpose of the weekend was to review our Development Plan and staffing structure. Katherine & Robin welcomed everyone with an overview of the evolution of Flynne’s Barn, from the seed of an idea to an organisation supporting over 200 young people across our services each year. Each of our three working committees then talked through objectives, raised questions and suggested amendments. It was brilliant to have so much expertise in one room.
In between working sessions, the team were able to get out and soak up the gorgeous views in the valley. It was agreed that meeting in-person at Flynne’s Barn had been enormously beneficial and that this is something we’d like to do every year. Click here to see more of what they got up to.
Six of the Flynne’s Barn Trustees (from left to right: Julie Cain, Lizzie Overton, Kat Indramohan, Laura Walter, Richard McKerrow & Tracy Chapman)
🫶 Volunteer Training 💪
Soon after our trustees departed, it was time to greet 12 volunteers for in-person training. It was so special to have everyone together to explore what it means to be a volunteer at Flynne’s Barn.
The group mostly comprised of young people with lived experience who have accessed our support services. It was also great to welcome two locally-based volunteers, Josh and Audrey, as well as many in the group who gift their time in additional ways, such as fundraising support and graphic design work.
The weekend was a follow-up to the online training that every one of them has completed and focused on teasing out what it means to “Hold the Space” during residential stays. They explored:
- the transition from being a service user-becoming part of the team
- creating a non-judgemental, inclusive, respectful space
- really listening to one another
- “Something for Everyone” – what it is about the Flynne’s Barn experience that resonates with young people, concluding that everyone brings something unique to the barn.
We begin welcoming new groups of young people with cancer to the barn on Friday. Supporters like you have been instrumental in making sure that young people like Konnie can benefit from another year of residentials at Flynne’s Barn.
“Cancer completely destroyed me and my confidence and I can say without a doubt Flynne’s Barn built me back up” – Konnie, who stayed in April 2024
Monthly gifts are especially amazing in helping us to plan ahead and secure future stays. If you are in a position to gift regularly, click below and select ❤️ Monthly on the giving panel. Thank you.
We’ll be in touch soon with more news and some dates for your diary. For now, we’re sending a bit of Borrowdale sunshine your way wherever you are.
With best wishes from all at Flynne’s Barn 🌤️