‘Old Oxfordshire Edridgers’ and The Mint House (Oxford Centre for Restorative Practice), in association with NAPO, hosted an Extraordinary Lunch in aid of The Edridge Fund of NAPO* on Saturday 18th April at Iffley Village Hall, and invited serving Oxfordshire Probation Staff.
Their purpose in holding a lunch in aid of Edridge was to offer a small restorative contribution to a service recovering from collective trauma in order to:
- honour, value and respect the work of the local probation service by demonstrating a local community connection
- raise awareness of and funds for the Edridge Benevolent Fund, which offers support to Probation staff facing hardship
- consider, through conversation, ways in which the local service can connect with local community support and connection in the future.
During the lunch there was an auction of a signed copy of the poet Laureate Simon Armitage’s Probation poem, and a signed copy of a section of Lord Bird’s maiden speech in the House of Lords. A second copy of each of these was presented to the staff to hang in the Oxford Office.
It was a wonderful afternoon, with retired colleagues and current team members sharing stories and finding so much common ground and shared value in their conversations. This is the first of what we hope will be regular meet ups – because we all agreed – while Probation changes, and changes and changes again – the people who are attracted to and who love the job seem to remain the same.
The Edridge Fund of Napo
The Edridge Fund – Here to help you today
The fund was set up in 1934 in memory of Sydney Edridge, the founder and first General Secretary of Napo, and is an independent registered charity. It aims to provide financial assistance and support in times of need to anyone in the Probation Service or Family Courts Service who is eligible to be a member of Napo, their dependents, and retired staff.
You can donate here Just Giving will be applied when we forward the total amount raised.
And / or you can become a Friend of Edridge by joining the 50/50 Club. This is a lottery, drawn monthly, which you agree to participate in for one year. The annual membership fee is £12.00. You can pay by cheque or Bank Transfer. Below are links to the form to apply to join, which has all the information you need.
£12.00 will buy one number to be entered every month, for twelve months. Half your money will help Probation and Family Courts people who need it. The other half will go into the draw, giving you a chance to win every month.
View, print or download the 50/50 application form in Word format here.
View, print or download the 50/50 application form in pdf format here.
