Alice presenting Richard with a Certificate of Appreciation

Based in Brighton & Hove, Team Domenica is a charity and specialist further education college that supports people with learning disabilities to acquire the skills, confidence and independence they need to access meaningful employment.

Founder and Chair Baroness Rosa Monckton MBE – whose youngest daughter, Domenica, has Downs Syndrome – set up Team Domenica in 2016, after Domenica finished college and found that there were very few accessible employment opportunities open to her. They discovered that Domenica was far from alone, and founded Team Domenica to help people with learning disabilities find and retain employment.

Eight years on, and Team Domenica now delivers tailored and impactful employment programmes to over 100 people with learning disabilities – known as their ‘candidates’, to better reflect their status as people ready for work. These programmes prepare candidates for the workplace through class-based learning, enrichment and in-house training across their three training cafés (Café Domenica) and coffee roastery. They also partner with 60 local businesses across Sussex, including Premier Inn, Pizza Pilgrims and Brighton i360, to create accessible work placements and employment opportunities – working towards a future where all people with learning disabilities can access meaningful employment and achieve their full potential.

Their proudest achievement is that, since 2016, 81% of candidates have achieved paid work through their Supported Internship Programme – compared to a national employment rate of just 4.8% of adults with a learning disability (NHS Digital, 2022).

But that’s not all. Team Domenica also provides lifetime support to candidates in employment, helping them grow their career or sustain the jobs they love. In fact, nationally, just 25% of people with learning disabilities who complete supported internships are still in employment after one year. At Team Domenica, 95% of candidates remain in their role for a year or more.

“It’s hard to describe how proud I am for getting a job. It’s something I never thought I’d achieve, and now it just feels so amazing.” – Katie, candidate and Brighton i360 employee

“We are very excited to begin our partnership with Bungard Funeral Directors! The support of incredible local businesses is what makes our work possible, and all the money raised will help Team Domenica to continue creating brighter futures for people with learning disabilities in our shared Brighton & Hove community” Alice Caldecott, Fundraising Manager

Golden Charter raises a huge amount for the Royal British Legion! Our Funeral Plan provider, Golden Charter, is proud to continue it’s ongoing support of @OfficalPoppyLegion and has raised a staggering £49,175 since the 1st of September last year!                                                                                  The Royal British Legion helps members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, reservists, veterans and their families. The charity works hard to provide lifelong support for serving and ex-serving personnel, every day of the week, all year round. That support is needed now, more than ever, which is why we’re currently donating £25 for every eligible @GoldenCharter funeral plan purchased. It means that when you take out a funeral plan, you’ll also be helping to provide that vital, lifelong support for our Armed Forces. If you are considering taking out a funeral plan please do think about speaking to us so we can continue to help provide life saving help for our veterans. For more information on the amazing work the RBL does please visit: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/

Bungard Funeral Directors is also really proud to be part of the Armed Forces Covenant, we are here to aid all serving personnel and veterans if needed, please visit  https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/ if you would like further information about the covenant and how it works. If you are in need of our services please do call us on 01273 820018.

This morning saw the return of our Aftercare Coffee Mornings, we sadly had to stop due to lockdown but now we are back!

We had a lovely morning with some of our families catching up, and most importantly eating cake! We also couldn’t resist making little goodie bags and creating a pretty table. If any of our past families would like to attend the next coffee morning, we will be holding it at the office on Wednesday 12th June at 11am, all are welcome.

Baby loss certificate launched to recognise parents’ grief.

As of the 22nd of February, parents who have experienced the devastation of losing a baby before 24 weeks gestation can now apply for certification to have their loss officially recognised.

This new initiative is part of the Government’s response to the Independent Pregnancy Loss Review which was commissioned in 2018. The voluntary scheme allows parents to record the loss of their child officially, allowing them to receive certification providing them with the important recognition that their child existed.

The service is available for either parent to access following a loss of under 24 weeks gestation that occurred since 1 September 2018.  Applicants must be at least 16 years of age and have been living in England at the time the pregnancy ended.

The certificate is an official but not legal document, and the current cut-off date of September 2018 is expected to be extended very soon. This free service can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/request-baby-loss-certificate

Ruth Bender Atik, National Director of the Miscarriage Association, said: For many, if not most people, even the earliest of losses can be deeply distressing, both emotionally and physically. It means the loss not only of this pregnancy but also of the hopes, plans, and dreams that they had for this new life. And having no formal acknowledgement or marker of their loss can compound their grief. The new certification scheme will make a genuinely positive difference to many who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss, offering formal recognition of the tiniest of lives.

To read the independent report: ‘Pregnancy Loss Review’ please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pregnancy-loss-review

Wednesday marked a sad day for us here at Bungards when one of our longest serving team members Simon, retired after 48 years of dedicated service.

Simon is brother-in-law to Rupert Bungard who sadly passed in 2018. Rupert and James (Great Grandson of the founder and pictured below) took Simon on in April 1976, and he has been an important part of the team ever since. Simons main role was that of a bearer, a role he excelled at and we will all be sad to see him go.

The team went for a celebratory meal and presented Simon with his very own caricature which is the customary gift for any leaving staff member!

Simon has promised us he will still pop in for a cuppa and a catch up, and we look forward to hearing how he is ‘getting on’ … Good Luck Simon!

“Making sure no young woman is invisible.” Our LGBTQIA+ inclusive mentoring charity offers free support to young women aged 16-25 in Brighton & Hove!

🌟 Exciting news for Flourish Mentors! Bungards Charity of the Year 🌟

They are absolutely thrilled to announce the appointment of Maria and Shwezin as their newest Trustees at Flourish Mentors. Their passion and commitment will undoubtedly strengthen their mission to inspire and support the next generation of young women in Brighton and Hove and beyond. 😊 Welcome aboard, Maria and Shwezin!

If you would like further information about the fantastic work that Flourish Mentors do with young women please visit https://www.flourishmentors.com/ or visit their Instagram page instagram.com/flourishmentors. 

We are bringing back our Aftercare Coffee Mornings!

We hope that these events will help you meet others who have also become recently bereaved, and to provide a little support to each other by offering company, chats and hopefully a little fun and laughter over some tea and cake.

Our popular coffee mornings had to cease due to lockdown, but now we are ready to bring them back for our families and hope you can join us on the dates below.

We will initially hold the coffee mornings here at our office in Sackville Road, then as our group grows again, we will seek a larger alternative setting locally, so for now we will announce the first 2 dates as:

Wednesday 6^th March at 11am

&

Wednesday 12^th June at 11am

Richard, Ben & Zoe will be hosting as usual, if you would like to come along, please do call us on

01273 820018 to let us know, or you can drop us an email at info@bungards.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you at our first session of 2024!

Our support programme provides:

 The choice of instant bereavement support provided to you by our governing body SAIF in the

form of ‘Saif Care’.

Saif Care is available to you in 3 ways, you can use the instant online chat feature, you can correspond by email, or you can simply chat over the telephone with specially trained bereavement counsellors who will listen and offer you ongoing guidance and support with your grief journey.

OR

You may choose to have four hours of free one-to-one counselling from our local bereavement counsellor Kristina Burvill-Ridler.

OR

You may choose to have four hours of free practical support from ‘Home & Company’ who can provide help with whatever you may need. From just keeping you company with a companion, or helping with the shopping, keeping on top of your cleaning, taking you to appointments, or helping out with the gardening. Nearly all aspects of help are covered by Home & Company.

OR

You may choose to have one hour of free probate support from one of our lovely local solicitors whom we work with regularly.

Please call Richard, Ben or Zoe on 01273 820018 or email info@bungards.co.uk

if you feel one of the options above could be of use to you.