The Octopus Foundation

Home
United Kingdom
Rochester
The Octopus Foundation

The Octopus Foundation is a charitable organisation based in Medway.

We work with vulnerable, marginalised people from areas of multiple deprivation in Kent and Medway.

05/09/2026

The provides the perfect opportunity for us to reflect on our first few months as a corporate member of Rochester Rotary Club.

Rotary is a global network of people who unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and perhaps most importantly, in ourselves.

This mirrors those here at The Octopus Foundation, which has become increasingly obvious as we have spent more time with our Rotary colleagues and friends.

We have supported numerous Rotary fundraising and social events, and likewise they have attended ours, for which we are thankful.

This is a positive partnership, highlighting what can be achieved when people come together with the common goal of community, and supporting others within it.

04/09/2026

This week, beneficiaries from across our projects have joined us in our 10th birthday celebrations by enjoying a nice cuppa and a piece of cake!

Well you can't have a birthday without cake!

03/09/2026

This bespoke oak clock must deserve a mention for this week's Craftealadies Woodturning group focus.

Created by Jane, with support from our volunteer James, this was not Jane's original vision, but with input from others in the group, ideas developed, thoughts were tweaked, and a range of skills were used to create the final item which we is unique and beautiful.

02/09/2026

Last week I had a conversation with one of the Shedders about letter writing. Not sure how this emerged but sometimes thats how the best conversations start! We came to the conclusion that for most, letter writing seems to be a thing of the past, and felt this was a great shame.

I shared the fact that I still had a letter written to me by nan over 40 years ago, and he too said he still has letters from relatives who have since passed. Neither of us could quite describe the feeling of opening an old letter, knowing that piece of paper had come from a special place, and the fact that something so simple could be so meaningful, evoking various feelings and memories.

By coincidence, yesterday was World Letter Writing Day, created to promote personal correspondence in an era sadly dominated by digital communication. It wasn't just us then!

Research shows that letter writing has emotional and psychological benefits, encouraging mindfulness and reflection. Letters provide a tangible and personal connection, creating keepsakes that can be treasured for years, just as we had discussed.

It's amazing how much reflection and thought can come from the simplest unexpected conversation and this is such a central part of all that we do at The Octopus Foundation.

It seems appropriate to use the opportunity to share pics of some of the lovely pens that have been made in our workshop. Who knows if one of them may now be being used to write a good old fashioned letter?

01/09/2026

On this day, 10 years ago, The Octopus Foundation was officially launched!

There have been many ups and downs, changes and developments over that decade, but 'people' remain at the heart of all that we do.

Improving mental health and wellbeing is the core aim of all our projects, with the provision of activities, a listening ear and a nice cup of tea, our tools for achieving this.

Increasing conversation around mental health and reducing the stigma is a continuing endeavour.

What a 10 years we have had, and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to making The Octopus Foundation what it is today, whether that's by volunteering, supporting our events, attending a project or following our social media. Every one of you is a little piece in the puzzle that comes together to create The Octopus Foundation as a whole.

We also of course have to thank those who have believed in our aspirations and funded our projects over the years, thus enabling us to develop our organisation as we have and support so many people who have come through our door.

We have shared some pics of how it all began... an empty shell and a blank canvas...

Over the next few days, weeks, months and maybe the whole year we will be sharing a range of pictures and maybe a few stories about 'the decade of The Octopus Foundation' and the people who make it what it is. Somewhere in that 10 years, Maddie came along and added that extra something, so we're sure she'll crop up in an odd pic too!

Any events being held in relation to our decade, we will most definitely share and invite all of you to join us in our celebrations 🐙

29/08/2026

We may have mentioned this before but as it's apparently 'Lemon Juice Day' it would be rude of us not to take the opportunity to thank our lovely Linda for so generously giving up her time to make us weekly cakes, especially as lemon drizzle is one of her favourites. No complaints from our Shedders either 😋!

Thank you Linda. As our projects have developed, your baking has increased to ensure no one misses out and we know this can be a lot of work. Please always know how appreciated you are 😊.

28/08/2026

Creativity is often about teamwork and 'several heads being better than one', and we see plenty of that in all our projects at The Octopus Foundation.

Bob (in the middle) was given a wooden ball by a friend, and asked to make 'something' with it... After lots of discussion with quite a lot of the Shedders, accompanied by quite a lot of umming and aahing, head scratching and chin rubbing, they decided to make a clock!

Not the most obvious, and definitely not the easiest choice, but with Paul and Ashley as willing and able volunteers, after a few weeks of work, this was the piece Bob was able to return to his friend.

He had no idea at all what to expect but it probably wasn't a clock! We're very pleased that he was over the moon with it and would like to thank him for his donation to The Octopus Foundation for rising to the challenge and creating something unique he is now able to enjoy! 🐙

26/08/2026

International Dog Day is about recognising working dogs and celebrating companionship. We obviously therefore couldn't let the day pass without a pic of our Maddie, who is so central to our work here at Te****le Towers and provides such a warm welcome to beneficiaries from all our projects.

Thank you Maddie for the smiles and reassurance that you bring to so many 🐾🥰🐙

25/08/2026

For this weeks' Craftealadies Woodturning group focus, we thought we'd show you this lovely birdhouse created by Hilda, another of our very clever ladies.

We love the tiered felted roof, and the little veranda where a rocking chair wouldn't be out of place! The beauty of wood products is always in the detail and the finish.

I wonder how many birds have enjoyed visiting this house...

22/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who came along to support The Octopus Foundation by attending our 4th Quiz Night in High Halstow last night.

The event was a sell out and a good time was had by all, with lots of laughs throughout the evening.

Special thanks to Gary for all his hard work in organising the event and to Kieran from Rubbish Idea for bringing extra energy and humour as quiz master!

Thanks also to Alison and James for all their work behind the scenes, and to Hilda, Jane and George for stepping in to help as we were a little short volunteered. This is what community work is all about, and we are blessed to have such good and supportive people around us. This is never taken for granted so thank you all.

We of course always have to mention Maddie, so last but not least, thanks to Maddie for performing her usual role as meeter and greeter, and for being the mascot for 'Maddie's Minions', even though it was way past her bedtime! 🐾

Address

2 Victory Park
Rochester
ME24ER

Telephone

+441634712884

Website

http://www.theoctopusfoundation.org.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Octopus Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to The Octopus Foundation:

Want your organisation to be the top-listed Non Profit Organisation in Rochester?