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TRANSCRIPT
Edition: March 2013
News and information across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole for children who are disabled and their families and carers.
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IN THIS ISSUE
� Transition Roadshow
dates and details.
� Writing competition
reveals empathy and
concern
� The Wessex Autisitc
Society change their
name.
� Wow! Weymouth Sea
Life Tower gives a
50% discount for Max
Card users!
Don’t miss these two major events for local families this month if you live in Dorset or Poole.
Organised by the two local
parent carer groups, they offer a chance for you to
meet with professionals and organisations in an
informal environment.
Take this opportunity to
meet with organisations, hear their plans and find
out if they can help you.
Or chat to members of the
parent carer groups or other parents.
There’s lots to do and see.
Both events are FREE and
you don’t need to book in
advance either. Just turn up on the day.
Look out for two BIG events this month!!Look out for two BIG events this month!!Look out for two BIG events this month!!Look out for two BIG events this month!!
PLUS …
the Transition Roadshow
is in Dorchester on
8th March.
See inside for details of
this and other venues
The AA driving school has just joined the Max Card scheme!!
They will offer our card holders a discount of £36 off 12 hours tuition (a saving of £3 per hour!) So if your child is at the age of learning to drive, just ring the AA driving school on 0800 975 3379 quoting "AP" to redeem
If you know of any other family who might benefit from joining The
Xchange they can email us at [email protected] or find an
application form at www.dorsetforyou.com/398540
Or they can register online quickly by going direct to our website
www.xchangeonline.co.uk
DepARTure Arts visit to Weymouth cinema in December
The winners of a national writing competition for young people have
demonstrated an outstanding depth of emotion and caring concern for people
with disabilities.
The competition (‘Ready, Willing and Mobile’) by charity Mobility Choice invited
school children aged 7 to 16 years to submit short stories featuring a young
disabled person as the central character. Previous competitions rewarded bright
ideas that would enhance the lives of young disabled people.
“Fiction literature rarely features people with disabilities,” said Jacqui Jones, Chief
Executive of Mobility Choice. “Our charity aims to turn that around by
encouraging young people to think about disability and inclusivity from an early
age.”
Julia Marcheson, won the 10-12 category, with ‘Never too late’, her story about
Leo, a young boy with learning difficulties whose mother dies following a gang
assault on him and his friends. Leo soon gains a winning goal on the basketball
court, demonstrating that in life it is never too late to triumph over adversity.
“Julia’s entry stood out; she really showed outstanding depth of emotion,” said
David Proud, actor and member of the judging panel.
Holly Whittaker, won the 7-9 category and impressed the judges with her
understanding of the need to support friends who are being bullied as a result of
their disability. Throughout her story entitled ‘Amber’ - a young classmate with
dwarfism - she demonstrated a highly intuitive caring attitude to life and that
when young friends are supported they are indeed winners.
Both winners received a set of eight Puffin Classics hardback folio editions and a
Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter tour for four people. For their schools they won
£500 towards equipment or projects and £150-worth of STAEDTLER art and craft
materials.
Ready Willing & Mobile 2012 was supported by DisabledGo, Penguin, Phab
Kids!, STAEDTLER, The Open University and Whizz-Kidz.
www.mobilitychoice.org.uk
Mobility Choice raises awareness of mobility and independent living options. They
organise the annual Mobility Roadshow www.mobilityroadshow.co.uk; Get Going Live! driving days for young disabled people who are about to embark on their
driving career and hosts the Mobility Choice Motoring www.mobilitychoicemotoring.co.uk to provide a broad spectrum of motoring news.
“Mobility is not just about driving. It’s about vehicle conversions, motoring accessories, wheelchairs and power chairs, scooters and cycles, fitness and home products, accessible holidays and leisure, sport and other leisure pursuits”
A new name for a well known provider.
From the 12th February, the Wessex Autistic Society
have a new name—“Autism Wessex” and a new logo and website address to go with it.
Autism Wessex tell us:
"We're delighted to announce that The Wessex Autistic Society has rebranded to become Autism Wessex following research with key stakeholders. Established more than 45 years ago, the regional charity will continue to provide high quality specialist services for adults and children affected by autism and associated difficulties throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset.”
To improve their services and increase the support
they offer they say: “Free impartial advocacy and advice services will still be available to anyone affected by autism, while two 'sub-brands' have been created under the Autism Wessex name - 'Portfield School' for education and children's services and 'Community Wessex' for social care services. These two services will now also be accessible to people who do not have autism.”
You can visit their new website at www.autismwessex.org.uk
to find out more.
…..if you haven’t done it already, you need to …..if you haven’t done it already, you need to …..if you haven’t done it already, you need to …..if you haven’t done it already, you need to
apply to renew your Max Card for this year. apply to renew your Max Card for this year. apply to renew your Max Card for this year. apply to renew your Max Card for this year.
Contact us for details atContact us for details atContact us for details atContact us for details at info@xchangeonline
50% DISCOUNT for Max 50% DISCOUNT for Max
Card holders!!Card holders!! Here’s another great benefit for our members.
The Weymouth Sea Life Tower has joined the Max Card scheme and agreed this huge
discount.
Towering 174 feet high with 360 degree
views, the Tower gives stunning views over Weymourh Beach, Portland and Chesil Beach.
The Tower has full disabled access and has
the capacity for one wheelchair per flight.
Call them for opening times and costs on
0871 423 2110
Your Max Card is now usable at over 95 venues!
Full list of all current venues is available at hhhhttttttttpppp::::////////wwwwwwwwwwww....ddddoooorrrrsssseeeettttffffoooorrrryyyyoooouuuu....ccccoooommmm////mmmmaaaaxxxxccccaaaarrrrdddd
Going out on Going out on Going out on Going out on the weekend?the weekend?the weekend?the weekend?
Don’t forget to take your Don’t forget to take your Don’t forget to take your Don’t forget to take your Max Card!Max Card!Max Card!Max Card!
“Hello, I have just borrowed some fibre optic lights from the charity Cerebra, for children with neurological conditions including autism - www.cerebra.org.uk
They do not charge and send and collect it free with FEDEX. It's an amazing service! I just want to recommend looking at their website and getting in touch with them if you can see something helpful. The people I have spoken to have been great.”
If you have any great tips to share with
other families why not put them on the
Forum too? Just sign in and click the
Forums tab.
From the Xchange Forum!
NEW FOOTBALL OPPORTUNITIES
Disability Football in Dorset
continues to thrive with the addition of two new
opportunities in the county.
Having recently seen sessions commencing
in Sherborne (through Team Gryphon) and Ferndown (through Parley Sports) the
welcome addition of sessions at Dorchester Sports Centre and Purbeck Sports Centre,
is another positive step for adults with disabilities following the Paralympic success
in London.
Continued development work is being
undertaken to offer children aged between 13-16 the opportunity to take part in
sessions next season across the County
with aspirations to establish an U16 Disability Football League.
If you are interested in any of these
sessions, including the U16 football, then please feel free to contact Chris Dear on
01202 688277 or email
Also see the football adverts in our Information Boxes
The latest Dorset Parent Carer Council free newsletter is now available. You can get a copy from the Xchange website or why not visit the Parent Council’s own and new website!
www.dorsetparentcarercouncil.co.uk
This latest edition includes
� A checklist for booking activities � Information about the Dorset Short Break providers forum
� An article by Jackie Last acting director for Children's Services at
Dorset County Council
………………………………………………………………………..and more!
SailLaser on Portland start their new sailing
taster sessions on March 3rd using specially adapted dinghies.
See advert in our Information Boxes or call
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK CALL 0845 337 3214
During half term Artz+ teamed up with DepARTture Arts to offer the
chance to see 'Three Little Pigs' by Dorset theatre company, Stuff and Nonsense.
The company wowed children in Sturminster Newton with their very
funny and musical puppet show featuring a cool wolf wearing
sunglasses.
Afterwards the children made their
own puppets to take home.
At another event in Wimborne, children had a fascinating evening at the Priest House Museum playing Victorian parlour games and grilling toast.
There were sports events too. At Ferndown children enjoyed trying out
wheelchair basketball and there were trampolining and swimming events in and Christchurch and Dorchester.
The Artz+ Sportz+ Easter
programme is out now and can be downloaded at
The Xchange website, or
www.dorsetforyou.com/artz+.
Or you can call 01305 255250 for a copy. Artz+ Sportz+ is also
on facebook.
Artz+ and Sportz+ half term
website The Xchange website has details of many
Short Break activities taking place around Dorset,
Bournemouth and Poole. Short Breaks are usually
supported activities where you can leave your
child to have an enjoyable time while you have
some space yourself.
Here’s how to use the site to find something that will suit you and your child…..
1. Once you have loaded the
Xchange website, you will
need to click on the green
‘Read More’ tab in the
orange ‘What's On Near You’
box.
2. This page will then load.
Choose the See all Short
Breaks option
3. You then see a
screen similar to
this— filtered to
show Short
Breaks.
These are in
alphabetical
order, so you can
just browse
through them or
narrow your
search down in
several ways:
� By keyword
� By location
� By category
“What’s the easiest way to find
some supported activities over
the Easter Holidays?”
4. Search by keyword.
Maybe you are looking for a drumming activity?
Type ‘drumming’ into the ‘Search For’ box and
click the ‘Search’ button (or just hit the Enter/
Return key)
Or you could try ‘football’ or ‘gymnastics’ etc.
whatever suits your child’s interests.
5. Search by location
In order to find out what is local to you, simply
type in your postcode in the “Location/
Postcode” box on the right and hit ‘Search’.
Or you can type in a specific town eg Wareham
Either of these will produce a short break
activities list filtered to the area/postcode you
specify. You can increase or reduce the radius
of the search by clicking on the appropriate
‘Search Radius’ figure eg 1, 5 or 10 miles
6. Search / Filter by category
Finally you can filter the entries by the type of activity eg
“music, dance, drama and theatre” or “Sports and Play”
You can then browse all of the results to find something
suitable for you.
(Please note: these category searches do not function for
activities made available through Bournemouth Borough
Council.)
7. Where there are
lots of results then
only so many are
displayed on the
screen. You can
access more pages
using the buttons at
the bottom.
7. If you like the
look of an
activity, then click
the ‘More details’
link at the bottom
to find out more
website
Information Boxes Activity information in this newsletter is supplied by the organisations themselves. You should satisfy yourself with the quality and suitability of an organisation before participation. Neither Dorset County Council nor Poole or Bournemouth Borough Councils’ can be held liable for any mistakes or omissions, nor any claim, loss, injury or damage resulting from the use or accuracy of this publication or participation in advertised activities. Parents of children who are disabled or with additional or special educational needs are advised to contact the Parents of children who are disabled or with additional or special educational needs are advised to contact the Parents of children who are disabled or with additional or special educational needs are advised to contact the Parents of children who are disabled or with additional or special educational needs are advised to contact the relevant provider for advice before attending any activityrelevant provider for advice before attending any activityrelevant provider for advice before attending any activityrelevant provider for advice before attending any activity.
Autism Wessex have set up a new free parent/carer
support group for carers of a child or adult with an
Autism Spectrum Disorder. The group meets
monthly at Portfield School, Parley Lane,
Christchurch. For more information….
Contact Natalie 07740 869969 or
Anita 07832 970854
ASD carer support group
EASTER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
At the Xchange hub we are already
receiving loads of information about all sorts of exciting activities taking place over
the Easter holidays.
Some of the details are mentioned in this
newsletter but for up to date information you can use the Xchange website where
activities are regularly posted as soon as we get to hear about them.
www.xchangeonline.co.uk
Take a look at the Search Guide in this issue to see how to find Short Break
activities near you or that suit your child’s
interests
Information Boxes
Your local Family Information Service
Only
£15 SAILING DATES: BOOK
NOW!
Advance booking is essential for all sessions and £15 payable at that
time. If spare space is available parents and siblings may also partake.
Priority will be given to Weymouth and Portland, Purbeck, Christchurch,
North, West and East Dorset children who are disabled
Session times are 11:00—13:00
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK CALL 0845 337 3214
Sailing taster sessions with Saillaser
Experience the sights, sounds and
sensations that sailing can offer.
Two hour tasters sessions in non
capsizable spacious dinghies with
qualified and experienced instructors.
Dry suits, buoyancy aids and helmets all
provided.
Hoist also available.
A Saturday club that allows young people aged 8 – 18 years old
who have disabilities to access age appropriate activities with their peers and have fun!
Running twice a month! Enjoy a wide range of activities such as
swimming. Come along meet new friends and hang out!
A limited number of funded Dorset spaces are available (cost of
activity is not included), however there is an option for Direct
Payments to be used to purchase staff support (£8 – £13.50 per
hour dependant on needs). Cost of activity is payable by all
attending.
SPACES STILL REMAINING FOR MARCH 2013SPACES STILL REMAINING FOR MARCH 2013
‘HANG OUTS’! ‘HANG OUTS’! Call us now!
How to book?
Call Project Hang Out on 01202 718266 or email [email protected]
If you are not known to us then we will need you to complete a care passport on the Xchange ([email protected]).
For more information or an information pack, give us a call.
9th March 10am-4pm Monkey World, Bovington
16th March 10am-1pm Clay Studio, Christchurch
Project ‘hang out’ Hanging out with your mates
On a Saturday doing things you like
10th March Sunday
See the Xchange
website for the full
Artz+ Sportz+
brochure and more
details or call
01305 252250
Information Boxes
You can find plenty more Easter holiday opportunities
on the Xchange website.
Look under What’s On and then choose:
‘Activities’ for universal activities around the
region
Or choose
‘Short Break’ for more tailored events where
support is usually provided.
New activities are being added all the time!
www.xchangeonline.co.uk
Information Boxes
EASTER FUNEASTER FUNEASTER FUNEASTER FUN
ACTiViTiES ACTiViTiES ACTiViTiES ACTiViTiES
Information Boxes
Just look at
all these
Easter fun
activities
being
organised by
Poole Short
Breaks!
Visit The Xchange
website to download
a copy of the full
brochure packed
with details and an
application form.
Your Xchange Forum
The Xchange Forum has been set
up exclusively for members of The Xchange.
It’s a place where you can talk, discuss, buy, sell, swap, review, pass on tips etc etc and only with
our members of The Xchange.
“Sign in to join in.” Just visit the website and sign in
to use you forum.
www.xchangeonline.co.uk
Information Boxes
Need to make changes to your Xchange
registration?
Did you know that you can sort it quickly and
easily online?
Don’t forget that you can now make changes to your Xchange
application online through signing in to your
‘Xchange hub’ on the website www.xchangeonline.co.uk
Use this, for example, if you change your address, telephone or
email address or if your child moves to a new school etc.
Information Boxes
Support your local parentSupport your local parent--carer forumcarer forum
The local parent-carer forums work hard for the benefit of families with children and young people who are disabled across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole. They raise important issues with the authorities and
make sure that your voice is represented and your feelings known. They are run by families for families.
You can contact your local forum using the details below.
Dorset Parent Carer Council
www.dorsetparentcarercouncil.co.uk
phone: 07827 793 244
Poole PAX forum
www.poolespecialparents.org.uk
Phone: 07786 892 084
Bournemouth Parent Carer Forum
www.parentcarerforum.co.uk
Phone: 0758 540 4335
Information Boxes