5. November 2013 - Autism Bedfordshire

Volume 14
Issue 5
Autism Bedfordshire
St Mark’s Church Community Centre
Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY
Registered Charity No 1100722
Autism Bedfordshire is piloting exclusive use monthly swim
sessions for the whole family at Trinity Pool, Bromham
Road, Bedford MK40 2BS.
Lifeguards, play equipment and free parking!
(on arrival go to the Leisure Centre reception to get your free parking ticket)
st
The next session is Saturday 21 December, 10 am-12 noon.
Places must be booked with the AB office and paid for in
advance - just £5 per family. Call us on 01234 214871.
For those young people aged 14 –25 years on
the autistic spectrum who require 1:1 support
This new group meets monthly at a variety of
venues. We book the venue and the group leader
will meet attendees and their parent/carer there.
The next session is:
Friday 22nd November, 7-8 pm
TRAMPOLINING @ Milton Keynes Gymnastics Centre, 15
Winchester Circle, Kingston, Milton Keynes MK10 0BA
Cost £3.50 - carers go free. Call the AB office to book.
Bedford Mayor’s Charity 2013
You can contact us in the following ways
HELPLINE call 01234 350704 Mon–Fri 9 am-5 pm
Leave a message if we don’t answer and we will call you back. You can also email us with your enquiry or take a look at the information on our website.
general enquiries: 01234 214871
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.autismbeds.org
follow us
BEDFORD & LUTON DROP INS
Just received your diagnosis?
Confused about autism?
Not sure what support you can access?
Want to know more about Autism Bedfordshire and what we can do for you?
Autism Bedfordshire and Parent Partnership will have a representative to help answer these questions at
Redgrave Children & Young People’s Centre, Luton LU3 3QN. Thursdays 1 pm - 4.30 pm
and a member of the Autism Bedfordshire team will be at
Child Development Centre, Hill Rise, Kempston MK42 7E. Tuesdays 10 am - 12 noon
No need to book, just drop in. Call us for dates.
Adult Skills Group Visits Bletchley Park 16th July 2013
In the past, the Adult Skills Group’s summer trips have taken us to places as far afield as Brighton and Oxford. This year’s took us to the
much closer Bletchley Park.
We took the 10.55 Bedford to Bletchley train along the Marston Vale line, arriving at Bletchley
Park at 11.45, we headed straight to the mansion for a brief look at the interior followed by lunch
at Hut 4. Then, it was over to Hut 8, where the Enigma naval messages were broken, for a guided
tour on the origins of the Enigma code machine. We walked past the various buildings, many of
which are succumbing to the ravages of time, and included the post office, garage and stable block.
Afterwards we went to Hut H, which now houses the National Museum of Computing and the
famous Colossus computer, which has been restored to working order, but was not operating to
start with due to the ongoing heatwave. We finished with a quick look at the carrier pigeon display
in Hut 8 and The Alan Turing Museum in Block B. Dehydrated, we returned to the station for the
15.47 to Bedford.
Everyone agreed it was a fascinating visit and showed us what people on the autistic spectrum can achieve. By helping to break the Enigma
code, the war was shortened by at least two years. Many of us will visit Bletchley Park again and thoroughly recommend it to others.
Luke Harries & the Adult Skills Group
Autism Bedfordshire’s Anti Discriminatory Statement
We believe that all individuals have the right to be treated with respect and dignity regardless of the differences between them in age, gender, marital status,
race, sex and sexual orientation, religion, culture, language or disability. We will make every effort to work in an anti-discriminatory manner, challenging
attitudes and behaviours that disadvantage individuals and or groups that access Autism Bedfordshire’s services. Everyone is expected to behave in a way
that acknowledges differences positively and not in a way that excludes, humiliates and damages.
Safeguarding Statement
Autism Bedfordshire is dedicated to the safeguarding of the children, young people and vulnerable adults in its care.
This year’s AGM was held in October with guest
speaker Alex Kelly. Alex is a speech and
language therapist with 26 years’ experience
working with people with social skills difficulties.
Calling all grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, AB staff, friends and associates of AB.
Would you be interested in supporting our new fundraising arm? You can help in so
many ways, from donating, telling people about our work, organising an event or getting
your workplace involved.
From attending quiz nights and race nights to a ‘FAB’ and groovy disco, we need you to
register your interest with us. Please email enquiries@autismbedfordshire and we will
send you a contact form. Watch this space!
We thought Alex gave a fantastic talk which was
endorsed by the fantastic feedback we received.
We had a fantastic turnout and attendees found
her talk on teaching social skills to be ‘positive,
realistic, helpful, entertaining, relevant,
informative, practical and engaging’.
If you would like a copy of her presentation
handout, please call the AB office.
Adult Skills Group Visits the
Mayor’s Parlour
As Autism Bedfordshire is the Mayor of Bedford’s
charity of the year, he very kindly invited us to visit
the Mayor’s Parlour on October 1st 2013 in St Paul’s
Square. We arrived there at 10:30am and went in at
11:00am. It was quite a wait but we eventually met
the Mayor after he had finished with some business
he had to do.
We were all very impressed and glad to have met
him and it was well worth it because he and his staff
were very kind and welcoming. He and Barry the
Town Crier gave us a brief history of the place and
explained to us about the history of Bedford which
was all very interesting and fascinating. He also told
us what the Mayor’s job was all about and how Bedford developed and that there are 23 Bedfords around the world!
It was fun seeing Peter and Sally dressing up in the Mayor’s clothing and wearing the golden chain and it was fascinating looking at
the old and new emblems. It was also good to see the other antiquities in particular the valuable bailiff’s maces which Nick really
enjoyed holding. We also saw a silver tray which had been saved from the wreckage of the R101 airship.
We are very grateful to the Mayor, Dave Hodgson, and really enjoyed our visit.
Will, Peter and the rest of the Adult Skills Group
Articles printed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of Autism Bedfordshire. Items are accurate to the best of our
knowledge but we do not take responsibility for any errors in information provided to us for inclusion.
NEEDED!
CALM
A group for parents/carers of autistic
children under 7 years old, who would like to
learn more about their difficulties and meet
families in the same situation.
rd
th
23 January and 27 March, 10-11.30 am
@ Gill Blowers Nursery, Wauluds Bank Drive,
Luton LU3 3LW.
More details from Luton Borough Council’s
SEN Team, telephone on 01582 548167.
If you are a parent, grandparent, relative or carer of a
child on the autistic spectrum, you could join this
support group run by families for families - make
friends, swap tips, share experiences, feel supported,
access information. Children welcome.
st
Every 1 Friday of the month, 9.30 - 11.30 am
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month, 12.30 - 2.30 pm
@ Pentecostal Church, Crab Lane, Biggleswade SG18 0LN
Telephone 07425 551110 for more information.
Fathers Required for Study
Fathers of individuals with autism are required for a
study investigating sensory experiences.
The study involves completing three questionnaires
about sensory experiences, personality traits and
mood, and should take about 15 minutes. These can
be completed online by visiting
www.sensoryexp.co.uk
If you are worried about your
child’s speech, visit the Under 5’s
Speech & Language Therapy
Drop In Sessions for advice
For details of dates and venues contact Angela Benedito
telephone 01234 310700,
email [email protected]
or visit www.sept.nhs.uk/BedschildSLT
Take a Break…
This new informal group is for parents/carers who
have a child with a disability or special need under 5
years old. There’s a free crèche and refreshments at
two Neighbourhood Centres in Dunstable and
Houghton Regis. Siblings under 5 are also welcome.
Further information from Sarah Cook, telephone
01582 666403/758023 or email
[email protected]
Our grateful thanks go to….
Our Adult Skills Groups are looking for old cash
registers to help with their employment training…..if
you have one you would like to donate please contact Sally Cripsey or
a member of our Adult Services team, telephone 01234 214871.
Central Bedfordshire
Parent Partnership Service
Drop in information sessions for parents/carers who
have a child with Special Educational Needs in
nursery or school:
Downside Children’s Centre, Dunstable - 11th December 9.30-11am
The Moorings, Leighton Buzzard - 26th November 9.30-11am
Orchard Children’s Centre, Shefford - 22nd November, 20th December 10-11.30am
Flitwick Children’s Centre - 20th December 1.30-3pm
Sandy Community Centre - 5th December 10-11.30am
You can turn up on the day, or book in advance.
The staff of the Cranfield School of Management who organised a
dress down day on 30th August and kindly sent us a cheque for £50.
Thanks to everyone who has helped us
raise £379,000 so far. As you can see
there is still a way to go to ensure we can
continue delivering our services. If you
would like more information on fundraising
please contact us for a fundraising pack.
The family and friends of Mr Lincoln, who kindly donated £100 in lieu
of birthday presents for him.
Mrs Winchester of Bromham who organised the recycling of printer
cartridges and mobile phones at her workplace raising £24.55.
Everyone at the Dragon Boat Race on Bedford River in July who put
money in our collection boxes raising £71.93.
Summer Scheme 2013
Thanks to the following for their fantastic
contributions towards this summer’s schemes:
The Steel Charitable Trust - £2,500
The Barbara Ward Children’s Foundation - £5,000
The David Solomons Charitable Trust - £1,000 and a
commitment to support us for the next 2 years.
Luton Rotary Club for their valuable support with a donation of £100.
The staff, parents and children of Fordfield Nursery Ltd, Millbrook who
held a sports morning in July and raised a whopping £750. Thanks
also to Barclays Bank plc, Flitwick who donated £750 in matched
funding.
Martin Gilbert and customers of Greyfriars Snooker Centre for the
fabulous £187.78 donation from their charity collection jar.
The kind customers of ASDA Biggleswade who voted for AB in the
store’s ‘Chosen by You’ charity donation scheme. We received £200.
A BIG THANKYOU to …
The staff and customers of Waitrose, Bedford for choosing AB and
supporting us through their Community Matters programme with a
wonderful cheque for £460.
Garfield Weston Foundation for their
amazing award of £10,000 towards
our LOAF and Wanted Fun groups.
Katrina Cole, family and friends who kindly donated a total of £355.55
in memory of Katrina’s mum Dorothy. Our sincere condolences to
you all.
Bedford Lions Club for the fabulous cheque for £1,500
representing money raised through their highly
successful Easter Egg Raffle campaign.
The family and friends of the late Elisabeth Anne Myers who
generously made donations in her memory totalling £710.84. Our
thoughts are with you at this difficult time.
Did you know you can raise money for us when doing your online shopping or searching the web,
at no cost to you? Any money raised will help us reach our income target for this year
The eStore on our website is an online shopping directory featuring hundreds of retailers.
Click on the Spend and Raise link at
www.autismbeds.org or visit www.spendandraise.com/autismbedfordshire
Each time you shop a commission is generated and given to us. It’s as easy as that.
Papworth Trust’s Kerry Farm
Free Short Breaks with a Difference
The BIG Lottery Fund has given Papworth Trust a grant to offer
accessible breaks to disabled people and their families at Kerry
Farm in Wales. Applications must be made online by Monday
16th December. To find out more visit www.papworth.org.uk/
kerryfarm
Pat Mack and the MMA Dragon’s Nest team who completed the WAR
adrenalin race and raised the great sum of £65.
Bedfordshire Young Farmers’ Club who have supported us this year
through various fundraising events raising a wonderful £576.03.
GET INVOLVED, HAVE YOUR SAY!
If you are a parent/carer of a person aged
0-25 years with special educational needs
or a disability and would like to become involved
with the Luton Parent Forum, telephone
07985 470156 or email [email protected]
to find out more.
Member William Brennan’s granddad Michael, who sold his golf clubs
and donated the fantastic £100 raised towards our Luton LOAF group.
You can also help generate income by using the search engine everyclick. Everyclick gives half of its
generated income to charity, all you have to do is visit www.everyclick.com, select Autism Bedfordshire
as the charity you would like to support and start your web search. Every visit raises money for us.
we now offer you greater choice on ways to donate….
NEW
Adult Multi Activity Club
Weekly sessions for adults with learning
and physical disabilities:
• fun and exciting activities
• for people aged 16+
• carers welcome
• develop new and improve existing skills
Every Monday, 2-3 pm @ Bedford Athletic Stadium, Barkers Lane,
Bedford MK41 9SB. £3 per session, no need to book. Further
information from Hayley Elphee, telephone 01234 718835.
STAFF NEEDED
Autism Bedfordshire is looking for
group leaders and volunteers to
help with its Adult Social Groups.
Please contact Sara Turner,
Adults’ Services Development Officer,
telephone 01234 214871
BY TEXT
text AUTB12 followed
by the amount you
want to donate to
70070
(eg AUTB125 to
donate £5)
ONLINE
BY PHONE
call 01234 214871
to make a credit or
debit card donation
visit www.autismbeds.org
and click on our yellow ‘Donate’ button.
It’s quick easy and 100% secure!