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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Email us at:

info@xchangeonline.co.uk

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 info@xchangeonline.co.uk 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

chris.dear@dorsetfa.com

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 cate.reade@diverseabilitiesplus.org.uk

If you are not known to us then we will need you to complete a care passport on the Xchange (info@xchangeonline.co.uk).

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

dpcc@talktalk.net

phone: 07827 793 244

Poole PAX forum

www.poolespecialparents.org.uk

poole.snforum@gmail.com

Phone: 07786 892 084

Bournemouth Parent Carer Forum

www.parentcarerforum.co.uk

bpc.forum@yahoo.co.uk

Phone: 0758 540 4335

Information Boxes