issue 33 Autumn 2017

Sutton 15 years celebration

time to celebrate

old friends together

answers on a postcard small group talks

presentations

Advocacy for All is an independent advocacy organisation and an equal opportunities employer. Charity no: 1064855.

in this newsletter page project

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our news

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Bexley Speaking Up Group

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Bromley Sparks

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action groups

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Bromley Speaking Up Group

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Kent Peer Support Groups

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Speak Up Sutton

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contact details

our news our golden girl Annie I went to the Special Olympics in Sheffield back in August .

I went with my gym club which is called Falcon Spartak.

I won 2 gold medals in rhythmic gymnastics level 3.

The experience was a great opportunity to get out there because it is so inspiring.

The opening ceremony was amazing.

I always believe in myself when I perform. written by Annie

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We had a visit from Bonny Waterman from the council. She talked about the Bexley 3 year plan She told us about the 3 main ideas Keeping healthy Living your life Keeping safe

At Bexley Speaking Up Group we have a social group which meets once a month on a Saturday. Recently we visited Chislehurst Caves together. I thought it was really good. Tanya was really supportive because I was nervous at first. I overcame my fear. written by Lucy

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We are doing lots of things to keep healthy and happy In the summer we went to Eastbourne for the day.

We visited Sailability which offers sailing for people with and without disabilities “I thought it was great how people with physical disabilities sailed the boat on their own. It just goes to show you what people can do.� written by Tanya

We are doing lots of walking with our volunteer Chris. We have been walking in Bexley woods but we have other places we want to visit.

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ladies group Bianca has helped a lot with the Ladies Group and she helped us with a session. It was about recycling . and how much we throw away. We learnt not to throw away so much food. written by

The eye picture was made from old bottle tops 6

Gillian

The group made a picture list of things you can re use.

lads group We have been doing graffiti art, it was good to be creative and stretch your mind. written by Giuseppe

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Sparks news team photo training session

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My name is Susie and I am the chair of the Sparks news team. I took notes about the good and bad points about taking good photographs. Our top tips are  think about your topic

 show people doing things  practice taking your photos

 keep the camera steady

Hi I am Linda, we learnt how to use a digital camera. We talked about not getting too close and how to focus on your subject

It was the first time I have used a digital camera but I gave it a go

I liked it when we all helped each other. We checked that the picture was right 9

members monthly meeting We all enjoy working with Books Beyond Words. We looked through a story of a family and what they got up to. The woman worked for a theatre. They had a pet dog that the husband took to the park. He met a lady there who also had a dog. It ended up with him making a business out of dog walking. written by Ben

book launch I have been trialling a book for Books Beyond Words. It explains how a church works. I went to Lambeth Palace for the launch of the book. We sat on big round tables and everyone had to tell the story on their page. It was really good. written by David

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Bromley health action group The health action group is Gillian, Adam, Tim, David, Polly and Holly from Bromley Sparks and Bromley Speaking Up Group. Stephanie from Healthwatch came to meet us. Our job is to go to different health meetings in Bromley and speak up for people with learning difficulties. We are looking for stories of anyone who has had a problem with health services. Please get in touch with Gillian or Sue if you have a story. written by Gillian

We had a visit from Wendy from NHS England. Wendy works with the Transforming Care Partnerships to support people coming out of long stay hospitals. She offered to help with our campaigns and is coming to talk to the Live Well Group. written by Gillian

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Bromley being together action group One of the subjects we have been talking about is loneliness.

We know that many people with extra needs in the borough of Bromley can get very lonely. Bromley Council have shown us their action plan for tackling loneliness and isolation. This plan was written after we went to a meeting with the council.

We want to ask questions to members of Bromley Sparks and Bromley Speaking Up Group about loneliness. On Monday 9th October at ‘Why don’t they listen to us?’ we will talk about our experiences and let our voice be heard. Watch out for the winter newsletter with our ideas. 12

Bromley out and about action group For one of our meetings, we thought we should we go

. ‘out and about’. We walked the streets of Bromley

to explore our area and take photos. Below is a selection of our favourite photos. What is favourite place when you are out and about?

Peter and Laura have been working hard coming up with ideas for the 9th October event titled “Why don’t they listen to us?” Members of Bromley Sparks and Bromley Speaking Up Group will be going. 13

Bromley Speaking Up Group has a new member. Her name is Nicky. At our meeting she spoke to us about meeting her MP. He is helping me with finding a work placement at has wheelchair access. I think it’s good speak to your MP; I think it will help people with additional needs who have things to say. Written by Nicky

MP is short for Member of Parliament. They work at the Houses of Parliament. Your MP is there to speak up for people in your area. Your MP can speak up in Parliament for what people in your area need. 14

Grease is the word

For one of our socials, we decided to watch Grease and sing along.

We went to Holly’s house. We brought our own food and drink. Holly was a great host and there was a lot of singing. “It was really really good. I enjoyed it because it had a lot of cars.” written by Adam

“I enjoyed it because lots of people came and we watched a film I really liked”. written by Holly

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filling in forms by the Asperger's peer support group No one finds filling in forms easy. If you are filling in forms for benefits our groups have the following helpful tips. The important thing to remember is 

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don’t hide away and worry on your own tell people and get help ask a friend to go with you to get advice

Places to get help filling in benefit forms

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Citizens Advice Bureau

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Kent Autistic Trust

answering benefit questions

The person helping you to fill in the form will ask questions about what you can do. A question you might be asked is ‘can you cook?’ You might say yes because you cook some meals. But think about the things you can do and think about the things that you need help to do. This will help people understand your needs. Think about how someone could help you make a meal. Maybe you need someone to help you cut food Maybe you need someone to remind you to put the oven on. Remember you can always ask for an advocate to help you at these meetings and help you fill in your forms.

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Speak Up Sutton The young people’s group had their first meeting on 5th July. They decided on a name for the group:

Action Voices! We played games and talked about what they think is important. They said: 

having a voice in different ways: using drama, music and drawing as well as speaking

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what support networks are available

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friends

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going out and about

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activities

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getting older

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challenges

Kayleigh said Just promise me we can do this again! We will

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goodbye Funmi

hello baby Tolu!

Funmi has had a baby boy. His name is Tolu Daniel He was born on 16th September.

congratulations Funmi!

We had a great time on Funmi’s last day. We had a meal and went bowling. We shared memories and looked at photos. We will all miss her till she gets back.

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Yaninka It has been wonderful working with you. I have learnt a lot.

Yaninka It is sad to see you go. We know you will keep in touch. Thank you for all your hard work. We will all miss you.

written by Duncan

Yaninka Have fun exploring the world. We know you will keep us in your heart.

written by George

written by Sarah

Advocacy for All Bromley Sparks

020 8300 9666 020 8315 2508

Easy Read Group 020 8315 2508 Sutton office 020 8669 0500 Kent office

01233 668518

find us on social media

/advocacy4all /advocacyforall @biggervoice /biggervoices 20