Croydon Mencap News Spring 2018

Spring 2018

From Alan Avis...

Welcome to our Spring Newsletter which I hope you will enjoy reading. Our first piece of news is that we have some new staff join the team. Jo Ramsay has joined us as our new Administration and Communications Officer. Jo will be based at our head office but spend a day a week at Leslie Park helping Amanda with all the administrative tasks involved in running a busy centre. We also welcomed Lauren Smith as our new Community Navigator and Volunteer Coordinator. Lauren is available to help you get the support you need whether it be welfare rights advice or an answer to a query about the Care Act. Lauren is also on the lookout for volunteers who wish to help people with learning disabilities and their families. Please contact her at Portland House for more details or, if you are caring for someone with a learning disability, please come along to the Carer Forum which Lauren organises. Please see inside for further details.

Sadly we also said farewell to Tanya Fitzgerald who was our Carer’s Assessment and Support Manager. Tanya worked for Croydon Mencap for many years and in this time supported a huge number of carers who benefitted enormously from her knowledge that was always provided in a very caring and respectful manner. Tanya will be greatly missed by us all at Croydon Mencap but we are pleased that she will still be using her talents to support carers in Croydon in her new job with another charity.

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Croydon Mencap Board of Trustees Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Chief Executive and Company Secretary

Sue Wragg James Kiamtia-Cooper Louise Honeysett Alan Avis David Congdon Tim Flood, Andy Pittard Amy Pollard John Rowe Richard Wragg

The Main Office Chief Executive Administrator Finance Officer Community Navigator Cleaner

Alan Avis Jo Ramsay Carole Letchford Lauren Smith Karen Pritchard

Leslie Park Project Co-ordinator Deputy Co-ordinator Support Workers

Amanda Stewart Rebecca PerryBridgewater Janet Pini Lloyd Thomas Selina Agyapong Georgie Amroussi

Chill and Chat Co-ordinators

Christine Bush Maureen Wright

Saturday Club Deputy Co-ordinator Support Worker Support Worker

Sandra Grant Marcia McPherson Nana OpokuAcheampong

Monday Night Social Club Co-ordinator

Aliye Beaton

The “A” Team

Toni Daws Rhiannon Edwards Daniel Collison Georgie Amroussi Amber Jacques

Croydon Mencap Ltd Portland House 678 London Rd Thornton Heath CR7 7HU Tel: 020 8684 5890 Fax: 020 8664 9857 Email: info@croydonmencap.org.uk

Treat Me Well Treat Me Well is Mencap’s new health campaign. The campaign aims to transform how the NHS treats people with a learning disability. We will be focusing on finding solutions to the healthcare inequalities in hospitals, and bringing about practical changes, so people with a learning disability always get the treatment they need and the equal access to healthcare they deserve.

We are pleased that Croydon University Hospital will be engaging with us in this campaign and helping us to identify and introduce ‘reasonable adjustments’.

Reasonable adjustments are often simple changes that help people with a learning disability get better healthcare.

Examples include:  Using more simple language or communications aids  Allowing extra time at appointments  Providing written information in an accessible format such as Easy Read In the autumn we will be running some workshops for people with a learning disability where we will provide campaign training and support. We are very keen that people with learning disabilities lead this campaign and help health staff to make reasonable adjustments where people with learning disabilities feel they would be most useful.

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Leslie Park News Leslie Park is always buzzing with people coming and going, their paths crossing on their way to their choice of activities. Leslie Park is very popular with young people who want to experience alternative and creative activities.

To provide a full range of activities we are providing activity clubs staffed by a talented and enthusiastic people who include and artist and an author. The clubs also benefit from the contribution made by OT and speech and language therapy students. It’s a vibrant and versatile team who will continue to work hard to extend the range of activity clubs on offer.

Early in March some of the Take 2 drama club went to the West End to see Aladdin the musical.

Everyone who saw the performance declared collectively that it was one of the best trips they had ever been on!!

We currently run 2 drama clubs which are taught by the brilliant SAVVY who are an amazing inclusive theatre company. The performances are always such fun and very skilfully directed by SAVVY. The next show ‘Lost in Space’ is on Saturday 19th May... forget the royal wedding, forget the cup final, they can be replayed! Watching live theatre will stay with you forever!

Enjoy spring which brings beautiful and colourful flowers and look out for the date of our next vintage fair…

from Amanda and all the Leslie Park Team

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Croydon Mencap Board Would you consider joining our Board of Trustees? Some of our current trustees will be stepping down at the AGM this year so we are actively looking for new people to join the Board of Croydon Mencap.

It is important that the families of people with learning disabilities have a voice on our Board, so we are particularly appealing to parents, or other family members to consider joining us in the governance of Croydon Mencap. Training is available for new trustees (organised by specialist companies) and you would receive support in your new role if you joined us.

The responsibilities of a trustee are: To be committed to the work of Croydon Mencap  To become familiar with the support and services provided by Croydon Mencap – e.g. visiting projects  To regularly attend the quarterly board meetings  To join and contribute to task focused working groups when required  To prepare for, and participate in, the discussions and the deliberation of the board and sub-committee  To attend the Annual General Meeting and Away day  To be able to contribute an approximate time commitment of five hours per month (including meeting preparation time and meeting attendance time)

Our board and sub-committee meetings are held on weekday evenings in Leslie Park Road, Croydon We also expect/hope that where possible our board members will attend any events organised by Croydon Mencap Being a trustee brings you the satisfaction of supporting an organisation committed to making a difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers and to the lives of children with SEN.

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If you are interested in joining our Board please contact Sue Wragg by email at chairperson@croydonmencap.org.uk to arrange a time to talk. After that, if you are still interested, we would ask for your CV along with a letter explaining why you would like to become a trustee and what you hope to be able to contribute to the Board you would have an informal interview with some of our Board members. We will take up references and undertake a DBS check if you decide to become a trustee. We operate an equal opportunities policy regarding Trustee recruitment.

Who can be a trustee? Please note, not everyone can be a trustee - we can only accept people who are over 18. In addition we cannot accept: anyone who has been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty (unless the conviction is spent); anyone who is an undischarged bankrupt or has made a formal agreement with creditors under the Insolvency Act 1986; anyone who has previously been removed from trusteeship by the Charity Commission or the courts; or anyone who is disqualified from being a company director.

Carer Forum The Carer Forum is a new monthly event for carers of a person with a learning disability.

Information on free local training

Speakers at previous forums were Michaela Calvert from Kids SENDIASS service, Amy Deakin from the Carer’s Support Centre and Dilly Dokubo from the Direct Payments team.

Free tea, coffee and cake

The June Carer Forum will be on Wednesday 27th June 12pm to 2pm Portland House, 678 London Road, CR7 7HU Speaker to be confirmed

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Chill and Chat We have had an eventful time at Chill and Chat, welcoming new parents/carers and their children. The centre at Malling Close has kindly allowed us to use the sensory room when available and the children have such an enjoyable time with all the lights and bubble machine. We had a visit from Abby from Early Years, and a visit from the manager of Sutton Children’s Centre to gain information and ideas from our group. Parents/carers made cakes for everyone to enjoy.

We held a picnic in Kelsey Park during the Easter break, and on 19th April Jane Speller from Parents in Partnership (PiP) visited to talk to parents about concerns they might have regarding school choices.

We always have a wide variety of activities for the children to access and Chill and Chat enables parents/carers to make new friends and share experiences. from Christine Bush and Maureen Wright

Chill and Chat for children with special needs, aged under 5 Tuesday and Friday Mornings during term time: TUESDAYS: 10.00 am-12.00 pm at Malling Close Children’s Centre Malling Close, Croydon, CR0 7YD Tel: 020 8655 5680 FRIDAYS: 10.00 am-2.30 pm at Shirley Children’s Centre 34 Lilac Gardens, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8NR

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Monday Night Social Club Monday Club held a Country & Western night on 23rd April which saw some amazing costumes. We had line dancing, lasso hula hooping, lots of country music and of course Wagon Wheels with our tea! Winner of the best fancy dress went to David Kruger who looked just like John Wayne!

Monday Club runs from 7pm to 9pm, every Monday except Christmas, Easter, Bank holidays and summer breaks.

The Saturday Club A new year and the launch of our new activity timetable has gone with a swing. We now have 4 zones for our members various interests; Table top games, Art Zone, Workshop area, and the Computer room.

This winter season in our Workshop zone we have made: - Sweet making Coconut Balls, Craft Macaroni Key Rings, Lego World, Chinese New Year Finger Painting. Each session we finish with group games that create a lot of laughter and activities such as; Wii Dance, Chair football, Chill out popcorn and movie, local walk.

Winter season has passed and we have a lot of happy memories caught on film.

The Saturday Club runs on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, between 10.00 and 2.00 pm

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Just for Us Discos The Just For Us Discos have now moved to the Addington Community Centre. The venue is much larger and has very good disability access. Our Valentine's Disco on 9th February was attended by over 200 people! There are 6 discos each year, which run from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets cost £5 and are sold on the door.

The next disco will be Friday 15th June.

to NCS The Challenge who raised £413.42 for Croydon Mencap to the students at Croydon College who held a cake sale and raised £43 for Croydon Mencap

Croydon Mencap Ltd, Portland House, 678 London Road, Thornton Heath CR7 7HU Tel: 020 8684 5890 Fax: 020 8664 9857 Email: info@croydonmencap.org.uk Registered charity no. 1073063 Croydon Mencap is an autonomous local Society affiliated to national MENCAP. The views expressed herein by the individuals named do not necessarily represent those held by national MENCAP or the Board of Croydon Mencap.

Directors of the Board: Sue Wragg (Chair) James Kiamtia-Cooper (Vice Chair) Louise Honeysett (Treasurer) Alan Avis (Chief Executive and Company Secretary) David Congdon Tim Flood Andy Pittard Amy Pollard John Rowe Richard Wragg