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The Get Involved Group (GIG)Monthly Round-Up October 2017
Welcome to the GIG’s Round-Up Newsletter!The Get Involved Group (GIG) is user-led group which aims to ensure
disabled peoples’ voices are heard when services are planned and changed.
We identify issues and help plan the solutions.
Next Get Involved Group Meet-Up:
Topic: Disability Hate Crime
Where: Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF
When: Wednesday 8 November, 2pm – 4.30pm
Our next meet-up will be on the theme of Disability Hate Crime
If you would like to give your input on what you would like to discuss within the topic of Disability Hate Crime, please get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
If you’d like to come along, please RSVP by calling Lilly or Jake on:Phone/text: 01273 208 934 or 07795 904 179Email: [email protected].
Everyone is welcome, and feel free to bring a friend, carer or PA too.
GIG / Possability People NewsGIG Meeting UpdateOur September meet-up was on the theme of social isolation in disabled people and keeping connected to your community, as chosen by GIG members themselves.
The meeting addressed:
Why are social connections so important to you? How can disabled people be better supported to have an active social life, at home
or out and about? What activities do you attend, and how do you access them? How would you use a cohort of volunteers to support people out of social isolation?
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GIG Meeting Update ContinuedThe meeting started with a talk from Shanni Collins from the Healthy Lifestyles Team at Brighton and Hove Council. Shanni talked about the wide range of physical activities available to Brighton and Hove Residents and explained that people can call the team and discuss what they are interested in doing and the team will match activities to suit the individual. For more information call 01273 292724 or email [email protected]
If you would like a copy of the minutes from the meeting on Social Isolation and Staying Connected please contact Jake on 01273 208934 or email [email protected].
Queen’s Seal Of Approval For Possability People VolunteersPossability People celebrated the tireless work of its volunteers at a ceremony at The Amex Community Stadium on Thursday 14 September. At the ceremony The Queen’s representative, Peter Field, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex presented them with a very special award – The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – equivalent to a group MBE. Asked about the impact volunteers have on the work of the charity, Geraldine Des Moulin, Possability People’s Chief Executive said:
“Quite simply, Possability People couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers. They make us the great organisation that we are, and we are extremely grateful for their time, expertise and enthusiasm.
“You might not know, but over 70% of them identify as disabled themselves, which of course means they bring a very useful perspective with them. We are delighted they have been honored with this award. It is the UK’s highest acknowledgement any charity or community organisation can receive and it shows how much our volunteers are valued”.
For more information about volunteering at Possability People, contact Katharine Russell on 01273 89 40 40 or email [email protected]
Young Disabled People’s Adult Social Group Update
The group met on Monday 25 September at the North Laine Brewhouse in Brighton. There were some new faces along for the first time and everyone enjoyed a good chat, some tasty food and drinks and a light hearted quiz with riddles and name that tune rounds!
If you’re between 18 and 30 and have a disability, long-term health condition or an impairment, and want to get together to meet new people, come along to the next meeting at the end of October, date TBC. There will be some nibbles and soft drinks provided, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.
If you’d like to find out more, or to let us know you’re coming, email [email protected], call 01273 20 89 34 or text 07795 90 41 79.
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Talking Possabilities Radio Show is back!Talking Possabilities is The Get Involved Group's radio show, discussing disability issues and topics chosen by our members themselves.
Each month we have different speakers having discussions on disability-themed topics. The show is recorded in collaboration with Spiral Wave Radio, and is presented by our GIG volunteer Richard De Costobadie, and supported and co-ordinated by another GIG volunteer Victoria Gray. Our current show looks at keeping connected and social isolation, and will be available on our website soon!
For more information, or if you would like to contribute, either as a guest on the show or with topics and questions please contact Jake on 01273 208 934 or email [email protected]
Journey 2 Employment (J2E) Job Club Weekly Drop In
Are you looking for work and have a long-term health condition?
The Possability People Employment Service offers a weekly Job Club drop in at our Shopmobility Office in Churchill Square. The drop-in is an opportunity for people to use the computers and get advice and support with tailoring CVs, covering letters and applications and print off documents.
A range of other training courses are available, so please get in touch if you are looking for work and would like some help with confidence, applications, condition management and coping strategies or preparing for interviews and the return to employment. If you’ve already completed a course, our support is still available to you and you’re welcome to do other courses!
When: Every MondayWhere: Shopmobility Office in Churchill SquareTime: 10.00 - 12.30 and 1.30pm - 4pm
For more information please contact Jake at [email protected] or call on 01273 208 934.
Shopmobility Our low cost scooter and wheelchair hire service.
Call, collect, go! That’s all you have to do to hire one of Possability People’s mobility scooters or wheelchairs. We even have electric wheelchairs that will fit onto a bus. We have three
Brighton locations providing a low cost service for local people and visitors alike.
A quick call in advance is essential and helps tailor the service to suit you. You can now pay in advance by phone or online too. Telephone us on 01273 32 32 39 or email [email protected]
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New MS Sussex Support Service
Possability People and the MS Society are pleased to announce a new support service for people affected by MS, offering independent, confidential and impartial advice services for all people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), their families and carers.
Contact us if you want help with your rights and responsibilities including (but not limited to:
benefits income maximisation form filling appeals finance and debt advice
The service covers the areas along the Sussex coast from Newhaven to Worthing and north to Pulborough. It will be delivered as a home visit where required, or in an arranged space with suitable access.
To refer someone to this service, please phone 01903 25 80 90 or email [email protected]
Other NewsFlu JabFlu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications. The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of October to early November, but don't worry if you've missed it, you can have the vaccine later in winter. Ask your GP or pharmacist.
The injected flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS annually to:
adults over the age of 18 at risk of flu (including everyone aged 65 and over) pregnant women children aged six months to two years at risk of flu
You can have your NHS flu jab at:
your GP surgery a local pharmacy offering the service your midwifery service if they offer it for pregnant women
Some community pharmacies now offer flu vaccination to adults (but not children) at risk of flu including pregnant women, people aged 65 and over, people with long-term health conditions and carers.
If you have your flu jab at a pharmacy, you don't have to inform your GP – it is up to the pharmacist to do that.
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New £10 Note
The new £10 note including raised dots for blind people has entered circulation. In the top left corner, two clusters of bumps are on the plastic to allow blind and partially-sighted people to feel which note it is.
This is the first time such a feature has been used on banknotes in the UK. It has been used before on Australian and Canadian banknotes.
The note is made of polymer and features novelist Jane Austen. It replaces the paper £10 note, with the portrait of naturalist Charles Darwin, which will still be accepted in the shops until Spring 2018. The exact date of withdrawal will be published three months in advance.
Free Energy & Winter Warmth AdviceCome along to get impartial information & advice from the charity National Energy Action on:
advice on energy saving and reducing fuel bills advice on switching supplier fuel debt advice help understanding your fuel bills information on staying warm and well information on how your supplier could support you
Bring along your fuel bills!
You might be eligible for £140 electricity bill rebate – find out about this, reducing mould problems, using storage heaters, extra support for those with ill health/over 65 & more…
When: Drop in from 2 pm – 4pm on Friday 3 November for a chat & a biscuitWhere: Possability People, Montague House. Montague Place, Brighton BN2 1JE
For more information, visit https://www.possabilitypeople.org.uk/ or phone 01273 89 40 40
Cycling Without Age Brighton
Cycling without Age are a non-profit global initiative, founded in Copenhagen in 2012. England has a growing number of local chapters, run by volunteers, including Brighton. Volunteer pilots take local elders and care home residents out on ‘trishaw’ cycle rides, using special three-wheel cycles with a passenger cab out front. Rides are comfortable, fun and free!
Cycling Witout Age Brighton have one Trishaw in use, second shortly arriving (fundraising for more) and over 125 volunteers recruited. Care home and elder passenger recommendations welcomed. The service is predominantly run on social media. For more details:Email: [email protected]: http://cyclingwithoutage.co.uk/brighton/
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Type 2 Diabetes Plan Targets Those At High Risk
People with the very highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes are being prioritised for places on NHS lifestyle change programmes.
Updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said this would cover 1.7m people in England. The programmes help people to change their diet and do more exercise. The guidance reaffirms that all adults over 40 should go and see their GP for a diabetes risk assessment.
Adults with conditions such as obesity, stroke or high blood pressure and high-risk ethnic minority groups are also encouraged to go for an assessment.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41279050
More Support For Disabled Victims and Witnesses Of Crime In Sussex
The Crown Prosecution Service has published an online support guide specifically for disabled victims and witnesses of crime in Sussex.
It comes as CPS South East, which is responsible for prosecutions in Sussex, puts tackling disability hate crime as one of its major priorities. This is because, although the number of disability hate crimes the CPS prosecutes is increasing, fewer cases are referred to the CPS than for other types of hate crimes, such as those motivated by race or religion.
The guide, which the CPS produced with support from organizations that work with disabled people, can be found on the CPS website – versions will also be available in Easy Read, audio and British Sign Language. It explains the types of support available and how people can access it. It aims to remove some of the barriers disabled people can face as victims and witnesses.Visit www.cps.gov.uk for more information, and to download the guide or Download the Guide to support for disabled victims and witnesses of crime
To learn more about how the CPS defines and deals with hate crime, visit http://www.cps.gov.uk/victimswitnesses/hate_crime/index.html#a04
CFS/ME Treatment Guidelines To Be Updated
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced on 20 September that it would be revising the guidelines on the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS.
NICE check their guidelines regularly to ensure they remain up to date. They based the decision on a surveillance review and stakeholder consultation conducted 10 years after the publication of NICE's guideline on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy) (NICE guideline CG53) in 2007.
After considering all the evidence and views of topic experts, NICE decided that a full update with modified scope is necessary for this guideline.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53/resources/surveillance-report-2017-chronic-fatigue-syndromemyalgic-encephalomyelitis-or-encephalopathy-diagnosis-and-management-2007-nice-guideline-cg53-4602203537/chapter/Surveillance-decision
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What’s On in OctoberNew Friends Centre Autumn Community Learning Brochure With over 100 different courses to choose, whether it is picking up a paintbrush for the first time, brushing up on your Spanish, or learning about art history, there really is something for everyone to learn or develop their skills. For more information on our courses and to download the brochure, visit http://www.friendscentre.org/courses-we-offer/ or call 01273 810210.
Writing CompetitionAre you an aspiring writer with experience of single parent family life?
One in four families in England and Wales is headed by a single parent. The ‘One in Four’ new writer competition, run by Gingerbread, Trapeze Books and digital platform The Pool, aims to find a new talent to write a novel celebrating single parent families and challenging the preconceptions they often face. The winner will be awarded a publishing contract and advance of £10,000 as well as three hours of mentoring by bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe.
Writers must submit the first 5,000 words of a novel, a 500-word synopsis plus a few lines about themselves and their experience of single parent family life to [email protected].
The deadline for submissions is 23:59 GMT on 4 December 2017.
For further information, visit https://gingerbread.org.uk/content/2454/One-in-four-new-writer-competition
Your Retirement: Your Choice A free programme from Work and Learning Opportunities for residents in Brighton & Hove who are coming up to retirement or just retired and managing on a state pension/low income.
The programme will be an informal and friendly mix of individual advice, fun activities, inspirational talks and information about what’s going on in Brighton and Hove. We have 40 places starting in October 2017 or February 2018.
When: 10 am to 1 pm for SIX weeks with a choice of two starting dates:Monday 30 October to 4 December 2017 OR Monday 19 February to 26 March 2018
Where: The Lighthouse, Kensington Street Brighton Tel: 07572 077340 Contact: [email protected]: http://www.workandlearning.co.uk/Access: The venue is fully accessible for wheelchair users. The nearest disabled
parking is in Robert Street.
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Black History Month Events
Revealing Brighton & Hove's Hidden Past
A Brighton & Hove Black History Project in conjunction with the University of Brighton's Race and Faith Staff Equality Network Group.
Discover the incredible Black History of Brighton and Hove and the ongoing impact and contribution of Africans and Carribbeans in Sussex with community leader and University of Brighton Honorary Doctorate, Bert Williams MBE.
The talk will be followed by a wine reception and an exhibition of Diversity Lewes' heritage project, Celebrating Africans and Caribbeans in Sussex Past And Present.
Where: University of Brighton, Edward Street, Room 102, Brighton, BN2 0JG When: Fri 20 October, 16:00 – 18:00Cost: FREEVisit: www.black-history.org.uk
www.diversitylewes.org.uk
Access: The venue is wheelchair accessible and the room of the talk is serviced with a lift. If you have any questions about accessibility, contact us on [email protected] / 01273 64 1335.
Black History Month Family Day
This annual celebration of African arts and culture returns, complete with stalls, workshops, children’s activities, delicious food, live music and much more.
When: Sun 15 Oct, 12pm – 5pmWhere: Brighton DomeCost: FreeTel: 01273 700747 Email: [email protected]: https://brightondome.org/event/14953/black_history_month_family_day/
Women’s Monday Well-Being Group
Threshold Women’s Group offers a safe, supportive and welcoming space where you can meet other women and be involved in activities to improve our wellbeing.
When: Mondays, 10.30-12.30Where: 2nd Floor, 27-29 North Street, Brighton, BN1 1EB
If you’re interested in joining the group, please contact Kitty at [email protected] or by calling 01273 929471 for details, including accessibility information.
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Halloween Shriek Week at Drusillas Park
Shriek Week at Drusillas Park has oodles of eerie Halloween events and seasonal surprises to keep your little horrors half term happy! With Spooky Happenings, Mummy Mayhem, and even a visit from our favourite crime solving dog, Scooby-Doo!
Where: Drusillas, Alfriston Road, Alfriston, BN26 5QSWhen: Saturday 21st to Sunday 29th October Tel: 01323 874100Visit: https://www.drusillas.co.uk/halloween-activities-in-east-sussexAccess: https://www.drusillas.co.uk/access-statement
Building Better Bots - Brighton Digital Festival
Bots are linked to this next generation of tech in the way that apps are now synonymous with mobile. There are Bots that use image recognition to help people with disabilities, Bots to diagnose cancer and Bots that can control our homes. They promise a whole new world of possibilities but there are many questions to be answered, such as:
Who is building bots? Who are they designed for? What does this next generation of technology offer disabled people? How can we make sure the reality matches the potential?
Join Robin Christopherson MBE, Head of Digital Inclusion at UK tech charity AbilityNet, developers, UX specialists and disabled people to discuss how we can make sure that the next generation of tech will make the world a better place.
When: Tue 10 October, 18:00 – 21:00 Where: Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, 1A Pelham Street, Brighton, BN1 4FA Cost: £0 – £6Access: All the specialist rooms in Pelham Street are accessible and have
lifts. Some general rooms can only be accessed by stairs. There are accessible toilets. For more details, tel: 01273 667788
Visit:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-better-bots-brighton-digital-festival-tickets-36581585507?aff=es2
International Photography Competition for World Sight Day
World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment, co-ordinated by The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). This year’s call to action is Make Vision Count.
This year, IAPB and Bayer are encouraging amateur and professional photographers from around the world to take part in an International Photography Competition with the theme, Make Vision Count. Send us your pictures with the theme #MakeVisionCount by 12th October: http://photocomp.iapb.org
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Brighton Astro October Meeting
Brighton Astro is a group of cosmic enthusiasts who meet regularly to discuss the universe, exchange knowledge and to gaze at the stars. We are not scientists or scholars, we are ordinary people curious about the wonders of space.
At our next meeting, Dr Lily Asquith will be talking about her work analysing data from the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN. The LHC is one of the world's
largest science projects, and is the very largest particle accelerator. It lists many amazing achievements, one very notable one of course being the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
When: 31 October at 19:00–21:30Where: 68 Middle St, Brighton BN1 1ALCost: Free admissionAccess: 68 Middle St consists of an Auditorium, Meeting
Room and lobby with bar area, all of which is fully wheelchair accessible.
Visit: https://brightonastro.com/
Why Music? The Key to Memory
When: 13 October 2017 - 15 October 2017
'Why Music? The Key to Memory’ is a partnership between BBC Radio 3 and Wellcome Collection to explore music and memory with a special weekend of live broadcasts, concerts and events.
With the help of acclaimed musicians, scientists and experts, ‘Why Music? The Key to Memory’ explores the implications of music’s unique capacity to be remembered, and keep us in the moment, through wide-ranging discussions and live performances.
One-off programs, world premieres and live music from the weekend will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and will also be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards.
On 15 October, Radio 3 will broadcast a one-off six-hour programme to explore living with dementia, featuring the voices of people living with dementia with music in an uninterrupted sequence.
The season will also present the results of new research into dementia. For more details, visit https://wellcomecollection.org/whymusic or check the Radio 3 schedule on https://www.bbc.co.uk/
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Witness ThisFor World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Company Chameleon present their latest outdoor performance, Witness This.
The performance turns the spotlight on mental health in a moving and emotional portrayal of how loved ones cope when mental health problems take hold of someone close. Powerful and deeply personal, this dance piece tells the story of choreographer, Kevin Edward Turner, following his journey and struggle with bipolar.
When: 10 October, two performances at 1pm & 4pm Where: Jubilee Square, BrightonCost: FreeTel: 01273 700747 Email: [email protected]: https://brightondome.org/event/14875/witness_this/
Make and Create CRAFT Hobby Fair
Love knitting, sewing, crochet, quilting, needlework or papercraft? Then head to the Make and Create CRAFT Hobby Fair! Shop for your crafty supplies at over 40 stands. Book a taster session in knitting, sewing or one of the many masterclasses. Collect a FREE goodie bag if you arrive early!
Where: Holiday Inn Brighton (Seafront),137 Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2JF When: Sunday 22nd October from 10am - 4pm.Cost: £3 in advance or £4 on the door.
For more information visit http://www.makeandcreatehobbyfair.com
Active Forever 2017Celebrate keeping active in older age by participating in our Active Forever Event! This popular FREE event offers 10+ tasters in a range of different activities, a healthy lifestyles marketplace, performances and complimentary refreshments. Also includes our city Boccia League Tournament.
When: Tuesday 3 October, 10am – 1pmWhere: King Alfred Leisure Centre, Kingsway, Hove BN3 2WWCost: Free drop in
This event is run by Brighton & Hove City Council Healthy Lifestyles Team as part of the Brighton and Hove Older People’s Festival, which continues until 8 October. For a full list of events and more information, please visit: http://www.opf.org.uk/
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Future GIG Meeting Dates(All below meetings, except for August and December socials, will be held at Friend’s Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF)
December (Date TBC – Christmas social!)
The Get Involved Group Contact Info: Email: [email protected]
Phone/Text: 01273 20 89 34 and 07795 90 41 79
Website: www.getinvolvedgroup.wordpress.com
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