news archive

HALLOWE'EN PARTY PRIZES AND PICTURES

Over 50 children enjoyed the fancy dress halloween party in October. Parents brought food and drink. One mum brought colourful halloween fairy cakes and she has spent a lot of time baking those cakes.

Have a look at the photos of the day and the fancy dress prize winners.

FILM CLUB 2008

The Film Club started in September 2008 and ran for 11 sessions up to Christmas. during the sessions 10 participants aged from 8 to 15 years learnt how to shoot using hand held camcorders, about lighting and editing. They enjoyed doing chroma-key (green screen used for special effects), shooting the Halloween Story make up for the filming and animations. They liked animations best as it was very much hands-on experience. Just before Christmas break, they had 2 Showcases to show thier film work.

Have a look at the photos of the day.

Thorpe Park Trip 2008

43 of us went on coach trip to Thorpe Park organised by the Family Centre on a sunny July day. Many children and parents had a great time on rides. Our group of Deaf teens met another group from London and made some new friends.

Have a look at some photos of the day.

Family Day at Woodhouse Park June 2008

On Sunday 8th June more than 30 children and adults took part in various activities on offer at Woodhouse Park, Almondsbury which included archery and abseiling. Whilst the children were having fun, some of the parents took the opportunity to meet with Mick Canavan, chair of the management committee, to discuss what services they would like to see the Family Centre provide for their families in the future.

Have a look at some photos of the day.

WHAT’S COMING UP …

Family Outing to Slimbridge Wetland Centre
Family Weekend.

Watch this space for details!

Little Hands Toddler Group

This Deaf-friendly toddler group runs every Tuesday afternoon during term-time, from 1 – 3pm at Hop, Skip and Jump Centre, Grimsbury Road, Kingswood, Bristol. The cost is £1.50 per session, which includes use of the soft play, sensory rooms, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor play areas. Hearing parents with Deaf children and siblings, and Deaf parents with children, are all welcome (Signers and non-signers – any level of hearing loss). For further information, contact Louise Jones tel 0117 908 7885 or email lousmart@hotmail.co.uk.

MARTIN BEECH BURSARY FUND

Are you aged between 11 and 25 years, and deaf or hard of hearing? Would you like to do something exciting or different, maybe outdoor activities, learning a new sport, making a film, or doing some extra special voluntary work (maybe even abroad?) The Martin Beech Bursary Fund was set up to offer help with anything which will help you build up your experience. For further information, contact South Gloucestershire Deaf Association on enquiries@sgda.co.uk or go to their website on: www.sgda.co.uk.

FREE OFF-PEAK BUS TRAVEL

Severely or profoundly deaf children are eligible for free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England. Also, companions who travel with deaf children get on free but they have to be adults or children aged 11 years upwards. Deaf children who live in Bristol can travel free in Bristol, South Glos, North Somerset and BANES between 9am to 4am from Mondays to Fridays and any time during weekends and Bank holidays. An application form for a travel card can be downloaded from www.bristol.gov.uk/buspass After sending the completed form off, there will be about 6 to 8 weeks wait before you get a travel card.

Parents of Deaf children who live in South Glos, North Somerset and BANES should download the application form from their local council website.

BSL SIGNED EVENTS – LONDON SCIENCE MUSEUM

The London Science Museum recognises the importance of families learning together and is now offering two BSL signed events on the first Saturday of every month for the Deaf and hard of hearing and their families and friends. These events are free and do not require booking.

For further information please visit the website:
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/events/bsl_signed_events.aspx.

HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR FAMILY CENTRE (DEAF CHILDREN)!

Family Centre (Deaf Children) may be able to receive a share of £1000 which has kindly been donated by Waitrose at Westbury Park, Bristol.

Shoppers are invited to complete a form to nominate a worthy cause. Each month visitors to the store are given green tokens to put in a collection box and £1,000 is then divided between 3 worthy causes in line with the percentage of tokens received. If we are successful we will get a mention and a brief description of our work displayed.

If you are in the area soon, why not pop into Waitrose and fill out a form to help us raise some much needed funds?

FAMILY FUND

The Family Fund gives grants which relate to the additional needs of a disabled child for costs such as the following:
Washing machine

• Driving lessons
• Computers
• Family holidays
• Hospital visiting costs
• Trampolines
• Specialist toys

Eligibility criteria

If you live in England, you can apply if you can say YES to all the following:

- You are the parent or carer of a severely disabled child aged 16 or under
- Your household's earned income before tax, excluding overtime, is less  than £23,000 per year  OR your income is entirely from benefits
- You have less than £18,000 in savings
- You have permanent residency in the UK and have lived in the UK for 6 months For further information please visit www.familyfund.org.uk or email info@familyfund.org.uk.

STATEMENTING WORRIES?

If you would like some support and advice from parents who have been through the statementing process with Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council, please contact the Family Centre’s Yate Office and we will pass your details on.

Wanted – Communication Support Workers Required. Minimum BSL Level 2 required, previous experience of working with children preferred. Work available in B&NES, Bristol and South Glos. Please contact Jean for more information.

Wanted – Volunteers!! Please contact Jean in the office if you are able to help with communication support for Deaf children, minimum BSL Stage 2 required. Also volunteers for administration support and fund-raising required. All help gratefully received!

Grants Available!! We have a limited budget available to support parents/legal guardians wishing to take their Level 2 BSL. This is only available for families living in the old Avon area, there are two rounds of applications and the closing dates are 31st August and 31st December. Please contact the office for more information.

Easyfundraising

Raise funds for the Family Centre when you shop on line: easyfundraising is a fantastic new website where you can raise funds for the Family Centre (Deaf Children) simply by shopping online. All you have to do is use the links provided on the easyfundraising website to shop with your favourite retailers including Amazon, Next, John Lewis, HMV, M&S, Vodaphone and many more. There is NO extra cost to you ‘the shopper’ and on every purchase made the Family Centre could receive up to 15% of the purchase price. Why not take a look at www.easyfundraising.org.uk – don’t forget to register your cause Family Centre (Deaf Children) completely free before making your purchase.

100 Club

This monthly draw is open to anyone who wishes to join it cost £2 per month with half going back in prizes each month and half going towards Family centre activities & events.  Contact Family Centre Office to find out how you could be a winner!

September Winners: 

October Winners: 

November Winners: 

December Winners: