A big thank you to Jon Carter, who ran the Bath Half Marathon last weekend (Sunday 6th March), and to his friends and family who sponsored him. Jon chose to support Holiday Club funds which we very much appreciate.
Sponsors can donate in various ways, both online and offline, to Jon or direct to Holiday Club. We have made a dedicated Paypal button to make it easier to add your online sponsor donation to Jon’s total – you don’t need a Paypal account to use it!
Many Holiday Club members and their families will be affected by the proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance.
You may not be aware that there is currently a public consultation on the changes, which began on 6th December and ends on 14th February – less than one month.
Find out more and take part in the DWP consultation
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml
Bendygirl writing in the Guardian gives a disabled person’s viewpoint.
Read more from those who will be affected and make your own contribution on a blog by the ‘Broken of Britain’ team, One Month Before Heartbreak.
This year we are pleased to be offering an email Christmas greeting option to all of our supporters. Everygreeting Christmas Cards are an easy and fun way to send a little extra cheer to friends and family, while making the holidays a little bit brighter for us, too.
For as little as £5, you can send 50 or more email greetings, knowing that every greeting you send will be helping support us and our important mission.
Learn more about Everygreeting Christmas Cards
http://www.everygreeting.com?cid=224407&cn=NORTH WILTS HOLIDAY CLUB
This could be particularly useful this year, with the snow leading to postal delays!
Earlier this year there was publicity about new funds that would be available under the ‘Aiming High’ programme for local authorities to provide short breaks and activities for children with special needs, to include all school holidays including half terms, as well as evenings and weekends.
There has been less publicity about how to access the funds, and several parents have had difficulty finding the information. We have done some detective work and tracked down the form; many members will be eligible but you must act now to avoid missing out on your full entitlement.
Every child aged 4-17 at a special school, or in mainstream with a statement and 25 hours support are entitled to £600 to pay for holiday activities. There are some alternatives – you may be able to choose activities instead of funding depending on where you live in Wiltshire and the age, interests & support needs of your child. Younger children are also able to benefit from this funding, and the form includes information for those who do not meet the access criteria.
If you do not meet the access criteria, appeals can be made using CAF.
The form is very easy to complete, but must be completed before September. However, you can still apply for £200 if you miss the end of August deadline.
The form can be downloaded from http://www.wiltshirepathways.org/UploadedFiles/Local_OfferA5-6pp-web2.pdf
Or, contact Katie Hunter, Aiming High for Disabled Children, Wiltshire Council, Trowbridge 01225 718095
Last year we were asked for a considerable amount of monitoring information to feed into this programme, so that the level of need could be assessed and activities planned accordingly. We are aware of a very high level of need for more provision but if statutory services do not receive applications they may not get a full picture.
Please apply for this funding if your child is eligible, and make sure that others are aware of it.
The information below is from the Aiming High application form
All of the work under the ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’ short breaks transformation programme in Wiltshire is carried out in partnership with the ‘Wiltshire Parent Carer Council’. This is a parent-led organisation that promotes the voice of parents and carers of disabled children by listening to your views about the services we provide. This feedback actively influences the way in which services are designed and delivered in Wiltshire.
If you would like to contribute to shaping the services provided, or to find out more about ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’ and short break services in Wiltshire please contact:
Wiltshire Parent Carer Council
The PACT Centre, 16 High Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5AQ
Tel: 01672-569300
Email: admin@wiltspcc.co.uk
Website: www.wiltshireparentcarercouncil.co.uk
You can also contact, ask, the families information service, which provides information on various services available in your community:
ask
Elmsgate, Edington Road, Steeple Ashton, BA14 6HP.
Tel: 01380 871200 Local Helpline: 08457 585072
Email: info@askwiltshire.org www.askwiltshire.org
The Community Foundation have grants programme that fund individuals to support their learning needs. Applicants must be 0-20, and require additional support due to long term health needs or a disability and live or be educated within Wiltshire or Swindon county council boundaries.
See http://www.wscf.org.uk/grants-communityfoundationgrant-thegreenacresfund.asp
Or ring Heidi York 01380 729284 for more info
How far would you go to help Holiday Club?
Steve Gill, whose niece has been a holiday club member for several years, will be cycling from Lands End to John O’ Groats to raise funds to support our activities. He plans to set off on 1st August, and to complete the journey over 3 weeks. He will be accompanied by three friends and describes the project as ‘an effort to satisfy our respective mid-life crises’, as well as a chance to support their favourite charities.
Steve has set up a fund raising page on Everyclick , http://www.everyclick.com/steves-lejog-bike-ride. You can share Steve’s Everyclick sponsor page by email or post it on your Facebook profile, LinkedIn and other networks using the share buttons on the page.
He has also started a blog at http://steveslejogblog.wordpress.com/
Please encourage your friends, colleagues and employers to support the sponsored ride.
Holiday Club spends around 95% of income directly on our charitable activities – all fund raising and charity administration is done by volunteers, so overheads are kept to a minimum.
It’s easy to set up a fund raising page on Everyclick – maybe you could challenge yourself and support our activities too?
Don’t forget, supporting us with Everyclick does not have to involve any effort – just using the Everyclick search page whenever you search the web helps our fundraising. It is powered by the Yahoo service and includes shopping, image search and more.