centre 404 spring newsletter 2015
DESCRIPTION
Featuring updates from across our housing, family and learning and leisure services.TRANSCRIPT
Centre 404404 Camden RoadIslingtonLondonN7 0SJ020 7607 8762
www.centre404.org.uk For people with learning disabilities and their families
Registered charity no. 299889
Spring Newsletterp.1
• Linda McEnhill Award
p.2
• Dignity Action
• Housing Feedback
p.3
• Dogs Trust Visit
• Volunteering at Friday Night Social
p.4
• Playschemes
• New staff
Produced by
Centre 404
404 Camden Road
Islington
London
N7 0SJ
020 7697 1325
Centre 404 newsletter Spring 2015
Linda McEnhill Award Winners
Centre 404’s housing service has won a joint award from a national organisation that recognises outstanding end of life care. They share The Linda McEnhill Award with Islington EliPSe, Camden Palliative Care Team and the Willson Family.
Given by the National Palliative Care for People with Learning Disabilities Network, The Linda McEnhill award is given out once a year. It goes to groups or individuals whose work with people with a learning disability at the end of their life has been outstanding.
Jean Willson nominated her daughter’s team for the award after they worked together to support Victoria with so much love and care: “Her family look back now with peace and pride in being part of the team that enabled Victoria to live happily and die majestically.”
Victoria’s team won The Linda McEnhill Award 2014 against stiff competition. As Jean Willson, also part of the award-winning team said:
Award winners: (l-r) Caitlin, from Centre 404’s housing team, Jean, and Cat from ELiPSe
“It is a great accolade for all the splendid work the team did”
In November 2015, the joint team will present their work at the PCPLD’s AGM in London.
To read Victoria’s full story, visit www.pcpld.org/real-life-stories.
What do tenants think of Centre 404?
These are the changes we plan to make:
People like the staff at Centre 404, especially and find them friendly
• An updated accessible version of our data protection policy will be made available to tenants.
• There will be more updates on staff changes and more opportunities for families to be involved in the recruitment of staff.
• Staff, service users, families and the housing committee will meet to discuss how to plan more holidays and more social activities in the evening.
• More inter-house and evening activities will be advertised
Every year we ask people who use the Centre 404 housing service to give us feedback. Below are some comments, and some actions to make sure that our service is continually improving.
The leisure activities like swimming, and daily living activities like cooking, are
very popularPeople are very happy
with their support and can do the things they choose
Dignity Action
The beginning of February signalled the start of Dignity Action Week and at Centre 404 we celebrated across our housing and support services.
We held a dignity drop-in where staff and service users could come and talk about what dignity means to them. We also had a poetry reading and an art competition for dignity-inspired art works, with one housing project creating one large artwork from individual handprints (right). Dora Clinton won the award for best art work, and her pictures will be framed
and put up in the housing office to keep us all inspired.
At another project we had a dignity coffee morning, and to really mark the event, the Mayoress of Islington came along to spend time with people and talk about their lives and support. A great afternoon!
Dignity events continued throughout February and any feedback from service users and staff will be incorporated to make sure we are keeping dignity at the forefront of our practice.
If you have any thoughts about dignity please contact Claire Curtis, Supported Housing
Manager and Dignity Champion.
[email protected] 020 7697 1327
Everyone said they or their loved one likes
where they live and the people they live with
Volunteering at the Friday Night Social
(l-r) June and Heather
Last term Centre 404 made some new friends; can you guess who they are? I’ll give you a hint! There are 3 of them, but together they have 8 legs…That’s right - it was a visit from the Dogs Trust!
Dog handlers Ruth and Kelly brought in Fudge, their 4-legged friend. As part of the continued work in developing the social skills of our Juniors group (8-12 year olds), Centre 404 and the Dogs Trust partnered up to deliver a session on proper behaviour around dogs, what to do if you’re frightened and how to approach a strange dog.
After the session the children discussed and wrote down what they had learned. Most of the comments were “I love Fudge”! For more information on the Dogs Trust visit
www.dogstrust.org.uk
Dogs Trust visit Juniors Club
By Charles Wright, social media volunteer
Heather and June are two volunteers at our Friday Night Social - an evening of great tunes and big baselines specifically for adults with learning disabilities. Here, they talk about what it’s like to volunteer, and why the Friday Social is the place to end the week!
What do you do as a volunteer?
J: There’s a lot of different stock we sell at the social. At the end you have to count it. We sell coca-cola, ginger beer, chocolate – you name it, we got it.
H: Service with a smile! June is really good at counting the money and stock. I’m just there to support what’s already a really good job. My main job is teas for June!
J: Anjeli [another volunteer] makes a good tea too!
Why do you volunteer?
H: I volunteer with Centre 404 because it’s a great organisation and we have a great time! Everybody is so lovely it would be
hard not to make friends.
J: I volunteer because I like helping other people, and it’s a laugh!
What’s the best thing about the Friday Social?
J: Making friends, talking to the members and staff, catching up with the latest gossip...
H: Anything that gets us dancing in the kitchen! June is very community-minded, she does loads of stuff.
J: Wherever you need me – I’m there!
H: Yes so the social is great for you June, all the things you like – talking, dancing, and helping people!
The Friday Social runs every week during term time, from 7 - 9pm. Entrance £2.50. For more
information call Ross on 020 7697 1324 or email [email protected].
To find out about volunteering, call Lizzie on 020 7697 1335 or [email protected]
Festive Fun at 404
New Staff
It’s nearly Easter, but we wanted to take a quick look back to a colder season, and Centre 404’s unique holiday provision for children...
Christmas time in London is a special time of year; the decorations are out, the streets are glowing with fairy lights and Christmas carols are playing in the supermarkets. It can also be a very stressful time for many families; kids are home from school and need to be entertained, there is Christmas shopping to be done, food to be prepared and family to see.
Centre 404’s Learning and Leisure team were able to help some families by taking their children out for two days of fun, and some screams. On day one we visited the London Dungeon for a taste of some of London’s most horrible histories. The next day we held a full-on Christmas Party at Centre 404, complete with arts and crafts, a Christmas lunch and a movie.
“I would give the trip an infinity and beyond rating” Charlotte Hill, 13
Being able to offer these sessions to families and young people benefits both parties by helping get the young people out of the house and mixing with friends and allows the parents a chance to get those last minute things done. It was a very merry Christmas for all!
“It enabled me to complete the preparation for Christmas without having to take Charly into environments which she finds hard, which lowered my stress and hers and made for a more relaxed and successful Christmas” Marianne Hill, Charlotte’s Mum
For information on
the Easter holiday
playscheme, contact Ross
on 0207 607 8762/
Ola Zawadzka
Resources and Facilities Coordinator
Beatriz de la Rosa Molina
Supporting Parents
Administrator
Helen Standing
Deputy Housing Manager
Duncan Powell
Day Service Coordinator
Lydia Wong
Family Support Worker - EHCP
advice
Hats on for Day Two!