SURREY ASBAH NEWS OCTOBER 2011
Welcome to the latest ASBAH Newsletter. We hope it finds you well and that you all had a good summer.
News
Many of you would have already heard about the decision ASBAH members came to at an Extraordinary General Meeting on May 12th to change the name of the charity.
ASBAH’s new name “SHINE” will be the words Spina bifida, Hydrocephalus, followed by three key words that represent what members have said is most important to them – Information, Networking and Equality. Together these words make the acronym SHINE. On the 20th October, ASBAH became Shine.
Shine : Information helping members and others understand and manage their
conditions
Networking building a strong community of people who share similar life
experiences
Equality working towards a better deal for those with spina bifida/
hydrocephalus
Surrey ASBAH now has a choice as to whether to continue to use ASBAH or to change our name to include Shine. The committee had a brief discussion at their last meeting and thought that we should change to Shine to be in line with national. We favoured ‘Shine Surrey’ but it is not just up to us! We would like to hear your views – should we stay as Surrey ASBAH or change to Shine Surrey, Surrey Shine or something else?
For more information, please click here.
Return to the top
Forthcoming Events
Surrey ASBAH’s Annual General Meeting and Meal
Our AGM and meal will take place on Sunday 25th March 2012.
Panto!!
It’s panto time again and we would like to invite you to join Cinderella, her best friend Buttons, the hilarious Ugly Sisters and an enchanting Fairy Godmother for a fantastic festive family experience. The pantomime is at the Epsom Playhouse which has been a successful venue in previous years and is fully wheelchair accessible.
The date is Saturday 7th January 2012. The performance starts at 3pm but we will meet for a drink first.
There is easy access from Ashley Centre Car Park. The entrance to the theatre is at street level. There are disabled toilet facilities adjacent to the foyer in the theatre.
A full price ticket costs £17.50, but Surrey ASBAH will subsidise this event and tickets will cost only £7 each.
The children had a wonderful time last year – and the adults were thoroughly entertained too!
Boat Trip
With the good weather we had been having, we were looking forward to a very pleasant afternoon on the canal on 17th September. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was to find that one of the boat's engines wasn't working which would have meant us being unable to steer, so the trip had to be cancelled. Some of us commiserated with a cup of coffee and enjoyable chat while a younger member went round the National Trust trail, so all was not lost. As it turned out, had we gone, we would have been drenched as the heavens opened about halfway through the afternoon! (Every cloud....)
A new date has been booked for the afternoon (1.30 - 4.30) of Saturday 22nd October and for various reasons there are a few places available. (In case you are concerned about the cold, the boat has central heating and last year they went out during the snow! Not that we are anticipating any white stuff.)"
Bowel and Bladder Coffee Morning on 4th November
There will be a coffee morning in Kingston-Upon-Thames on Friday 4th November to discuss Bowel and Bladder issues for children with Spina Bifida. Gill Yaz from ASBAH will be speaking, giving you an opportunity to hear about relevant urological concerns as well your chance to ask any questions that may relate to you or your family member. We will also have Angela Bailey (our local ASBAH adviser) there for on-hand advice and support. There has been a lot of interest in this event so it will also be a great social opportunity to get to know others in similar circumstances.
London Social Group
After a successful trip to the O2 recently, the following trips have now been organised:
• Sunday 23rd October - Christmas shopping at Westfield Shopping Centre (Stratford)
• Sunday 6th November – Bowling (location to be confirmed)
• Sunday 11th December - Christmas Meal at Frankie & Benny's, The O2 complex.
The social group in London is for over 18’s. They are an active, friendly and diverse group who welcome all newcomers.
If you are interested in getting involved please contact Hilary Franklin: Email: hilaryf@asbah.org or Telephone: 0208 449 0475
Fundraising
Prize Draw
You may remember that earlier this year we asked if you would help support our fundraising efforts by buying tickets for our 2011 prize draw. The draw took place at our summer picnic on 26th June and we are delighted to announce that we have raised over £1,300, which is a great result. We would like to thank everyone who bought raffle tickets and particularly if you managed to sell some to friends, colleagues and family as well! A thank you must also go to those people who sent donations in lieu of buying tickets.
The full list of prizes and prizewinners is as follows:
Digital Photo Frame Jonathan Smith
DVD Player Sandra Cole
DVD – Spellbound Liz Howard
DVD – Hammond meets Moss Justin Newton
Denbies Wine Tour x 2 Chris Tollast
Family ticket for Godstone Farm Alan Robertson
£10 Tesco voucher Brian Killick
£10 Amazon voucher Rom Sanglaji
£10 John Lewis voucher Fraser Sloan
Bottle of Apricot Brandy S Evans
Bottle of Pimms Liz Tadd
White & red wine box Hrushi Punjani
White & red wine box John Cassettari
Thorntons chocolates Heather Walker
Box of Haribo sweets Jim Swanson
Ferrero Rocher Adam Clark
Waterman pen D Earley
Silver necklace Sheila Glass
Gold necklace Sandria Lewindon
Silver earrings Bob Rickard
Tin of Roses Ann (Barclays)
Stunning homemade greeting cards were also on sale during the picnic and were extremely popular, raising £40 for Surrey ASBAH, Thanks to Linda Corbett for her creative skiils and efforts on the day.
Recent Events
Summer Picnic
Surrey ASBAH struck gold again with the weather this year, and our summer picnic turned out to be fabulous sunny day out. It was great to see everyone who came along and we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
The heat didn’t slow down Benny Bear, who had so much fun he even wrote about his day with us in his national online blog! The children really enjoyed meeting and playing games with him.
As well as playing with Benny Bear, the children also took part in our annual “disc hunt” to try to win a prize. There were cricket games and lots of activity on the zip-wire. The adults were able to relax and socialise in the safe and beautiful gardens and enjoy a picnic. As mentioned earlier, Surrey ASBAH’s annual prize draw took place and there was also lots of interest in the homemade cards Linda Corbett sold on the day.
CHARITY STOMPERS DAZZLE WITH AN EVENING OF JAZZ
Surrey ASBAH would like to thank The Charity Stompers for putting on a thoroughly enjoyable Jazz Evening at the Lower Kingswood Hall on the 2nd July. I’m pleased to report that the evening made almost £200 profit for Surrey ASBAH.
The experienced Jazz outfit, led by Brian Gibbs, played a string of classics and were extremely well received by the audience of locals, ASBAH members and friends. If you missed out on this amazing evening, watch this space; there is a possibility of a return of The Charity Stompers in 2012.
What would you like to do?
Here at Surrey ASBAH, we are always evaluating what we do, and looking at new ways of improving the service. If you have requests, queries or suggestions, please contact any committee member. It is important to us that we are doing everything we can for our community.
Parents of young children
The Regional Office has received requests from some parents of young children to arrange some social get togethers for parents of young children across London and Surrey. If you would be interested in being part of such a group, please contact Hilary Franklin in our office - either by telephone 0208 449 0475 or by e-mail to hilaryf@asbah.org.
Information*
*The information provided here is given in good faith, in the hope it will be helpful. Nothing found here has necessarily been reviewed by us and we therefore cannot guarantee the validity of the information.
2012 Paralympic Games - latest
Demand was high for tickets for the 2012 Paralympic Games when they went on sale on the 9th September. Applications for tickets have now closed. If you applied for tickets between 9th September 2011 and 26th September 2011 your application will be processed. If you are successful, payment will be taken by 31st October 2011. You will be contacted during this process and you will receive a final notification by 18th November 2011. Please note: Where demand exceeds supply a random and automated selection process (‘ballot’) will be used.
For more information see www.tickets.london2012.com/schedule.html
Free cinema tickets for person accompanying disabled person
The Cinema Exhibitors' Association Card is a national card that can be used to verify that the holder is entitled to one free ticket for a person accompanying them to the cinema. The card is valid for 1 year from the date of issue.
To apply for the card you will need submit proof to show that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
a) Be in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance.
b) Be a registered blind person.
You will also need to supply a passport-sized photo with your application to appear on the card.
A processing fee of £5.50 is chargeable per card. You can download an application form to print out and fill in by using the following link:
http://www.ceacard.co.uk/
Linda’s Line
I don’t know if you’re the same but when I get my regular prescriptions, I usually take out the piece of paper which contains all the guff from the manufacturer and throw it away. Then, every so often, I get seized with the urge to read the literature in case it has changed and I am now doing it all wrong. It was for this reason that I was reading the instructions that came with my Seretide inhaler the other morning, and noticed that it said “Do not stop talking unless your doctor tells you to”. Talking is one of the things that I am particularly good at but all the same, it seemed an odd thing to put on the packaging. To satisfy my curiosity, I read it again and this time I realised that it actually said, “Do not stop taking unless your doctor tells you to” which made a whole lot more sense. I think this means it is time for my bi-annual eye test.
On the subject of things looking fuzzy, have you noticed how something that looks like a spider on the floor often turns out to be a bit of fluff, but when you think it is just a bit of fluff on the carpet it is usually a spider? The other day I thought I spotted a leaf on the doormat and it turned out to be a huge spider. At the moment, we are seeing a big increase in creepy crawlies and I think it has something to do with the change in the weather. More alarmingly, there is a particularly large arachnid which has taken up residence under the shower unit and makes random appearances, usually when someone is using the loo. In the interests of safety I have decided it would be prudent to practice my pelvic floor exercises in case the spider makes an unscheduled appearance and I have to make an emergency stop. At least the Chelsea & Westminster clinic will be impressed that I have been doing some exercise.
You know things have got really bad when you start dragging people in off the street to help. The other day I invited the postman in - obviously not what he was expecting as he wrestled Andrew’s car magazine through the letterbox - but he looked slightly less alarmed when I mentioned it was only to deal with yet another spider, this time in the porch. This one was enormous and waved its legs menacingly whenever I went out of the front door. I even offered the postman the use Andrew’s magazine as a swatter but he was happy to scoop up the leg-waving thing with his hands and take it outside. Andrew said afterwards that it was probably only waving because it was already dead and was blowing around in a draft but I wasn’t taking any chances.
You know what? I have completely gone off autumn already – roll on Christmas!
Contact details
Email: asbah@surreyasbah.org.uk
For advice please contact:
Mrs Angela Bailey – Telephone 01293 775775. Angela’s working days are Tuesday/ Wednesday. Please leave a message on the answering machine if Angela is not available.
Email: angelab@asbah.org
Mrs Diane Morgan - London Boroughs of Merton, Sutton and Croydon. Please contact
her on 020 8659 3060. Diane works Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 9am-3pm. Email: dianem@asbah.org
Mrs Jo Francis – Manager, ASBAH London and South Office on 020 8449 0475.
Email: jof@asbah.org
Hilary Franklin - London Social Group – Telephone 020 8449 0475 Email: hilaryf@asbah.org
Your committee members are:
Chair: Mrs Liz Tadd
Treasurer: Mr Jim Stoner
Secretary: Mr Simon Marsh
Other committee members:
Mrs Linda Corbett
Mrs Sarah Kelemen
Mrs Sarah Smith
Mr James Tadd
Mr Andrew Tadd
Please feel free to contact us if you would like help or advice, information about activities or fundraising or if you have some good ideas to pass on.
- Surrey ASBAH
- c/o ASBAH LSRO
- 209 Crescent Rd
- New Barnet
- Herts EN4 8SB
01293 775 775
Email Us