correspondance details november 2014 -...
TRANSCRIPT
CORRESPONDANCE DETAILS
ESCAPE Support Group
3 Discovery House 01823 256841
Cook Way, Bindon Road 07982712608
Taunton
TA2 6BJ
www.escapesupportgroup.com
www.facebook.com/escapesupportgroup
@escapesg
ESCAPE Office Opening Times
As a general rule the office is manned Monday to Thursday from 9.15am-
1pm. If you call after these times then leave a message and we will always
get back to you as soon as possible.
VISITORS - Visitors are welcome at any time, but due to circumstances
beyond our control there may be days where the office is un-manned. If you
want to check before making a special journey, do give us a call first.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - The office isn’t manned as normal during school
holidays. If you need to get hold of us during these times the best way is via
email. Alternatively call the mobile number above. If the mobile isn’t
answered leave a message and we will get back to you.
November 2014
Issue no. 54
Encouraging Special Children ** Supporting Families ** Unlocking Potential
www.escapesupportgroup.com
Registered Charity No. 1081446
A Short break* in this holiday accommodation has kindly been
donated as a prize in our Christmas Raffle. Massive thanks to
Julia, the owner of this holiday home.
*Subject to Availability and outside of school holiday periods.
FAMILY SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Cathy Mercer
Email - [email protected]
FAMILY LIAISON & SUPPORT OFFICER
Abbey Peebles
Email - [email protected]
UNDER 12’S PROJECT OFFICER
Sara Farr
ADMIN ASSISANT
Angela Farrow
21
Rosemary Cowin
01278 427434
Denise Gilbert
01823 333682
Mandy Lewsey
01460 64817
STAFF
ESCAPE Who’s Who
Chairperson—Tracy Venning
01278 789830
Secretary - David Harvey
01823 661785
Treasurer - Bindi Anstee
01823 338958
Steve Bidgway
07721461798
Vicki Pearson
01823 327419
Bob Collett
01460 221718
Maria Anderson
01460 221718
Renee Bidgway
07500967089
Bonnie Edwards
01278 787559
20
Christmas Raffle
Enclosed with this newsletter are some Raffle tickets for you
to sell to your family and friends. If you would like more
just let us know.
Tickets are £1 each and the raffle will be drawn during our
Christmas Lunch on Monday 15th December
We have secured some great prizes which include;-
A super family short break holiday to Newquay, in a 9 berth
fully accessible holiday home on the Atlantic Reach resort.
Please see the advert opposite for full details.
Tickets to Ascot Races
A Christmas Hamper
A Wine Hamper
Meal for 2 including wine at The Farmers Arms, West Hatch
Afternoon tea at The Mount Somerset
Massage at Buff, Taunton
Days out tickets
Plus lots more
Over 12’s *
Christmas Bowl
Thursday 18th December
6.45pm for a 7pm start
1 Game of Bowling followed by
A Meal and a Mocktail.
(Parent or Carer must stay)
Please reply by 9th December
*See notes overleaf
Under 16’s*
Christmas Party
Please reply by 18th December
*See notes overleaf
Tuesday 30th December
2pm-4pm
Comeytrowe Community
Centre, Taunton, TA1 4TY
Disco, Food
& Maybe a Special guest!
(Parents or carers
should stay and join in
with the fun too)
Christmas Celebrations - Party or Bowling?
We have given you details of our two FREE Christmas Parties
for your youngsters.
As in previous years we are holding a Bowling Party for
our older children and a Traditional Disco Party for the younger
ones. Anyone upto the age of 16 are welcome to our Disco
Party and anyone age 12 and over are welcome to come Bowl-
ing. There is an overlap, but I must stress for those children in
the overlap, you can only choose one, Bowling or Party
The choice must be based on the requirements of your
special needs child, younger or older siblings are welcome to
either choice regardless of their age.
We hope these guidelines will ensure that there is some-
thing suitable for everyone regardless of their age or need.
Once again we are to congratulate Hannah Taunton,
Hannah is our resident Runner and at the
recent Taunton 10K Hannah managed to
smash her personal best by 4 minutes,
coming in at 40m28s. Gill Taunton also
took part in the run, and also broke her
personal best by 10s, coming in in just over
an hour.
Congratulations to you both
More Super Fun PGL Photo’s
Spotlight on New Committee Cont./
made us feel NORMAL, often outside the group we felt
very different especially as we live in a small rural com-
munity. I work part time at our village primary school
as well as play music and breed poultry on our small-
holding, so life’s very busy. I decided to join the com-
mittee as I felt I needed to give something back to this wonderful
charity.
BONNIE EDWARDS - Hi, my name is Bonnie and my
son is 10yr old Harrison, we are the Edwards family
along with my husband Ryan and 9 yr old Elliot.
We joined ESCAPE approximately 5 years ago as we
wanted to be part of a group with a wide range of lovely families all
in the same boat as us! We love going on ESCAPE trips as like the ti-
tle of our wonderful support group we can ‘Escape’ the realities of
life for a day or two. I became a member of the committee as I want
to give something back to the group.
BILL LEWSEY and LYNDA EDEMENSON are also on the committee as
co-opted members.
Another Thank you to Kas and Dave Drewett, they
both worked so hard to organise their Family Fun
Afternoon. Everyone who attended had a
wonderful time and a fantastic £430 profit was
raised which has been split between ESCAPE and
the national Autistic Society. Thank you to
everyone who attended along with grateful thanks
to Kas and Dave.
Reminders and Catch up
Matalan Collecting and Raffle Ticket Selling - 29th & 30th Nov
We could do with some more help during these two days. We only
ask that you offer an hour of your time, children are very welcome
to come along as well, in fact we positively encourage your
youngsters to come, because they are what our charity is all about,
and the public need to see this. Another opportunity to offer your
time is on the reply form. THANK YOU
Christmas Bingo—Saturday 22nd November
Comeytrowe Community hall, Taunton, 6.8pm - Everyone welcome
including families and friends. Bingo books just £1 each, with a
raffle and light refreshments offered. All proceeds to ESCAPE.
Salisbury Christmas Markets - Saturday 6th December
The Closing date for this trip has gone but there are a few empty
seats on our coach, if you would still like to come. Call the office
before replying to make sure there is still space. The trip is £6 each
and coaches will leave Wellington, The Skylark at 8am, Bridgwater
Bus Station at 8.30am and The Taunton Football Ground at 9am.
Expect the journey to take around 2 hrs, getting to Salisbury at
11am. We will leave again at 6pm (weather dependant)
Peter Pan @ West Playhouse - Sunday 21st December
For those of you who have booked, coaches will leave Wellington,
The Skylark at 11am, Taunton Football club at 11.30am and Bridg-
water Bus Station at 12noon, to ensure that we make it in plenty of
time for the 1.30pm start. The panto usually lasts 2-2 1/2 hrs so
expect to return home around 5.30pm
Rebecca & Co
Christmas
Coffee Mornings
Bev and Rebecca are kindly holding two ‘pop in’ coffee
mornings
Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 20th November
Drop in any time from 10am onwards for coffee and cake
Rebecca and her team hand make a beautiful array of
Christmas Decorations and Cards, and all will be available
to purchase at extremely reasonable prices.
All proceeds to ESCAPE
SWIMMING @ ST JAMES STREET, LARGE POOL
Only 50p per person.
HOLIDAY SWIMS: Wednesday 29th October 12.30pm-1.30pm.
AFTER SCHOOL SWIMS: Resume on Wednesday 05th November and con-
tinue each Wednesday during term time, 4.00pm-5.00pm. These sessions
take a break in the run up to Christmas with the final session of 2014
being on 26th Nov.
SUNDAY SWIMMING: Last Sunday of every month with dates coming up
being 30th November. 2.00-3.00pm - There is no session in December.
Numbers have been low for these sessions in recent months, so we will
be looking at the viability of continuing them in 2015. If you have an-
ything to input regarding this please let us know.
DENISE GILBERT - I along with my two sons have been
very fortunate to be part of the ESCAPE family for over
fourteen years. However my sons are children no more,
but the thought of not being involved with all the great
things Escape does was not something I wanted to con-
template. Being part of the committee for me, was the
obvious way I can stay involved and try and give something back to
this great charity.
MANDY LEWSEY - I was looking for something to help
my son Jack, with social skills, when I came across a
poster at Musgrove. That was over 2 years ago and
ESCAPE has helped Jack so much. Jack is 12, he is
autistic and struggles in most social situations, it is a
fight to just get him to leave the house. But since joining ESCAPE he
has enjoyed some great outings and experiences along with his 15
year old sister Charlie. So when Cathy did a shout out for new
committee members, I thought it was my time to give something
back.
BOB COLLETT - Hello, my family joined ESCAPE 4 years
ago, since then the group has given us so many
opportunities and experience and enable our son to feel
he is part of something. Because of this I felt I needed to
give something back, I am a smallholder and musician and
hope some of my knowledge can be useful to the activities the group
offers.
MARIA ANDERSON - Hello ESCAPEe’s, since joining ESCAPE 4 years
ago with our now 13 year old son Ehran, we have met some amaz-
ing families who have offered us advice and support, but most of all
Spotlight on……….Our New
Committee Members
TRACY VENNING, Chairperson - Hello, I live in Burnham
on Sea with my husband Neil and two children,
Cameron 18 and Jarod 15. We are new members to
ESCAPE and we are looking forward to meeting other
families who understand the complexity and challenges
that life throws. We had a lovely time over the summer months
attending some of the trips that were on offer and look forward to
more in the near future.
BINDI ANSTEE, Treasurer - I was born and educated in
Wellington and then spent six years in London before
returning to Somerset. Before having a family my back-
ground was inclusive education and within the voluntary
and care sectors. For the last few years I have been studying account-
ancy and now run my own accounting business. I am also a governor
for a local primary school with a particular remit for SEN and Equality.
ROSEMARY COWIN - I am a busy working mum with two
young boys who both have autism. My oldest attends
mainstream school, whereas my younger son has severe
autism and cannot communicate his needs at all. We are
going through the statementing process to get him into
appropriate education. I have joined the committee as I
believe that ESCAPE has a very important role in supporting families
and I hope that I can help to ensure that it continues to cater for all.
Ho Ho Ho, Here we go! Can you believe its THAT time of year again?
It clearly wouldn’t be Christmas without an
Escape Christmas Lunch so come and join us at : The White Willow Pub, Junction 24, North Petherton.
We shall be meeting at 12noon on Monday 15th December for a festive
catch up with friends and enjoy a tasty lunch before the madness begins.
We shall also be drawing our Christmas Raffle so do make sure you have your best ticket picking fingers with you and you have bought your tickets
by then to be in with a chance of winning the goodies. Good Luck!
Home Visits
Just a quick reminder to all of our families, not just our new members, that home visits from Abbey are available on re-quest.
Home visits are for those seeking support and encouragement to join in with our activities or for more detailed information about Escape, how we work and what we do.
Abbey is available for an informal chat, either in the comfort of your own home, or maybe in town for a coffee. Appointments and visits to the office are also welcome, should you feel more at ease.
Visits can be made Monday-Thursday 10:00-15:00. Please call or email the office to book your appointment.
We are very excited to announce a fun afternoon for all FROZEN fans.
Saturday 14th February, 3pm at The Trident Club in Galmington,
Taunton
Sing-a-long
Exact details will follow in our January newsletter, but get the date in
your diaries now.
**********
Fresh from the West End and based
on the smash hit film, we have
tickets reserved to see…..
With leading lady, X Factor winner Alexandra Burke
At Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Monday 22nd June 2015
Tickets will cost £35 each, which includes coach travel
Reserve your seats with a £5 per person deposit.
Leaving times will be sorted much nearer the time but please bear in
mind before booking your tickets, that it is likely we will leave
Taunton/Bridgwater before the end of the school day, therefore this
may cause you childcare issues, so please bear this in mind before
booking.
LOOKING AHEAD Thank you to the following fundraisers who have donated amounts
both big and small to ESCAPE over the past couple of months, they
are;-
Justin Hollebon—Justin a member of ESCAPE, undertook a cycle
challenge taking him through France and Spain, Justin raised
£168.41 for ESCAPE, thank you Justin for thinking of us with this
challenge.
£137.40 has been donated following the now famous Ice Bucket
Challenge with several ESCAPee’s and Friends of ESCAPE taking
part and choosing ESCAPE as their charity to benefit.
Sharon Perryman has taken advantage of another craze and
made and sold loads of Loom bands in ESCAPE colours, Sharon
has raised £60!
Robert Nation has donated £10 and David Harvey has donated
£4.
Linda Fisher spoke at a recent Ladies event and £30 was given
to her to donate to a charity of her choice!
Several ESCAPE families have been collecting their pennies, The
Hayes Family have donated £30.05, the Parsons family £6.99
and the Bidgway Family £5.44. Look how quickly that adds up!!!
Our collection in Matalan at the end of June raised £83.51
A Collecting Pot in Julies Café has generated £32.93
FUNDRAISING THANK YOU’S
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Enormous thanks to those of you who joined our 100 club this year,
unfortunately though there weren’t enough of you to justify running
this scheme for this 12 month period. Therefore the committee
agreed that all current entrants would get put into a hat to win their
share of the 50% profit from the scheme. As a result prizes were
awarded as follows:
1st Prize £50 to Anna & Luke Futcher
2nd Prize £35 to Tracy Venning
3rd Prize £ 30 to Geraldine Parker
4th Prize £20 to Melanie Hedgecock-Reeves
Melanie and Geraldine have subsequently donated the money back
to ESCAPE so thank you again. In total this venture has raised £175.
**********
We also had to take the disappointing decision to cancel our Grease
Sing-A-Long event, this wasn’t supported as we had hoped and it
needed a minimum attendance for the event to be a success.
**********
Unfortunately without your support with our fundraising ventures
we will experience a shortfall in funds which will impact on the
subsidies we are able to offer against trips in the future. Grants are
becoming harder and harder to source and providers expect us to do
our own fair share of fundraising, we cannot do this without your
help. Please support our fundraising ventures as much as you can, or
even do a little yourself, just have a read of the next page to see how
easy it can be.
Fundraising Update
SUMMER 2015 PGL ADVENTURE HOLIDAY
Monday 10th August until Friday 14th August
Decided that a PGL holiday is not your thing? Not sure that your family will enjoy the activities on offer? Please take just a few moments to think again and have a peak at some of the wonderful photo-graphs from our visit in 2010, we had so
much fun together.
If its swinging around the tree tops, whizzing down the Zipwire or hanging off a Trapeze PGL has some-thing for everyone. For those that prefer to keep their feet on the ground we have Quad Biking, Fencing and Mountain Biking or for those that enjoy being on the water how about canoeing and raft building? With a fun-packed programme from dawn ‘til dusk, our holiday will be fantastic for the whole family to share a wide range of activities, no matter how diverse your interests! You don’t need any experience or be super
fit, it’s just about great family fun.
A PGL adventure will nurture and challenge your youngsters; bringing out the best in them. Realising the potential in every individual to reach higher and achieve more. PGL Multi-Activity courses use adventure to build confidence; a sense of achievement; forge stronger relationships; boost self esteem; enable
them to work as part of a team and lastly put a huge smile on their faces.
They’ll return home with renewed belief in their abilities; the confidence to
succeed and a whole bunch of new friends.
So what are you waiting for….Book your places today!
More fun filled photo’s can be found later in the newsletter
9
Not wanting to come to PGL?
We have to ensure that our calendar of activities are suiting the
majority of our membership. Numbers at the moment are indicating
that we haven’t succeeded in achieving this with our choice of
Annual Special in 2015, therefore will you please help us know why
this holiday isn’t for you by completing the checklist on the final page
of the reply form. Thank you
If there is anything we can to help persuade you to come along, then
please just pick up the phone for a chat.
We are currently taking part in Localgiving's Grow Your Tenner
match fund campaign. This means that through our Localgiving
page, any donation you make will be matched by up to £10!
The campaign will match one-time donations pound-for-pound
minimum of £5 and up to £10, alternatively a monthly donation
of up to £10 per month for 6 months.
Please help us to make the most out of Grow Your Tenner by setting up a £10 monthly Direct Debit donation through Localgiving.com today.
Your gift will be matched by £10 per month for 6 months, providing us with over £120 in funding, including Gift Aid.
Simply visit—www.localgiving.com/charity/escape
Any questions do give us a call
Your views are needed……. The questions on the reply form opposite are seeking your feedback as to whether you and your family would support a regular ‘club’ event for our young people, at the moment we are considering run-ning two clubs 0 to 14yrs or 10 to 18yrs, the four year overlap would allow for children to attend the particular club that suits their needs best. The intention is to give our young people the opportunity to form friendships, have a sense of belonging and have opportunities to gain new experiences and at the same time have some fun. Our intention would be to keep this at the same regular venue and the normal Escape rules would apply and attendance would require a parent / carer to accompany the young people. The present sugges-tion for this club would take the upper age limit up to 18, so we would appreciate hearing from all families who have young person with special needs up to age 18.
This evaluation is taking place as a result of our Children In Need funding coming to an end early next year.
THANK YOU
Please keep an eye on your
email inboxes, as we will
soon be sending out our
Annual Questionnaire.
We plan on delving deep
into your thoughts, about
ESCAPE and all that we offer
and whether it is still right
for you, our membership, so
get your thinking caps on
Do you use Paypal?
We hope to be set up to accept card
payments via Paypal soon, which
will enable you to pay in person via
chip and pin or over the telephone.
Paypal payments do incur a fee
which we will have to ask you to
pay. This fee will vary dependant on
the amount you want to pay, so call
us to find out the cost.
PGL Review Check List, please tick if the statement/s is/are relevant
to your family and if there is another reason please let us know.
Too Expensive
If too expensive, would the option of monthly instalments help?
Would paying by credit card help?
Encroaches with our own family holiday
Not our kind of holiday
Cannot plan that far ahead
Would like to book but can’t afford it at the moment.
Our child/ren wouldn’t be able to access activities
Worries with dietry needs
Other, please specify
Your Views (Please see paragraph opposite)
Q If Escape were to proceed with the idea of a regular club
event, would your family/ young people attend?
A Yes/No/Maybe
Q Which club would be appropriate for your children
A 0-14yrs/10-18yrs
Q How often would you like to see the club run?
A Once a month/Every other month/Other
Q When would you like to see the club run
A Afterschool/Weekends
Q What activities would you like to see provided at the club?
10
How to pay us;-
Direct Bank Transfer - if you access your bank
account through the internet you can pay us direct using
sort code 30 98 45, a/c no. 02474591 please quote your
surname as a reference and email Cathy to let her know
payment has been made.
By Cheque - payable to ESCAPE Sup-
port Group, posted with your reply form
to, 3 Discovery House, Cook Way, Bin-
don Road, Taunton, TA2 6BJ
By Cash - Brought in to the office.
Sending cash through the post is at your
own risk
Unless stated otherwise, payment in full is required with
booking.
Family Name ___________________________________
Address _______________________________________
______________________________________________
Postcode _______________________________________
Tel. No. _______________________________________
Mobile No. _____________________________________
Reply Form
November 2014
Matalan 29th & 30th Nov- Please tick your preferred slots
Sat 29th - 10-11 __ 11-12 __ 12-1 __ 1-2 __ 2-3 __ 3-4 __
Sun 30th 10-11 __ 11-12 __ 12-1 __ 1-2 __ 2-3 __ 3-4 __
_________________________________________________________
Salisbury Christmas Markets - Saturday 6th December
No. Adults___ at £6 each No. Children___ at £6 each
Preferred Pick up Point Bridgwater/Taunton/Wellington*
Wheelchair position req. Yes/No*
________________________________________________________
Raffle Tickets
I am returning ___ Sold/Unsold Tickets
____________________________________________________________________
Carers Lunch - Mon 15th December
Please indicate if you are hoping to attend ___
_____________________________________________________
Christmas Bowling - 18th December—Closing date 9th December
No. children attending ____
_____________________________________________________
Christmas Party—30th December - Closing date 18th December
No. Children attending ___ No. Adults attending ___
Please state names and ages of children attending
__________________ ____ __________________ ____
__________________ ____ __________________ ____
_________________________________________________________
Bodyguard The Musical - 22nd June 2015—Closing Date 18th Dec
No. tickets req. ____ £5 pp deposit enclosed
Wheelchair Position req. In coach Yes/No*
In Theatre Yes/No*
Pick up Point Wellington/Taunton/Bridgwater*
_________________________________________________________
ANNUAL SPECIAL - PGL LIDDINGTON 10TH - 14TH AUGUST
Coach req. Wellington/Taunton/
Bridgwater*
Wheelchair position req. Yes/No
Taking own Car Yes/No* (deduct
£10 per person from cost)
Rooming - Wheelchair accessible
room Yes/No*
Meals - Do you have a special/limited diet Yes/No*
Total Cost £120 per person.
£10 per person deposit payable with booking.
Closing Date now extended to Friday 28th November
Who’s coming?
Please state all names
Age if
under 18