June 2008 Issue 3

• Newsletter

• compiled by

• Paul Wood

• Richard Hensby

• John Lloyd •

Mencap's projects for people with PMLD

MENCAP-Working for People with

Profound and Multiple Disabilities

(Canterbury and Coastal)

East Kent MENCAP in Partnership with the Community

Networks PMLD Team of Royal MENCAP and Kent So-

cial Services is piloting Advocacy Services for People

with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.

We are supporting people with profound and multiple

learning disabilities to develop their own Person Cen-

tred Plans with a view to developing self directed sup-

port packages.

Multi-media profiling (Housing and Support)

Multi-media profiling (MMP) is a way to help people with profound and multiple

learning disabilities (PMLD) to communicate more independently using video, pho-

tos, symbols and words. It can be accessed through a computer. Mencap has previ-

ously piloted multi-media profiling in York and carried out an independent evalua-

tion. Mencap is now looking at how MMP and other communication models, can be

used across its services to enable people with a PMLD to be involved in all aspects

of their lives

At a time of change those people who are able to express their opinions and wishes are

more likely to experience positive outcomes.

People with profound and multiple disabilities, generally, have difficulty in expressing

their views and aspirations and are, therefore, disadvantaged in being able to achieve

their goals.

Should this project be of interest please contact either

Della Heaton – Community Coordinator East Kent MENCAP

della.heaton@eastkentmencap.co.uk 01843 224482

Or; Tad Taberer - Partnership Co-ordinator For Community Networks

tad.taberer@mencap.org.uk 07881917894

Constitution Review Page 2

Dear Members

During the last Annual General Meeting of 26th July 2007 we merged with Canterbury and

Coastal to form East Kent Mencap.

It was agreed, at the same time, to review and modernise our Constitution to reflect our

new services and changes to the welfare sector.

A review has been undertaken and we respectfully draw your attention to the key issues we

propose to amend.

The amendments focus on

(Non) payment of Membership

Reimbursement of the Executive Committee,

The reduction of committee meetings from twelve to ten per annum

The reduction of a quorum to 5 (Number of voting committee members to form a decision)

The date of future AGM’s to allow for better attendance (October instead of July)

The removal of Mental Handicap and subsequent replacement with Learning Disability

There is one key issue, under the heading OBJECTS, which is likely to form a topic of sig-

nificant debate. We suggest that, under Section 2 (a), we remove the statement that we

will “advance religion amongst persons” we propose a statement which reads “support cul-

tural diversity” or “recognise and support a persons choice of religion”

This may sound like a play on words but, whilst we fully respect individual religious choice,

we must recognise that it is not appropriate for Care Organisations to seek to influence or

enforce its views.

We would much appreciate your consideration of these important issues prior to the next

AGM dated 24th July 2008.

Please forward you opinions, in the first instance, to Jason Gerlack

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the 2008 Annual General Meeting of East Kent Mencap. To be held on Thursday 24th

July 2008 at New Gateway House, 132 Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent, CT9 2RB, commencing at

7:30pm.

AGENDA

Apologies for absence.

Approval of Minutes of the 2007 Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 26th July 2007.

3 Reports : Acting Chair Mandy Rackley

C.E.O. Jason Gerlack

Fund Raiser Jane Brooke

Treasurer Kevin Smith

4 Financial Report : Audited Accounts

5 Vote on the proposed new constitution.

Other business brought to the meeting by members.

(If possible please send your written questions to the Acting Chair in advance, so that answers can

be researched. We will, of course, accept questions on the night too).

Presentation of Officers and Committee who are willing to stand.

Appointment of President, Vice-President and Auditor.

Light refreshments will be served after the meeting to celebrate our

Take a nostalgic look back through our displays and see if you can find yourself!

Acting Chair: Mandy Rackley Secretary: Vacant Treasurer: Keith Smith

Working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers East Kent Mencap Affiliated to the Royal Mencap Society Thanet Mencap Gateway Club Affiliated to the National Federation of Gateway Club Registered Charity Number 220798

132 Northdown Road

Cliftonville

Margate

Kent

CT9 2RB

Page 4 Newsletter Title

New Gateway House

132 Northdown Road

Cliftonville

Margate

Kent. CT9 2RB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Election of Officers and the Executive Committee

At the 2008 Annual General Meeting of East Kent Mencap to be held at New Gateway House,132

Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent, CT9 2RB on Thursday 24th July 2008 at 7:30pm, mem-

bers will be asked to elect four Officers and eight members to sit on the Executive Committee for the

forthcoming year.

The present Committee and Officers are:

Chair Vacant

Vice-Chair Mrs Mandy Rackley (Acting Chair)

Secretary Vacant

Treasurer Mr Keith Smith

Committee Mrs Joan Backler, Miss Ann-Marie Cullinane, Miss Caroline Hiseman , Miss J Light,

Mr Derek Miller, Mrs Sue Smith, Miss Carol Stark*, Vacant .

* Miss Carol Stark will be standing down at this Annual General Meeting.

On behalf of the Society we would like to thank her for the time and expertise

that she has given to us over the years.

We wish her every success for the future.

All of the remaining members listed above are willing to stand for re-election.

Following advertisements in the newsletter Mrs Fiona Youden has kindly offered to join the Executive

Committee and fill one of the vacancies.

Advertising through KOS Media has raised further interest and hopefully the three remaining vacan-

cies will soon be filled.

Acting Chair: Mandy Rackley Secretary: Vacant Treasurer: Keith Smith

Working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers East Kent Mencap Affiliated to the Royal Mencap Society Thanet Mencap Gateway Club Affiliated to the National Federation of Gateway Club Registered Charity Number 220798

Page 5 Issue 3

INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOPS ON REDUCING STRESS AND ENHANCING ENERGY.

When people are asked about their lives in general and their jobs in particular, its very com-

mon to get replies that indicate a sense of having too much of some stuff and not enough of

other stuff. Usually, its about having too much of unwanted things like stress and tension,

and not enough of the desirable commodity of positive energy. This situation seems to be

pretty true for people in any kind of job. It seems to be a really powerful truth for those

people who work in the caring professions. And, it seems to carry the hallmark of a virtually

absolute and universal truth for those who care for people who have complex needs and who

present daunting challenges.

The general notion of providing care for carers - be they professionals,family members or

various others - is not by any means a new idea. When such care is provided, it is generally

seen as being hugely appreciated by the individual recipients, and highly effective in terms

of hard-headed cost benefit analysis.

The picture as described above provided the inspiration for creating a new (First Year) and

small (currently just two people) training company called First and For Most ( website now

under construction) The founding members have been working together to develop and de-

liver training for teachers, social workers and foster (+other types of) carers. Demand for

the range of training packages has been varied, but the top priority identified by most

groups has been for workshops and courses which focus on stress reduction and manage-

ment techniques, relaxation exercises and methods of restoring and enhancing positive en-

ergy.

Although the company First and For Most is new, its founders share between them well over

forty years experience of teaching and training. The sources for the work on stress and

energy levels come from the "Mind and Body" forms of Tai-Chi and Shintaido - both of

which have really impressive and growing track records in this field.

What we are now offering is an invitation to attend introductory workshops as initial tast-

ers for this material. They are open to members of staff, volunteers, service users and

carers, in any groups or combinations. We are confident that attendance of one off individ-

ual sessions is enjoyable, rewarding and beneficial. And, we are absolutely convinced that

people who access this sort of work repeatedly find it really does enhance the quality of

their lives.

For more information, informal chats and free initial consultations, please contact:

Tamar Hirshfeld :07950 - 327980 or tamarhir@gmail.com

or

Geoff Warr : 07795 - 166607 or gandmwarr@btinternet.com

Our first cooking lesson

Page 6

The first lesson

in our kitchen

w h i c h w a s

opened by

The Mayor Of

Margate

Today we did some cooking.

I like cooking because its fun.

We made bacon pasta carbonara and Julie helped me.

These are the ingredients that we used:

Pasta

Bacon bits or rashers

Mushrooms

Cheese

Garlic

Onions

Peppers

Jar of pasta sauce (white)

Bread (garlic and herb)

We chopped onions and garlic, sliced the mushrooms and

peppers and grated cheese.

We heated a small amount of oil in frying pan. We fried

onion, then mashed garlic, peppers, sliced mushrooms &

bacon until bacon was crispy. We put in white pasta

sauce. We cooked pasta and drained it into bacon and

put the sauce in the mixture. We put it in the oven with

cheese on top and the cheese melted. And then we ate

it with garlic bread and herb bread.

By Denise Smith

Page 7 Issue 3

Variety show

Drama groups

The drama groups are doing a variety show. I am doing a dance to Saturday

night fever music. We are hoping to raise some money so that we con get

costumes. We want to make it good so that we can show it to other people.

I enjoy it because I do it with my friends. I think it is fun because we learn

how to act as if we are in films. We have been doing the drama for a long

time and I think I'm getting good at it.

Drama

The drama group at East Kent Mencap are working on a variety show, they have some

wonderful scripts, and they will perform to an audience later in the year.

Guitars have been made by some members in the art and craft sessions. They look

very colourful and unique designs.

Annie (a drama volunteer) has been working with the group, bringing out a lot of talent

that may have been undiscovered. The group meets on a Thursday morning at East

Kent Mencap.

Page 8 Newsletter Title

My Holiday

In May I went on holiday with my friend Diane and support worker Carrie-Ann, we

went to Euro Disney in Paris.

It was very good, we saw Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Gooffey and lots of other

characters.

We went on the Water Log ride and got soaking wet! I screamed very loud. The food

was good and the hotel was nice.

By Sarah Ward

Snap photo competition Our Photography exhibitions are becoming renowned for the wonderful pic-

tures of scenes in and around the area of Thanet. So it is not surprising that

two of the members at East Kent Mencap have won a place in a London exhibi-

tion via a ‘Snap’ competition they entered.

Out of 1,486 entries for the competition Micheal Youden and Patricia Brown-

sell will have their pictures on display at Proud Camden, Horse Hospital, Sta-

bles Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH: from 19th June until 6th July

WEB SITE IS: www.atproud.co.uk

So if you fancy a day trip to London why not visit the Exhibition, I feel certain that it will

be a wonderful and fun day.

Centre News.

From Audrey Shallon

Page 9 Issue 3

Green Fayre Circus

The members at East Kent Mencap were given tickets from the Stronger

Safer Community Fund to attend the Green Fayre ‘Circus’.

The ‘Green’ Fayre is a solar-powered circus with a ‘Green-theme’, i.e. re-

cycling, energy conservation/alternatives, organic foods etc. Most of the

members found the actual circus performance very noisy as there were

lots of school children present. However they did enjoy the circus skills

workshops that went on afterward, as well as the side shows that were

available.

New Build

The work has started on the new building which is in the ‘garden’ of the Gateway House

in Northdown Road.

The Garden House will have 6 flats for people with Learning Disabilities, it is expected that

the building will take 7 months to complete. There is already a waiting list for those who

would like to live in these flats, which highlights the need for those people who would like to

live and be independent.

Page 10 Newsletter Title

New Staff

We would like to give a big welcome to the 4 new staff at East Kent Mencap.

Lynda Salisbury, our former Chairperson, is now our Office Co-Ordinator.

On getting the job, Lynda, needed to resign from her Chairperson post and

Mandy Rackley as Vice Chair has stepped into Lynda’s place until the next

A.G.M.

Della Heaton will be working mainly with people who have profound and multi-

ple in Canterbury and Coastal areas.

Ange Brown will be training with the Citizens Advice Bureau so that the knowl-

edge can be used to help people with a learning disability.

Suzanne Derham will be working with people in all community areas of Thanet,

Canterbury and Coastal developing a resource knowledge for people with a

learning disability.

Photo to

follow

Page 11 Issue 3

Au revoir not goodbye

Doreen Leach has taken her retirement from the admin office and left on

5th June.

However Doreen is coming to do some voluntary work for the Day Centre, so

we will still be seeing Doreen.

Web Site

We at East Kent Mencap will soon be having our own website. Members have

been busy looking at the items to be used on the site- so keep an eye out for

the big launch and as soon as we are able to confirm launch day we will let you

know. Meanwhile if there is anything that you would like to contribute to the

site, we may be able to include them.

We intend having an event ’diary’ page which will keep you informed of the

things that are happening-do remember our website if you would like to an-

nounce your event.

9.00 – 6.00 Monday to Friday, Saturday 10 – 2.00 (closed

Wednesdays and Sundays)

Stunning landscapes and still life by Members of the Photogra-

phy Group

Free entry

Photography Exhibition

Birchington Library, Alpha Road, Birchington

Thursday 28 August to Friday 12 September 2008

Page 12 Newsletter Title

Dates for your diary

Friday 22nd August 2008 10am – 6pm

The Old Cricket Ground, West Malling, Kent ME19 6RL

Join people from all over Kent at the Sports event of the year! A free ‘taster day’ for

the whole community giving information on a variety of different sports, from football

and cricket to boccia and rowing. There will be fully accessible facilities and refreshment

tents. PLUS meet world class celebrity cricket players from Lashings XI and see them

playing some superb cricket. This event is for the whole family.

Places still available for Lashings corporate lunch - £50 per person, £495 for a table

of ten to include three course lunch with coffee and afternoon tea. There are some

tickets at £25 available for members with a learning disability. To book your place

contact Jane Brooke on 01843 224482 or jane.brooke@eastkentmencap.co.uk

There will be a coach picking up from the Day Centre in Cliftonville. Please contact Jane

Brooke if you would like to reserve seats.

Digging for free

Many thanks to the team from Community Payback who have dug over our allot-

ment. Community Payback is a scheme organised by Kent Probation to find un-

paid work for offenders who are given a community sentence. Following a

meeting with Ian Craig from Community Payback, a team of offenders spent

several days digging over a large piece of ground at the allotment and clearing

all the weeds and roots.

The next stage is to put down paving and build some raised beds to make it ac-

cessible for people in wheelchairs. Anyone who can help with materials, please

contact Jane Brooke on 01843 224482 or e-mail:

jane.brooke@eastkentmencap.co.uk

Page 13 Issue 3

Person Centred Planning

At East Kent Mencap a lot of members now have a person centred plan, this is

helping people to do what they want, it could be working, sports, College

courses or choosing where and who they live with. A Person Centred Plan is a

‘living’ document and can be changed at any time. At Mencap we hope that all

members will have a PCP to enable choice and a chance to achieve what they

want out of life. If any members want a PCP please contact Wendy Cameron,

who is always willing to help. Also Wendy is at the Drop-in on a Wednesday

morning from 10am-1pm to help any one make a PCP and put it into action.

District Partnership Group

The next D.P.G. will be held at the Drop-in Centre in Union Row, Margate on

Monday July 7th 2008. We need family or carers to take part in the meetings.

This is a very important meeting as it lets people in Thanet have their say in

what should be happening in our area and how we spend local money.

The D.P.G. is held every 2 months and there is a planning meeting in between.

We need 2 carers/parents to be part of the planning group and money group.

If any one has the time could they please come to the meeting on 7th July or

come along just to find out information.

Ann-Marie with designer Gary

Harvey

Include Me Photo Shoot

Member Ann-Marie Cullinane entered an ‘INCLUDE ME

PHOTO SHOOT’ via Mencaps publication Viewpoint

competition and was one of the 10 people selected from

over 1,142 entrants nationally. Lucky Ann-Marie!

Edge-End Studios in London was the destination, a place

where many famous people have been photographed and

a studio that is used by many fashion magazines.

The session started with having hair and make-up done

then nails painted by professional make-up artists. The

clothing was designed by Gary Harvey, a fashion de-

signer, who recently designed a line of clothes made en-

tirely out of recycled materials, which was shown on

catwalks during the London and Los Angeles Fashion

Weeks. For the photo shoot that featured Ann-Marie

and the nine others lucky entrants, Gary chose clothes

that were more ‘streetwear’ than high fashion, but the

designs WERE aimed at the under 25s, all those that

were in the ‘photo shoot’ really enjoyed the clothes

they were wearing.

The photos are fantastic and Ann-Marie received a disc

of the photos plus a large framed photo of herself.