Welcome to the start of our Newsletters. Our aim is to send out quarterly newsletters to keep you informed of all events / activities coming up and any other news.
First we would like to welcome Carron Alison as our new Service Manager along with 2 new Support Workers Derek Cook and Jackie Buckham. Also Naomi Spicer is coming back from maternity leave mid to end April, we would like to welcome her back. We would also like to wish Garry I ‘Anson, Lesley Canavan and Jane Purdie well in the future as they have now left the organisation.
Events / Activities Coming Up
Focus Groups
As many of you are aware over the last few months our support staff have been asking
you to complete a customer evaluation form which has been requested by our head
office in Edinburgh. While the evaluation forms have given us a general overview of your
thoughts on our service we are looking to arrange small focus groups across the region over
the next few months, this is your opportunity to tell us what’s good about our service,
what needs to change, what you would like our service to provide and assist us in our future development.
The support workers across the region will inform you of when the group is in your area. We would very much appreciate your input and ‘voice’ to these groups so as to ensure we provide the service you wish. Thank you.
Dumfries and Galloway Disability Sport Open Evening
Disability Sport is holding an Open Evening on Tuesday 21st April 2015 at Cairndale Hotel, Dumfries from 7pm. Come along and hear about Dumfries and Galloway Disability Sport activities across the region and how you could get involved. All welcome.
For more information please contact:
Stewartry and Wigtownshire
Steve Beggs on 01776 703535 or
Annandale and Eskdale and Nithsdale
Laura Vickers on 01461 207028 or 07795 637689 or
Service User Meetings
The next Service User meeting to be held in the Belted Galloway Cafe, Newton Stewart on 15th April 2015, 11am – 3pm. Keep Well Scotland will be attending from 11.30am to do a talk and Third Sector D&G will be attending to talk about volunteering opportunities from 1pm – 2pm. Lunch will be provided. Could all Service Users wishing to attend please let their Support Workers know as soon as possible so as to arrange lunch and transport where required.
Freewheel Group
Freewheel is a group for any individual, adults, who have any disability, ranging from strokes, limb amputees, brain injury, epilepsy, and the likes. Anyone can become a member by calling Susan Thompson on 07764 896085 or Brian Brown on 01461 203444. Cost per year is £10, annual subscription. The group was set up over ten years ago and is there to enhance quality of life for the disabled, empowering friendship and isolation. It is a self funded group, who do their own fundraising like charity walks, raffles, coffee mornings and draw sheets. We use ATI accessible transport, so it is accessible to wheelchair users with the help of volunteer drivers, (we operate in the Annandale & Eskdale region only), and whom we wouldn’t be able to get out to our meetings down at Gretna once a month, Tuesdays, for lunch at the Day Centre.
When there we also have many speakers in doing crafts and have a varied amount of demonstrations. We also travel out on a day trip once a month to places of historical, educational and sightseeing and maybe just shopping trips out, that the members decide where they’d like to go and who they’d like in.
Dates coming up for the group are as follows:
Tuesday 31st March 2015 - Visit to Dobbies Garden centre at Carlisle and lunch out.
Tuesday 14th April 2015 - Lunch and Jewellery making part one at Richard Greenhow Centre, Gretna.
Tuesday 28th April 2015 - Visit to Devil’s Porridge Exhibition in Eastriggs with lunch.
Tuesday 12th May 2015 - Lunch and part two of Jewellery making at the Richard Greenhow centre, Gretna.
Tuesday 26th May 2015 - Trip to Kirkcudbright Wildlife reserve.
Tuesday 9th June 2015 - Shopping trip to Gretna Gateway and lunch there.
Tuesday 23rd June 2015 - Sponsored walk/push at the Everholm, Annan, followed by lunch at the Queensberry Hotel, Annan.
Tuesday 14th July 2015 - Sightseeing tour of the lakes and Windermere, lunch and shopping
WATCH THIS SPACE!!! We are soon to have our own Capability Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Integrated Service leaflet.
We would appreciate any suggestion from all involved with Capability Scotland of any activity or day trip that they would like to take part in. Any suggestions please contact 01387 244481 or email us at D&.
Other Services Available
Employment and Skills Service
The Employability and Skills Service work with a range of partners (known as the Employability Partnership) to provide a range of employability services across the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.
They provide one to one support helpingpeople in Dumfries and Galloway who want to get back to work or training. You can speak to Link Workers who are based locally to you in confidence about what you want to do and the barriers that are stopping you from doing them. Link Workers also provide support to young people needing advice regarding work, courses or volunteering.
They can help you with:
· Job hunting tips
· Job Applications: Interview skills
· Updating your CV
· Confidence building
· Numeracy and literacy skills
· Advice on available funding
· Access to training in first aid, manual handling, health and safety, fork lift driving and CSCS
· Signposting to other services and agencies for advice on housing or money matters and other issues such as mental health or substance misuse.
· Industry specific training opportunities for example: care, hospitality, tourism and IT
Contact Telephone Number is 01387 245191.
They also provide group sessions where clients can get to know other people in similar circumstances and share ideas and tips and are free to attend.
Our support workers can assist you with employment including supporting you to interviews, meetings, assessments, reviews, if you need this support then please do speak to your support worker or contact us on 01387 244481.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this first edition of our new newsletter. Feedback would be much appreciated. Anything you would like included in future editions or anything that you think we have missed please let us know.
If you would like to receive future newsletters in alternative formats including electronic versions i.e. emails please also let us know.
Please contact us on 01387 244481 or email us at D&
Regards
Newsletter Team