News

Have you received the Census 2011 form?

Do you need help to complete it?

You are invited to attend the CENSUS FORM COMPLETION WORKSHOP

SATURDAY 09/04/2011

13:00 to 17:00

ELEPHANT & CASTLE SHOPPING CENTRE

(1st. floor, near La Bodeguita and Lloyds TSB  Bank)

All communities welcome. There will be help for people with limited English.

More information: Gladys Medina

Southwark Refugee Project

Tel. 020 7703 4046

Do you care for someone living with dementia? Have you considered peer support for them?

This peer support service is run in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society and the Modernisation Initiative and is available for any carers of people with dementia, whether the person with dementia lives at home or in a care home.

Peer support for carers is one to one support delivered by trained volunteers who themselves have cared for someone with dementia. These trained volunteers receive supervision from Dave Bell, Outreach and Support Worker at the Alzheimer’s Society.

A sitting service is available should this be required.

For more information, or to arrange for the volunteers to speak to contact Dave Bell on 020 7095 1531 or email Dave Bell Dave.Bell@alzheimers.org.uk

“LET THE WIND CARRY ME HOME”

An exploration of adventures of emigration, loss of culture and community, deaths we experience, the support we offer each other in order to survive.

Basaira Elderly Asian Centre and Southwark Asian Centre will be performing together in a unique drama with music, dance and storytelling.

We invite you to join us on:

Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 April 2011 at 7.00pm

SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

Shipwright Yard, London SE1 2TF

(near London Bridge Station)

Tickets £7.50.

To book phone Southwark Playhouse on 020 7407 0234.

Written and produced by Lucinda Jarrett (Rosetta Life) with professional actors, dancers and musicians Funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity

www.gsttcharity.org.uk/projects/eolc.html

Arts charity Rosetta Life devises performances to challenge the taboos surrounding death and dying: rosettalife.org

Kings College London students have started a campaign to recognise carers.

They have launched a campaign which asks people to post their thanks online or fill in a form to allow everyone in the community to say thanks in their own way to carers.

It’s your choice, you can decide to thank any of these carers (emergency personnel / nurses / care home carers) and what you say is completely up to you.

there is a simple way to give thanks by following the link below

click the link below

1. Click the ‘Support this campaign button’
2. register by filling in  basic details.
3. Write your thank you message for the Carers that made you appreciate them and put a smile back on their faces.

Say thank you to carers

Please find a consultation document attached which explains changes we are planning to make to TfL’s Dial a Ride application process. The changes include:

A new application form which would ask for more information than the current form about an applicant’s health, disability and barriers to travel (below)

The introduction of application mobility assessments by qualified assessors such as those already happening for some Taxicard services

Partially sighted applicants would automatically qualify for membership as well as those who are registered blind

The changes are being designed to ensure our limited Dial-a-Ride services are available for those who need them most.

We would like your views on the following areas. Please let us know by 15 April 2011:

The possibility of any additional criteria that could be used to establish automatic service eligibility

Any additional measures we could take to make the application process easier

Any ways the form could be made easier to complete

We are sending this consultation to key stakeholders who represent possible future applicants of Dial-a-Ride including London Borough authorities, representative disability and older people’s organisations and mobility forums. The consultation documents are available in audio format and on our website consultations.tfl.gov.uk. Also see www.tfl.gov.uk/dialaride for more information about the service and a copy of the current form.

Dial a Ride Consultation Document

Draft Dial a Ride Application Form

Yours sincerely

There are lots of activities taking place at More London to raise money for Comic Relief on Friday 18th March.

Watch teams knock each other over on the Human Bar Skittles table; have a go at climbing the Climbing Wall, race against others at the Giant Scalextric track or knock some coconuts off the Coconut Shy.

Do you live with diabetes? Could you support the Modernisation Initiative by working with them to help review and improve diabetes services?

Diabetes UK are organising patient events in April & May 2011, and would like to hear from anyone who may be interested in signing up.  Please do pass this message onto friends, colleagues or neighbours who this may be of interest to.

To register for an event or find out more please contact

The User Involvement Team at Diabetes UK on 020 7424 1008 or email user.involvement@diabetes.org.uk

Gentle exercise to music at your own pace

Fridays from 10am-11am

Pembroke House, Tatum Street, SE17 1QR

New members welcome – just come along!

There is a charge of £1 for each session.

New members must live on the Aylesbury Estate, or in SE17.

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) is now undertaking an inquiry into the government’s proposals for the “Big Society”, as part of its interest in the wider theme of smaller government. The inquiry will look particularly at the desirability and implications of encouraging innovative forms of public service provision by social enterprises, co-operatives and the voluntary sector.

In July last year London Civic Forum was asked to contribute our ideas to the development of the Governments legislative and non-legislative policy around Decentralization and Localism and after consultation with members and stakeholders, we submitted our recommendations in September 2010.  We also submitted and were called to give evidence to the Community and Local Government Select Committee’s Inquiry into Localism.

In order to build on the work we have done, we would now like to gather evidence on a number of the issues highlighted by the PSAC which we feel will be of particular interest to our members and stakeholders.

You will find here a short paper outlining the background to this inquiry and the questions which we are particularly interested in hearing your views on.

We would be grateful if you could submit your response by Tuesday 8th March

From March 2011 Liz Fenton will take the position of Chief Executive of the Princess Royal trust for Carers.

Liz is currently Chief Executive of Care for the Carers in East Sussex. She was also, up until recently, Vice Chair of the UK Partnership Council and a member of The Trusts’ Board of Trustees.

Liz joins The Trust with a wealth of experience and knowledge about carers, carers’ issues and the management of charitable organisations.

This puts her in an excellent position to steer the work of The Trust and ensure that any new organisation is fit for purpose.