The leaves are falling in abundance, so that means summer is over and it’s time to reluctantly accept that winter is on it’s way!

Ideally claim forms should have been returned by 2 September 2001. Claims can still be made after this date, but must be received before 31 March 2002

To find out if you need to claim, or to request a claim form for winter 2001, call the Winter Fuel Payment Helpline on

www.ukonline.gov.uk

Whether you are already caring for someone, planning to take on a caring role, or still deciding your options, the Looking After Someone life episode is designed to take you to a wide range of helpful information.

...is the National Charity that promotes the use of gardening and horticulture for training and employment, therapy and health. Part of the way they promote gardening and horticulture so that all can benefit is by producing specialised information. They have over 200 or so titles available in their catalogue, and the number is set to increase annually.

More than six million people in the UK live with learning difficulties, mental ill-health or some form of physical impairment. Thrive was formed in 1978 to promote the use of gardening to enable people to develop their skills and confidence to change their lives.

They run a National resource centre near Reading, support over 1500 specialist garden projects around the UK, provide specialist advice and services, run tailor made programmes for therapy and training at their garden projects and promote research into the benefits of therapeutic horticulture

Therapeutic horticulture is the term used to describe how the growing and caring for plants can be used to improve peoples’ well being. It is a very flexible activity that can be adapted to meet the needs of a wide range of people.

A well devised programme of gardening activity can help people in many different ways and if the right skills and expertise are available, a programme can be run almost anywhere.

To find out more about Thrive and how they might help you develop a community based programme for disabled people, contact Chris Martin, National Development Manager, on (0118) 988 5688, or write to him at the Geoffrey Udall Centre, Beech Hill, Reading, RG7 2AT.

This report, comprising of personal contributions from users and survivors of mental health services, deals with people’s strategies for surviving mental distress. The contributions to this book reflect the resourcefulness, imagination and determination of people who have overcome the most challenging of internal and external obstacles to take control of their lives.

Arising out of the Strategies for Living programme of work, the report demonstrates that it is possible to become the central agent in your own care and well being.

So for one year, from October 2001, Carers UK will offer the option of a “payment holiday” to both new members and existing members, so long as they are current carers.

This one year pilot will be offered to new members when joining via the membership leaflet (and to existing members when they renew their membership subscription) by completing a specially designed form.

For further information regarding this new membership incentive please give Janice Brown a call (Membership Manager) on (020) 7566 7605 who will be happy to discuss this with you.

Are you a parent or carer of one of the 1,000,000 children and young people in Britain with a speech, language or communication impairment?

Devon Afasic is a new group whose aim is to campaign for better speech and language therapy services, to raise schools’ awareness of these children’s needs and to secure training for the teachers.

They want to gather as much information on local services and provision across Devon (including Torbay). They are holding an Awareness Day with speech therapists, trainers and teachers from Devon and Cornwall at Exeter University on 24 November. All parents, carers and all those who work with children are welcome.

…is a one day conference on dementia in people with Down’s Syndrome, being held on November 16 2001, at Buckfast Abbey, Totnes.

The Developmental Disability Research & Education Group, in conjunction with the University of Plymouth Postgraduate Medical School, have organised a comprehensive programme of speakers and group discussions. Sponsorship enables the conference to offer the day at a subsidised cost of £25 (including lunch) per person.

‘Wand’ is a user led charity providing helpful support and information to those affected by mental health problems, with the aim of enabling individuals to empower themselves and make appropriate life decisions to improve their futures.

Formerly the Access Group of Dartmouth, Lifestyle are a charity that has managed to get funding to run a scheme in Dartmouth, Totnes, Kingsbridge and surrounding areas. They help you to enjoy your own lifestyle in a way that you choose, instead of the way others choose for you.

Maybe you have a “one off” ambition to do something, but can’t find the people to help you achieve your aim - that’s where Lifestyle could step in and help.

At the moment they hold “drop in” meetings where you can come and meet some of the team. The whole thing is run by disabled volunteers, carers and a Co-ordinator, so go on, give them a go. You can’t lose anything - maybe you can gain an awful lot while making some new and special friends.

South Brent: 12.00-2:00pm Thursdays @ Royal Oak Pub

Totnes: 12.30-2.30pm Thursdays @ Vixs, The Mansion

Kingsbridge: 1:00-3:00pm Wednesdays @ Horizons

Ivybridge: 1-3:00pm Saturdays @ Leisure Centre Café

Dartmouth: 1.30-3.30pm Mondays @ Ivy Lane Centre

This year’s Carers Plan for the South Hams includes a sum of money to be spent on days out for Carers. It has now been agreed that Carers’ groups can apply for a small grant to spend on arranging trips or small events that will enable members of their group to take some time out for themselves. If you are involved in a group that would like some funds to spend in this way, all you have to do is write a letter of application, stating how you would spend the money, and how much you would like (up to a maximum of £150 per application).

Coping with Caring – A 5 week course starting in the new year, will be held on Tuesday mornings at Tucker’s Maltings in Newton Abbot, from 10.30-12.30. The tutor is Caroline Harris, who says her sessions are “practical, friendly and inspirational”. The course is designed to help carers avoid the emotional pitfalls within caring, value their own abilities, and develop a more positive attitude. The cost to carers will be £1 (parking in a nearby car park of £1.50).

First Aid / Manual Handling - St John Ambulance are running two courses for carers on Basic First Aid and Awareness of Manual/Patient Handling. A certificate of attendance will be given to each candidate and SDCC will be giving a FREE copy of the new Carers Handbook (published by Dorling Kindersley, worth £9.99) to candidates on the First Aid Course. Dates of the First Aid Courses as follows:
Ivybridge: 13 December 2001,
Totnes: 23 January 2002,
Newton Abbot: 9 February 2002,
(venues to be finalised).
The cost of both courses to carers will be £1 only.

First Aid / Manual Handling - St John Ambulance are running two courses for carers on Basic First Aid and Awareness of Manual/Patient Handling. A certificate of attendance will be given to each candidate and SDCC will be giving a FREE copy of the new Carers Handbook (published by Dorling Kindersley, worth £9.99) to candidates on the First Aid Course. Dates of the First Aid Courses as follows:
Totnes: 23 January 2002,
Newton Abbot: 9 February 2002,
Exeter: 7 March 2002 (venues to be finalised). The cost of both courses to carers will be £1 only.

NB As places on these courses are strictly limited, please contact us at South Devon Carers Consortium, Freepost (SWB30974), 11 Castle Road, Torquay, TQ1 1ZZ or telephone (01803) 294275 for any that interest you, and booking details will be sent to you as soon as they become available.

A day trip to Plymouth for shopping and Christmas lunch will be taking place on Monday 10 December. The coach will pick up at various points in the Teignbridge area starting at 10am, with the aim of getting you all home safely by 5.30pm.

The pages will cover information for carers, carers’ rights, short breaks, consulting carers on services and young carers. They will provide information on local services, and links to other useful sites both locally and nationally.

The pages will have details of services and how to access them, with copies of relevant leaflets and forms available which can be downloaded. The pages will be updated regularly so that staff and carers will be able to keep up to date with changes in local services.

Do you have a project that will help your community? Do you want to get it off the ground? Do you need to find funding?

Funding advice for community groups in the Bay is a service now provided free by Torbay Voluntary Service. Help is now available with:

Funding applications
Funding Strategies
Budgeting and Costing
Monitoring
Crisis Support
...and much more!

Please contact Community Education Torquay on (01803) 316930.

Caring for Sufferers of Dementia — A short course is currently being planned for carers of people who suffer from dementia. The course will run over 6 sessions plus a follow up session and will be free to carers.

First Aid / Manual Handling - St John Ambulance are running two courses for carers on Basic First Aid and Awareness of Manual/Patient Handling. A certificate of attendance will be given to each candidate, and SDCC will be giving a FREE copy of the new Carers Handbook (published by Dorling Kindersley, worth £9.99) to candidates on the First Aid Course.

The dates of the First Aid course are 27 November in Torquay, and 19 February 2002 in Brixham. The Manual Handling course is on 11 December, in Paignton (venues to be finalised). The cost of both courses to Carers will be £1 only.