In this Issue: LPCF Hosts 2 Coffee Mornings to celebrate Carers

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May 2015
In this Issue:
Pg
Welcome
1
Carers Week
Coffee
mornings
1
LPCF Coffee
mornings
2
Carol’s cookery 2
corner
Participation at
its best
3
Participation at
its best
4
Participation at
its best
5
A big Thank you 5
Whats on our
website
5
Annual Picnic & 6
Summer Fayre
Michelles
mindful
movements
7
AGM &
Facebook
7
Lottery Club
News
8
From a fathers
perspective
8
:Keeping in
touch
8
Contact details
8
Welcome to our May Newsletter.
Spring is here at last and the warmer
weather seems to be upon us. It is another
busy time of year for LPCF, making new
plans for the future. We are planning our
Annual Picnic in August, combining it with a
summer fayre. This will mean we will have
more activities for children e.g Treasure
Hunt, Tombola, Face painting (more details
on page 6). All welcome, so please bring
along relations and friends.
We are also holding an extra coffee morning to celebrate Carers
week. See below for more details.
If you get 5 minutes in your busy schedule please have a look at our
website as we have lots of new information that you may find
interesting. (see page 5).
The future is all change at present with an all age carers strategy
looking to be the way forward for Lincolnshire County Council, but
please be reassured that we will continue to engage with our network
and support you with information relevant to your needs whatever the
future may hold.
The LPCF Team
Uniting, empowering and supporting families
LPCF Hosts 2 Coffee Mornings to celebrate Carers week
When :Monday 8th June 2015
Time: 10am-12 noon
Where: Day Break, Grantham College, Stonebridge
Road,Grantham,NG31 9AP
When: Wednesday 10th June 2015
Time :11.30-12.30
Where: Sense at Windsor House, Windsor Road, Louth
Who are they for?: parents of children with disabilities and special
educational needs.
Do you have to book?: No—just turn up
What else can I do while I am there?: Chance to look around the
Grantham day centre.
For more information please email:admin@lincspcf.org.uk or
phone 0845 33 11 310
LPCF Coffee mornings—Where and When?
BOSTON
10.00-11.30am
LINCOLN
12.30-2pm
SKEGNESS
11.00-12.30pm
New England Hotel,
Wide Bargate, Boston, PE21 6SH
The Homestead
St Johns Park, Canwick Road
Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln
The Vine Hotel (Best Western)
Vine Road, Seacroft,
Skegness PE25 3DB
SPALDING
The Castle Sports Complex
10.00-11.30am
Albion Street, Spalding
LOUTH
Best Western, Kenwick Park Hotel,
11 -12.30am
Kenwick Park Estate, Louth, LN11 8NR
GRANTHAM
The Ramada Hotel, Swingbridge Road,
10.30-12.00 noon
Grantham, NG31 7XT
SLEAFORD
11.00—12.30pm
Jolly Scotchman, 18 Lincoln Road,
Holdingham Sleaford, NG34 8NP
BOURNE
The Nags Head, 2 Abbey Road, Bourne
PE10 9EF
10.30-12.00 noon
Monday
6th July
14th September
Wednesday
17th June
16th September
Friday
19th June
25th September
Tuesday
7th July
15th September
Tuesday
14th July
29th September
Wednesday
1st July
23rd September
Monday
6th July
21st September
Thursday
25th June
10th September
Carol’s Cookery Corner
Caramel Apple Cake
I use this recipe when the family come round. It can be used as a pudding with custard or whatever
you prefer; also it is delicious as an afternoon tea cake. It is very sweet so don't be tempted to have a
large slice, little and often is better! It can be frozen, just omit the caramel topping.
125g Butter
1 can Carnation Caramel
2 eggs
225g Self Raising Flour (sifted)
2 teaspoon Baking powder
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method.
300g Bramley apples, peeled cored and diced.
Put caramel and butter in a bowl, whisk until well combined, then beat in the eggs, sift
2 tablespoons milk
over the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, fold in, then gently stir in the apples and
TIP.
milk.
This is equally nice made with ripe conference
Grease and line a 20cm (8") round tin, a spring- form one is best, but any is okay
pears instead of apples.
providing it is greased and lined.
Bake in centre of oven at 150Cor gas Mark 3, for 1 hour until cake is risen and golden
Did you know that the original Bramley Apple
tree was grown in Southwell Nottinghamshire, brown on top.
Remove from tin whilst still warm. Put on the serving plate you are going to use.
in 1809, where it still stands today?
Warm the remaining caramel in a saucepan then pour over the top of the cake.
I’ve had a request from lovely Mary for these
bars so this newsletter contains two recipes (now how lucky are you all?)
These chocolate/coconut bars are easy to make and ideal for something quick to make when you have an influx of visitors (or just feel
like baking). You can put icing on the top, but I use butter cream as personally I think it tastes better, then sprinkle top with coconut.
4oz butter
1/2 cup brown sugar( firmly packed)
Method.
1 cup coconut (dessicated)
Melt butter over low heat, stir in everything except the egg, then add the egg, spread over
1/2 cup plain flour
base of 11" x 7" tin which is better if you line with baking parchmennt). Bake at 170 degs
1/2 cup self raising flour
for 20 mins. Put topping on when the cake has cooled and cut into slices.
1tablespoon Cocoa
1 egg.
This freezes well.
Participation at its best!
You have been very busy during the last few
months giving us your views about a number of
issues that affect you and your families. We
held a County Coffee morning in February.
This event marked our first County Coffee
morning, bringing together all local coffee
morning hosts, along with 30 parent carer
attendees who took up our invitation. The event was specifically for parents and
carers of children with disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs. The aim of the event
was to bring like minded parents together to learn more about Parent Participation as well as
give peer support; parent to parent information sharing. At the same time, LPCF took the
opportunity to find out parents’ thoughts and opinions about the specific issues that
affect them in their daily lives when caring for their families. The first activity was to
explore the Local Offer in depth using the power of technology! Hosts used their tablets to
assist parents with exploring the Local Offer.
The next activity encouraged parents to share
and write down their experiences of being a
carer. This made some very interesting reading.
Then parents looked at what the Lincolnshire
Parent Carer Forum had to offer, exploring the
website, looking at the new pages added
recently, using the facebook page and informing parents how LPCF can help them.
Parents were also asked to comment on particular subjects that may be relevant to them e.g
Education, respite care, Health Service etc. LPCF collected both the positive and negative
views of parents which have all been collated, anonymised and published in a report.
Last and by no means least, parents were asked to add their comments to a ‘Wish List’. This
could have been on anything such as things that would make life easier, although a
holiday to Barbados was out of the question!
After the event we compiled and published a 16
page report which is available on the Library
page of our website and makes very interesting
reading. This valuable information has also been
forwarded to commissioners who provide services in our county in a bid to influence
better support for families raising dependents
with special needs and disabilities. Many
thanks to all who attended our event.
Participation at its best! Continued... You also turned out in force to our Signposting and
information event. We hosted a free Event at Coningsby
Community Centre in March. Over 100 parents and
professionals attended to find out as much information as
possible for their families all under one roof. Twenty eight
organisations attended providing a diverse range of
information and support for parent carers. Please see our
report on the library page of our website for more specific
details.
Professionals also stated the event gave them a
chance to see what other organisations had to
offer. After the positive feedback we
received from our last event to promote Carers
Rights Day, we decided to use the same format.
The aim of the day was to provide parents and
professionals with as much information as
possible all under one roof. The venue itself was beneficial as it gave parents a chance to
relax with a cuppa and cake whilst reading all the information they have gleaned from
service providers. Some parents then visited the organisations a second time to ask
questions after having time to digest all the information given to them. Professionals who
had a stand also informed us that the event gave them a chance to speak to other
organisations about their work and was beneficial in making contacts for the future. This
feedback has all been captured in the evaluation forms they completed for us. These can
also be seen in our report.
LPCF would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the organisations who support us at our
events. We are extremely grateful to the Department for Education who funded this event
and for Lincolnshire County Council who also support our functions. A big thank you to all
the parents and carers who attend regularly, often travelling or having to have a day off
work to come to our events. Without the support of our vast network, we would not be able
to give a voice to the many parent carers in Lincolnshire.
Participation at its best continued...Education, Health and Care plans— we were asked
by the Local Authority whether we would compile a survey and circulate it to our
network, which we did and 64 parents responded. This makes it the most popular survey
parents have responded to, to date. We have published this report on our website as well as
presenting it to the EHC plan working group to be discussed. Thank you for all your
participation.
... to Sarah Westwood and Buckles Solicitors for their kind donation
towards our funds. Also thank you to Eric who donated his lottery winnings
towards our funds and Carol who donated her lottery winnings and
proceeds from a special request for one of her famous cakes. We are very
grateful to you all for your support. Also thank you to the participants of our
lottery club who support us every month whilst getting the chance to win
three prizes. We are very grateful to you all.
What’s on our website
We now have a Your Say page which means that you can let us know your views about anything that affects you or your family. Your views are collated, anonymised and
published in a report that is circulated to the Local Authority and service providers.
We also regularly update our Other Organisations page with details of activities and events
sent to us from outside the LPCF. We have also added the County
Coffee morning report , Signposting & Information Report and EHC Plan Survey results to our
Library page. Our Links page is also regularly updated with useful information (e.g.Carers
Allowance factsheet—recently added).
We now have facilities to update your details on our subscribe page and would be
grateful if you could do this if you haven’t updated your details in the last year. Our SEN and
Library pages are full of information on the SEND reforms e.g Code of practice etc.
Our events page has all the coffee mornings, dates, times and venues listed for your convenience. We will endeavour to send you a reminder of the coffee morning in your area, near the
time if you have reregistered with us in the last year.
On our fundraising page we have the link to easy fundraising http:/www.easyfundraising.org.uk/
causes/lpcc , a quick way to raise funds for LPCF with just a click of a button and it doesn’t cost
you a penny. Our committee page gives you an insight into our committee members, why they
volunteer for us and our operational policies and procedures. Our frequently asked questions
page covers everything you may need to know about LPCF and our remit.
The design of our website has been refined according to the needs and requests of
parents. If you would like to comment further please use the Your Say page. Thank you.
P
L
C
F
Kindly Sponsored by Notts2Skeg
Please bring along your picnic and rug…
d
Nachos
Hot & Col
Treasure hunt
Drinks
Popcorn
Cakes!
Face
painting
Sports activities
Books &
cards
Face Painting
ames
Children’s G
Stalls
Everyone is welcome!!
rea
Play A
Raf
Bric
fle
a bra
Exerci
se mac
For more information please contact Michelle on 07779
456627 or visit our website www.lincspcf.org.uk
c
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Michelle’s Mindful
Movements
Fun Massage Activities to do at home
Pizza Massage
Massage can be fun and is very beneficial to both the giver and the receiver. Pizza
massage is a great way to use simple massage techniques in a fun and imaginative way with
children.
Social benefits: It helps with bonding and builds trust and respect
Emotional benefits: Relieves anxiety and both calms and relaxes the mind.
Body benefits: Improves circulation, and can ease aches and pains
Plus many more benefits...Let's begin!
One of you sits on a chair and the other one stands. The one sitting will
receive the massage and the one standing gives the massage.
Don’t worry, we swap over. The receiver can relax and lean over the chair.
Giver- Step 1 -Ask your partner if they would like to receive a massage.
Step 2 - Place your hands on your partner’s back. Keep this contact at all times during the
massage.
Step 3 - First, we need to roll out the dough. Using both of your hands, make large
circular movements on the back. Repeat 3 or 4 times.
Step 4- Next we need to add the red sauce all over the dough. Use a figure of eight
movement with the fingers.
Step 5- Now let’s be creative! We add the
toppings to the pizza.
Here are some ideas, but you can create your
own. Use your finger tips to sprinkle cheese on
the back. Don’t forget the head.
Other ideas: Chopping some onions
Add other ingredients such as peppers or
tomatoes. Use gentle taps or cups with the
hands on the back when placing the ingredients.
Step 6- Warm up the pizza by making small circles with the fingers on
the back to create a warm heat and cool it down by using gentle
strokes with the hands around the shoulders, down the back and sides of the body.
To finish: Place both hands on the
back and say
‘Thank you’ to your partner.
Thanks Michelle
Facebook
LPCF AGM
Our AGM will be in July. Please keep Have you joined our face book page
yet? We have also set up a separate
checking our website for more
page requested by parents in Bourne.
details www.lincspcf.org.uk
Please join us!
Lottery CLUB News
February’s Lucky
Winners…
The odds are in your favour...this is a small lottery club and you have a
high chance of winning. You don’t have to be a forum member to join the
£50 –R Rollinson
lottery either. This is open to everyone that wants to help raise funds for
our charity supporting families with children with SEN
£10 –N Watson
April’s Lucky
and disabilities.
Winners…
£5– C Wilson
March’s Lucky
Winners…
£50 - E Ormond
£10 –T Lord
£5—E Cross
£50 –S Davies
The best news is, once we have more members, the prize
money will go up! We would love your help to spread the £10 –R Rollinson
news and attract more lottery club members.
If you’d like to join or buy an extra number, call 07593
553 609 or e-mail carol.lotteryclub@gosberton.plus.com
£5– J Sclanders
We are now offering you the chance to subscribe for 3 months for only
£13.
You can join via our website too!
From a father’s perspective
I have been asked many times “what is it really like having a disabled child in your life and how do you cope?”
Normally I just say IT'S WHAT WE DO but today I had some time to think about it and without wanting to make
anybody upset because I normally only write amusing stuff and like to make people laugh and cause them physical
pain through laughing, I will put it into words what we as parents and others like us go through. I would like people to
I
imagine that they have been handed a grenade and somebody has taken the pin out so with every single muscle in
your body tight you hold onto that grenade knowing that at anytime, if you let go your whole world is going to
explode around you and everybody you have ever cared about is going to disappear. So you go to bed wondering if
tomorrow it will be that day when you have to face the world with a smile and say YEAH I AM OK but in reality you
don't even want to get out of bed, because that grenade is still attached to your palm and you feel as though
somebody, for no reason decided to batter your muscles with a bat while you were asleep. This is why when I see
you or anybody who looks sad, I will do my best to make that person laugh/smile or hold their ribs while they
struggle to breathe. Families that live with the prospect of outliving their children smile and laugh because IT'S WHAT
WE DO.
NEIL P DONNER
Keeping in touch with parents who receive a paper newsletter
Due to cuts in our funding this year we are having to be more resourceful. If you receive a
paper newsletter from us at the moment, can you please contact us with an email address
or make a donation of £10 per year towards the cost of printing and postage.
After September, you may not receive anymore paper copies unless you have contacted
us.
Donations can be made via paypal (on our website), or by cash or cheque.
Please make the effort to stay in touch—you don’t know when you may need us!
Our Contact Details:
To find out more about our coffee mornings or other events and activities, please use the email address
or phone number below. If you phone please leave a message and we will return your call.
Website: www.lincspcf.org.uk
Tel: 0845 33 11 310
Email: admin@lincspcf.org.uk
Address: LPCF, PO Box 1183, Spalding, PE11 9EE
To subscribe to the Lottery Club, Tel : 07593 553 609 or E-mail: carol.lotteryclub@gosberton.plus.com