Careers Fair next week aimed solely at deaf and disabled people

A careers fair aimed solely at deaf and disabled people will held in Southmead next week. Bristol Community Transport offering free transport and the event itself is free.

The evnt will run from 10am to 4pm on 9 September 2016 at the Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, Southmead, Bristol BS10 5PY

The careers fair is open to all Deaf, Hard of Hearing People, and Disabled People. It will be fully accessible. A range of employers will be seeking to engage with Deaf and Disabled People from apprenticeship to experienced. Further details can be found here

Please book your place via Eventbrite here

Photo clubs to benefit from Community Grants

And the last of our round-up from the recent Frome Vale Area Forum, which awarded two grants to local photographic organisations:

Photographers with Disabilities £2820

PWD was formed to enable people with disabilities to practice the Art of Photography. They run two regular weekly workshops and every fortnight they have a photoshoot with a model. They welcome both disabled and supportive non-disabled members. The grant will cover half the year's rent of the dedicated studio they need - unlike clubs aimed at non-disabled people, they cannot pack up their equipment and take it away after every session.


Sodbury and Yate Photographic Club £700

This club has been running for over 40 years, and welcomes young and old people alike. They run a disabled people's project in conjunction with Paul's Place. This grant will enable them to buy a digital projector to allow them to display each other's work and provide construtive criticism to help members improve their skills.

You can find out more about applying for South Glos Community Grants here.

Valuing You event

"Valuing You" is an event for people with learning difficulties, their families, carers and service providers. It's being held at BAWA in Filton on Wednesday 26 November, from 10am to 3pm, and you can book your place now.

The event will be opened by Paralympian Karen Baxter and give you the chance to find out about activities and opportunities for people with learning difficulties in South Gloucestershire. Activities will include fencing, dancing, boccia, knitting and drumming. There will also be an art competition, and you can find out more information about Dementia Friends and shared reading.

There is no charge to attend the event but you will need to book your place and choose the workshops you might like to take part in:

• Visit www.southglos.gov.uk/valuingyou 
• Email CCHengagement@southglos.gov.uk 
• Telephone 01454 862356

The future of rehabilitation services

If you are interested in the future of rehabilitation services in South Gloucestershire, you may be interested in attending an event on Monday 11th February 2013 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in Yate Parish Hall, Station Road, Yate BS37 4PQ.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trusts are working together in partnership to deliver the Healthy Futures Programme. Following consultations in November and December 2012 they have created draft proposals. This meeting is an opportunity for patients, carers and members of the public to find out more and give feedback.

Sandwiches, cakes, tea & coffee will be provided. For more information and to book a place at this event, please email healthy.futures@bristol.nhs.uk or telephone 0117 9841597.

West of England Care and Repair Service

Most older and disabled people want to live in their own home for as long as possible, but sometimes they need a bit of extra support to be able to do so.

South Gloucestershire Council has agreed a new contract with West of England Care & Repair to deliver services that do just that. The agency will provide information and advice on housing related issues, ensure that homes are suitable for people leaving hospital and support those requiring major adaptations to their homes.

A new centre has also been opened in Waterloo Street, Bristol where people can test out equipment to aid their mobility such as level access showers, kitchen equipment and seat raisers. A ‘smart house’ in Yate, offering similar facilities, will be provided later in the year in conjunction with Merlin Housing Society.

The services will help people identify their options by addressing problems such as disrepair, home health, accident hazards, fuel poverty and debt or by finding alternative suitable accommodation. The core customer groups are all older and disabled households, and mostly owner-occupiers. Information and advice and support for those leaving hospital will be provided for free. The agency will also advise on any grants, charities and low cost loans.

Independent living open day

Living, a not for profit community interest company, is holding an open day where people with disabilities can try out the very latest independent living aids and equipment. The event will run from 10am to 3.30pm on Thursday 21st June at The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 2QQ. Admission is free and there will be free tea, coffee and cake. For more information please phone 0117 965 3651 or visit www.thisisliving.org.uk.

Living (dlc) exhibition

Living (formerly the Disabled Living Centre) are holding an exhibition of new equipment from 10am-3pm on Thursday 1st July at The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 2QQ. Admission is free and all are welcome. You can find out more on their website.

New Travelcards - not just for buses!

The new National Travelcard is proving very popular - around 44,000 South Gloucestershire residents have already applied for their new cards, which will give them their free travel on local and national bus services. That's over 5,000 more than last year.

The new cards will replace the existing Diamond Travelcard from next Monday (March 31st).

Any resident aged 60 or over and most people who are registered disabled can apply for the new passes.

Our local scheme is even better than the government version. Within the Greater Bristol area - Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - the pass will allow free travel from 9am on weekdays and at any time on weekends and Bank Holidays. (The national scheme is 9.30 am to 11.00 pm, but here you can even use the weekend night buses)

South Gloucestershire residents can also benefit from additional services with their National Travelcard, including:

• Dial-a-ride on community transport schemes like Yate & District Community Transport, providing door to door transport services
• Voluntary car schemes
• Shopmobility - you can hire mobility scooters for shopping free of charge in Yate, Thornbury and Staple Hill
• Cheaper national annual railcards are available which allow for one third off standard rail prices
• Some long distance coach operators will give cardholders a discount, though you'll have to ask when you book

For more details on the scheme and the additional benefits visit the South Glos Council concessionary travel web page - you can also download an application form. You can also get application forms from libraries, one-stop shops, all council offices and some post offices, or you can ring South Glos on 01454 868004.

People who have Diamond Cards already do not need to reapply - they should get their new cards automatically - unless they've moved house in the last year. If you have applied for a card but have not received it by early April, please contact South Glos on 01454 868004.

How to apply for a Diamondtravel Card

We've been asked how to apply for the Diamondtravel Card that we talked about in this earlier article.

All the details are on the South Glos Council website - click here for the Concessionary Travel page.

You can download the form from there as well.

Out and About – For Free!

More than 38,000 people in South Glos now have Diamond Travel Cards, entitling them to a wide range of free travel:

DIAL A RIDE
Monday - Sat until 6.30pm (later on request). Takes you exactly where you want, when you want, as often as you want. Door to door like a taxi. You phone and book your trip – there and back. And you get whatever other help you need - eg carrying your shopping in. All vehicles are disability friendly. Trips are free for Diamond card holders (there’s a £5 membership fee). The scheme now has extra vehicles - to respond to the growing number of people switching to this service. One user commented “It’s so much better than a bus - and so much cheaper than taxis. I go shopping when I like now”. The Social Car Scheme is even more flexible.

Alan Lawrance with one of the new Community Transport buses

GETTING AROUND THE SHOPS - SHOPMOBILITY
Shopmobility loans out scooters & wheelchairs (from Yate Library) to use on the Shopping Centre, Tues & Fri 9.30 to 4.30 and Sat from 9.30 to 1.30. They will collect and return you to your car or bus stop. All free for Diamond Card users.

How do I sign up for all this?

If you're over 60, disabled or medically not allowed to drive...

• Call 864 864 (or email itu@southglos.gov.uk) to claim your Diamond Card (free bus pass)
• Then call 312036 to join Dial a Ride
• Once you have joined, call 312036 to book Dial a Ride or Social Car trips.
• To join Shopmobility or to book a trip call 868178.

To make it easier, we’ll put all the forms here on our blog shortly - or call any member of the Focus Team and we’ll help you sort it out.

CHEAP TRAIN TRAVEL
NEW from this month, you can get cheap train travel too! It gets you a National Rail Card at a discounted price of £16 - and that card gives you one third off rail fares.(and for disabled users a companion gets the discount too) Forms available from http://www.railcard.co.uk/ or from the Focus Team.

BUT WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL TOKENS?
Could the bus tokens come back? The Focus Team went to experts to get it costed. It would cost £2.2million! We’ve looked at the figures and we can’t find a way to reintroduce them within the financial limits imposed on the Council. Nor can Labour. If the Tories can - they should say HOW. Even if they shut libraries on Saturday afternoons, cut funds available to schools, cut bus services and increase charges for home care - that's only £1m. So where’s the rest to come from?

Rather than promising the impossible, the Focus Team’s efforts are going into finding ways to help people who can’t use buses - e.g. funding extra disability friendly vehicles for Dial a Ride.