InterAct Spring Summer 2019 Newsletter - DRAFT

Newsletter

Spring / Summer IMPROVING LIVES & COMMUNITIES www.interact.org.uk
2019 THROUGH LEARNING, LEISURE, InterActEssex
SHARING & SUPPORT @InterActEssex

Promoting creativity, inspiring and empowering people to make positive progress and live happy and fulfilling lives

Message from John Tweddell, Chair of Trustees

“With summer fast approaching the staff and volunteers are gearing up for an exciting summer
programme of activities. As if as a prelude the Aspire garden is bursting into life thanks to the hard work of

the volunteers and staff over the winter. With new developments taking shape I’m sure the summer will
present new opportunities for all. I’m sure this will be our best year ever.

I hope you all have a great time.

Thanks once again to all the staff and volunteers who make it all happen.”

INSPIRING LIFE SKILLS

See inside for information on how InterAct helps support young people transition into adulthood

Also inside this edition…..  Young People’s Participation
 Aspire Garden - Update
 Short Breaks, Clubs & Activities – update
 Mental Health
 Volunteers Week

Charity Registration No. 1048631 Company Registration No. 3087233 (England & Wales)
Moulsham Mill, Parkway, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 7PX
Tel: 01245 608201 Email: [email protected]

Inspiring Life Skills

InterAct believes that everyone should have the opportunity to fulfil their life aspirations. We work in local
communities across Essex promoting inclusion, increasing participation and independence.

We seek to help people at different stages of their life: learning, leisure, work, health and wellbeing, particularly at
times of transition during these stages, when help is often needed most.

We believe that most people have the strength to overcome their difficulties – no matter how complex.

We believe ‘helping people to help themselves’ to increase their knowledge, choice and empowerment, builds their
resilience, enabling people to cope with life events and to help others.

Our clubs and activities enable young people to socialise together, learn from each other, appreciate the skills and
abilities of each other and promote social inclusion within the communities.

Our volunteers and mentors develop their skills and strengths, whilst giving their time and enthusiasm to help
others to help themselves.

Our Circles of Support Club, Coz Club and our new 18-25 Club offer a number of activities that enable young people
to make new friends, go out socially, travel and shop—developing new skills and confidence whilst having fun at
the same time!

Circles of Support

Our Circles of Support club provides opportunities for friendship and helps a young person (aged 12-18) with

additional needs, learning disabilities/difficulties enjoy activities within the community. Activities take place after

school/college, during evenings, weekends and school holidays, and include:

 Bowling, Quasar, badminton, football, trampolining “InterAct gives me the

 Coffee meets and meals out, cinema trips opportunity to be
 Day trips during the school holidays more independent”

 Staying at home, having a pizza and watching TV with friends

Circle of Support volunteers give in excess of 8,500 hours of their time each year to support InterAct and Circles of
support across Essex. Some mentor young people, some plan and participate in group activities, others help out
with workshops, newlsetters or share their skills and talents. They play a crucial role in assisting personal choice,
dignity and quality of life for young people. Self worth and self confidence increases and a greater knowledge and
awareness of rights and citizenship develops.

A key aspect of this project is that it works with PHOTO REQUIRED
the young person on a person-centred and
individually tailored basis, and empowers the
young person with disabilities to make real
choices and take an increasing level of
independent responsibility for their own life.

All contributions help InterAct provide the
services that young people want and need.

For more information on Circle of Support
activities, or becoming a volunteer mentor,
contact InterAct on 01245 608201 or email at
[email protected]

Inspiring Life Skills

18-25 Club

The 18-25 Club is a new club run by InterAct run
specifically for young adults with
The 18-25 Club had its Launch Night on Monday 13th
May 2019. The evening was a huge success, attended
by …...

TEXT FROM ALI REQUIRED

COZ Club

The COZ Club is run from our Aspire Centre, and is a friendly relaxed place for young people to hang out with mates,
watch DVDs, play pool, cook a pizza or have a pamper session.
COZ Club is on every Friday evening 5-8pm during school term time.
We also run additional COZ Camp days in the school holidays where young people meet at the Aspire Centre in the
morning then head out for a day of fun.
We welcome you to come and chill out on a Friday evening with us at COZ Club.

CONTACT DETAILS FOR MORE INFO

PHOTO REQUIRED

Inspiring Life Skills - The New 18-25 Club

Welcome to our new 18-25 Club!

Want a place where you can relax,

make friends, learn new skills and have fun?

Does the Where?
club have a The Aspire Centre, Moulsham Mill, Chelmsford CM2 7PX
new name
yet? When?
Monday evenings 6-9pm (fortnightly)

How much? £8
To view club dates and book online—please visit

Open to anyone with Special Educational Funded by Chelmsford City
Needs living in the District of Chelmsford Council
aged 18—25 years

InterAct works with young people and adults with autism, learning disabilities and
emotional problems to help develop valuable social, practical and life skills

Interested? Get in touch...

01245 608206 @interactessex [email protected]
www.interact.org.uk InterAct Essex
Moulsham Mill, Parkway,
Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 7PX

InterAct, Head Office: Moulsham Mill, Parkway, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 7PX, Tel: 01245 608201 Charity Registration No 1048631 Company No 3087233 (England & Wales) www.interact.org.uk

Short Breaks

We thought we would share with you how some recent
activities have gone. The Edith Borthwick after school club
had a session at the “Little Yellow Hedgehog ceramic
studio” in Braintree. The group got picked up on the big
blue InterAct minibus from the school and made their way
over. The members were able to pick an item to paint and
decorate. They were all shown how the items needed to be
prepared before applying paint. Then the real fun began!
Choosing their colours they were let loose to create their
masterpieces. After the painting was finished the group
were taken behind the scenes and shown how the
ceramics were glazed and fired. This session was really fun
and it was amazing to see some of the talent that the
group had. The staff were watching with admiration at the
level of concentration the young people can achieve when
partaking in an activity that they are engaged with. It was
also fantastic to see the level of interaction between
members. Thoroughly enjoyable activity!

To check out our
latest activity
programme click right
on the flyer, or go to:
www.interact.org.uk/

Short Breaks

If you’re a young person aged 10-18 with learning disabilities/additional needs, or know someone who is,
check out the wide range of social activities on offer.
To find out more, please contact:
Andrew Denny, Young People Team Coordinator
01245 608206 | [email protected]

Mental Health

DID YOU KNOW….
KW TO WRITE TEXT (IN PROGRESS)

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

If you support or work with someone, or are yourself affected by mental health issues, learn some every day
practical skills and how to identify, understand and help yourself and others.
To find out more, please contact:
Lesley Bailey, Emotional, Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead
07908 616149 | 01245 608307 | [email protected]

Mental Health

Mental Health First Aid Training

Helping to Support Healthy, Happy, High Quality
and Productive Workplaces/Schools/Colleges

MHFA AT WORK AND IN EDUCATION

Creating a supportive workplace for your employees/students, can reduce
absence, increase productivity and save you money

MHFA training equips your staff with the knowledge and skills to recognise the
early signs of stress, anxiety and depression in themselves or others – and to
offer support.
MHFA training teaches practical techniques and strategies to deal with stress
at work and build resilience.
MHFA supports healthy, productive work environments by teaching
employees/students critical communication and support skills that can impact
the success of your business/students.

Our training is suitable for all staff - particularly front-line staff, those who manage teams and
HR professionals. Courses range from one half day, to two full days. Every course is tailored to

ensure we meet your company/educational setting’s needs and address your unique
challenges.

We will deliver a course to suit your budgets and timescales at a time, date and place that
works for you.

01245 608307
[email protected]
www.interact.org.uk
InterAct Essex

Charity Registration No: 1048631 Company Registration Number: 3087233

Volunteers’ Week - 1-7 June 2019

It’s time to celebrate and thank all our volunteers!

VOLUNTEERS WEEK

On Thursday 6th June, InterAct will be
joining nearly 50 charities,
organisations & Chelmsford
Volunteering Centre to celebrate
Volunteers‘ Week. There’ll be live
music, good food & entertainment
from Chelmsford Community Radio.
Come along to Chelmsford High Street
on 6th June and say hello!

Thinking of Volunteering? Think...

What can you do?

Activities Volunteer Mentor Gardener
Admin Support
Minibus Driver

You provide us with: We provide you with:
Time Training
Skills Support
Expenses
Experience
Empathy Friendships
Fun!
Commitment

For more information, please contact:
Ali Perrott, Volunteer Development Coordinator

01245 608333 | [email protected]

Life Skills Course

During February and March, we delivered another LifeSkills course, supported by funding
from Essex Community Foundation #iwill campaign. This course was delivered by InterAct staff and Social Work
students on placement from Anglia Ruskin University, which they had tailor made for young people with additional
needs. Eight of the young people we support signed up and attended over five Thursday evenings. Sessions were
informal with plenty of opportunity for everyone to join in and take part in discussions. For the last session we
reviewed what we’d learnt about volunteering and participation, talked through plans for future volunteering and
community involvement, then had a celebration pizza dinner followed by an awards ceremony to which parents were
invited. Certificates were given out, photos taken, and cake and biscuits consumed! Feedback from the group was very
positive.

Comments included:

‘Improved my confidence’

‘I wish it wasn’t ending’

‘It’s benefitted him in many ways’

‘It’s given him a more positive outlook on life’

‘Fun as well as educational’

‘Wish it could be every week’

Young People’s Participation

News & Opportunities “A really good day”
“I got some tips on finding a job”
InterAct’s Participation Group
InterAct’s Participation Group was set up to enable young people
to have greater influence upon how InterAct plans and runs our
projects and services.

Those who take part find that they meet new people, & that their
self-confidence increases. We learn a lot from what they tell us.

We have been looking at ways to increase the number of young
people involved in the group, particularly as a further opportunity
for those who completed the recent Life Skills course, and also
perhaps by setting up a second Participation Group for those who
live in North Essex. If you’d like to be involved, please contact
Peter Dilley, InterAct’s Participation & Safeguarding Lead:
[email protected]

“Young people need to speak out & get their National Participation Conference, London, April 2019
opinions across to professionals & adults” After InterAct was invited to fill some last minute spaces, three
young adults attended this year’s Making Participation Work
Children and Young People’s Conference.

The Conference was organised by the Council for Disabled
Children, Kids and the Department for Education, with
workshops led by groups of young people.

Discussion topics included Preparing for Adulthood - Rights to
Employment, Creating a Shared Understanding of “Youth
Voice” and Your Rights to Life-Focused Support - Achieving
What You Want to Achieve.

HAVE YOUR SAY! - Participation Opportunities for Young Youth Worker Training
People Coming up at InterAct
In the wider community, young people with
disabilities and additional needs can often feel
misunderstood, and become left out and isolated
from other teenagers.

We are therefore very pleased to be supporting
the Diocese of Chelmsford Youth Advisory Team
with their Disability Awareness, Additional Needs
& Inclusion Training for youth workers, taking
place in Chelmsford on 24th September & 2nd
October.

Some of our young people have agreed to take
part in delivering the training, and they have
already been sharing their views and experiences,
as we start the planning.

 Participation Group: informal discussions on InterAct’s projects, new ideas & how to put them into practice
 Research: supporting two University-led projects on increasing inclusion in research, and on road safety
 Training: build up your skills and confidence by helping us to design and deliver training:

 ‘Progression Champions’ - what will help other young people have a more successful journey into adult life?
 Disability Awareness, Additional Needs & Inclusion - for youth workers, InterAct volunteers & others

For further information: Please contact Peter Dilley, Participation & Safeguarding Lead:
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01245-608353

Aspire Centre & Garden

Aspire continues to flourish!

Well the plants and flowers might have been dormant over the
winter months but the team has certainly not been
hibernating!

We have been getting on with a number of jobs to enhance
the structure of the garden. We now have a wonderful retreat
area in a quiet corner of the garden, complete with swing seat
surrounded by sensory plants and flowers, a second patio area
to the front of the Aspire Centre which will provide a great sun
trap in the warmer months, we have installed electric and
solar lighting to make the garden more accessible in the
evening and a canopy over the larger patio to allow us to use
the area even when the weather’s not so kind.

And it hasn’t stopped yet; the Garden Club volunteers are
continuing to landscape beds at the entrance to the garden,
planting flowers and shrubs along the perimeter, building a
raised bed out of scaffold boards and sprucing up the WW11
Spigot Mortar whilst preserving it’s heritage for all to enjoy.

And now Spring has sprung! The allotment area is filling up
with a variety of vegetables (we’ve already enjoyed fresh
spinach and chard) and the flower beds are bursting in to life.
The lavender lining the pathway welcomes guests to the
garden with its wonderful fragrance, the lawn is starting to
look luscious and we are watching eagerly for the first newts to
emerge from the pond in the wildlife area.

Inside the Aspire Centre too things are taking shape, we have
updated the gaming and electronic equipment, built a music
room, nearly finished the creation of a sensory room and are in
the process of redecorating one of the games rooms to make it
somewhere to relax and catch up with friends.

We have lots of plans for the next few months too. We have a
nest box and wildlife camera to install, the “living” shed roof to
refurbish and some of the outside fence to replace.

So if you want to get involved or feel you can help in any way
please do get in touch.

For more information, please contact:
Susie Nankivell or Ali Perrott
01245 608333
[email protected]

We will look forward to hearing from you!

Keep in Touch!

Keep up-to-date with the latest news from InterAct by searching for ‘InterAct Essex’ on
Facebook and Twitter, or go to our website

www.interact.org.uk InterActEssex @InterActEssex

We are on a drive to increase awareness of the good work that InterAct does, and are
currently aiming for 2000 likes on our Facebook page. Please help us achieve this by
going to Facebook and liking our page!

DON’T FORGET!
You can check out our online Activities Programme to
view upcoming events and activities.
Click on the flyer, right, or go to: www.interact.org.uk/
Make sure you don’t miss out!!

The InterAct community continues to grow with staff, volunteers and families working together
to improve lives through learning, leisure, sharing and support. If you would like to get involved

in one way or another, we’d love to hear from you.
We look forward to speaking with you over the phone or email.

For more information, please contact Susie Nankivell or Ali Perrott
01245 608333 or [email protected]

Thank You!

would like to thank the following for your kind donations...

Bills Restaurant - raffle prize donation
Stansted Airport College - donation
David and the Murray Family - garden
equipment
Essex Youth Build & Chandlers - patio,
materials and labour
Noble Recruitment - Easter eggs donation
Richard Arthurton - donation
Stone Island - archive & forum
Gadsby Wicks Solicitors - continued support
for overnight activities
Goodgym Chelmsford - volunteer time
University of Essex Students Union (V
Team) - day of gardening on 17th March.
And of course our many wonderful
volunteers.

If you are interested in supporting InterAct in any way please get in touch.
All donations or offers of support are gratefully received and can be publicly acknowledged.

For more information, please contact Susie Nankivell or Ali Perrott
01245 608333 or [email protected]
We will look forward to hearing from you!

Thriving Together

It’s good to hear… InterAct has been a Interact has been a lifeline for H
life saver for both W
It's wonderful, my son loves it, we and myself. The staff and
always feel welcome, they setting have been amazing, W
organise a brilliant range of has made so many friends over
the years which have helped
different activities. Atmosphere is him to develop self esteem
chilled, relaxed but stimulating. and confidence. He loves
coming there and loves the
Excellent club! holiday activities and getting
the opportunity to chill out
“The InterAct carers are great and with friends at Coz club. W
J really enjoys his visits” totally feels like he belongs.
Thank you all so much for the
You're a wonderful group of amazing job you all do.
people and the feeling of
Inclusivity is tangible

He finds service providers and staff B always really looks forward to all activities. He enjoys the
members are delivering a good quality company of the other kids and likes all the team members. The
of service, which in turn, is meeting his
team is always helpful and friendly with excellent
individual needs and consequently communication. The booking system is fair and straightforward
satisfying him. and the cost is reasonable. Such a valuable resource that really

It's alrIght! makes a difference in my child's life. Thankyou!

Awesome!

PHOTO REQUIRED HERE InterAct is lots of fun and I have
made lots of friends

The staff are very nice

Keep doing what you’re doing

Very good. I enjoy coming Very good activities. Thank you for a great
with my friends It’s lots of fun! summer!

Just enjoy it a lot!

Thriving Together

GARDEN PARTY REMINDER….

Our Annual Garden Party is being hosted this
July as a thank you celebration to show our
appreciation to everyone that supports
InterAct in so many ways!
Young People, Parents, Families, Friends,
Volunteers, and Supporters of InterAct - you
are invited to join us!
Date: Friday, 26th July 2019
Time: 3pm—6pm
Venue: Aspire Centre (Behind Mill)
Moulsham Mill, Parkway, Chelmsford
CM2 7PX
Barbecue & Refreshments will be served
Please RSVP to the Volunteering Team:
01245 608333 or
[email protected]

Give as you Live

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a FREE donation will be made to us and it won't cost you a

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you can access top offers so you can save money and raise

money!