Theme park ticket discount for special needs groups

Theme park Gulliver’s is offering discounted tickets to special needs groups every Friday in May.

The family-run company, which has sites in Warrington, Matlock Bath and Milton Keynes, has extensive facilities for groups to visit its parks and attractions, including education packs to meet Foundation, KS1 and KS2 year groups, free risk assessment visits for two teachers and free teacher places depending on group sizes.

Gulliver’s also has free parking and provides complimentary admission and hot drinks for coach drivers.

Gulliver’s managing director Julie Dalton said: “Here at Gulliver’s we offer fantastic facilities to special needs groups. Our education packs are written by teachers, so they give our visiting teachers all the tools they need to plan a fun-packed day out that educates children in a really innovative and creative way.

“Our May Fridays special offer will hopefully give lots of groups a great opportunity to check out what’s on offer for less.”

The May Fridays offer will be valid for Friday 11 May, Friday 18 May and Friday 25 May; for more information telephone 01925 444888 or see website www.gulliversfun.co.uk.

Vision for Paralympic Games opening ceremony revealed

Circus skills are to feature in the Paralympic opening ceremony, showcasing the skills of deaf and disabled artists – and the directors promise a “spectacular celebration” of the inspirational spirit of the Paralympics that challenges perceptions of human possibility.

The ceremony on 29 August will open with a fly past by ‘Aerobility’, a British charity that trains disabled people to become pilots. 

All the host London boroughs are playing their part along with schools, and 50 specialist performers have just started an eight week circus skills training programme at Circus Space in Hackney. 

The programme, funded by Arts Council England, will see performers with disability, including established artists and people new to the arts such as rehabilitating soldiers and non competing Paralympians, learn circus arts skills. 

On the theme of ‘Enlightenment’ the ceremony by co-artistic directors Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings promises to be an electrifying celebration to mark the occasion when the Paralympic Games, which originated in the UK as the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, will come home.

Jenny Sealey, artistic director of Graeae, the UK’s flagship disabled-led theatre company, said: “Bradley and I are relishing this opportunity. It is immensely exciting and always terrifying especially as the days are passing at the rate of knots. But we will be ready to show the world the story we have so carefully developed and nurtured.”

Co-director Bradley Hemmings, the artistic director of Greenwich+Docklands Festivals, said: “Jenny and I want our ceremony to be both spectacular and deeply human at the same time. We’re determined that the ceremony should speak from the heart.”

Artistic directors Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey. Photo: ©Dave Tully at In Press on behalf of LOCOG

Comprehensive guidance for lone workers

A new web page has been launched to provide lone workers and their employers with a central point of information on health and safety, legal obligations, quality standards and advice on choosing a reputable supplier of lone worker devices.

Launched by the Lone Worker Forum of the British Security Industry Association, BSIA, the page offers easy-to-understand advice and links to guidance documents, which set out the individual rights and responsibilities of both employers and their lone working employees.

Patrick Dealtry the chairman of the BSIA’s Lone Worker Forum, said: “More than six million people in the UK work either in isolation or without direct supervision, often in places or circumstances that put them at potential risk. A wide variety of organisations and industry sectors employ people whose jobs require them to work or operate alone, either regularly or occasionally.

“The protection of lone workers involves a twofold approach; not only to provide safeguards but also to offer reassurance to the people involved. The BSIA’s Lone Worker Forum recommends that companies choose lone worker systems that are compliant to British Standard 8484.

“The launch of this dedicated web page means that employers can now find out more about the implications of BS8484, download useful guidance and locate reputable suppliers.”

For more details see the website www.bsia.co.uk/lone-workers.

Number of disabled people in poverty set to rise

A third of disabled people live in poverty – a statistic which is set to rise according to disability campainers, as the time-limit for claiming Employment and Support Allowance takes effect. 

Neil Coyle, the director of policy and campaigns, Disability Rights UK, said: “While we welcome disabled people being supported to enter and retain work, today’s measure is unlikely to incentivise work, penalises disabled people who have worked and leaves 280,000 disabled people and their families facing extreme poverty and exclusion.” 

The government has introduced a cut-off for ESA payments for people in the Work-Related Activity Group as part of the Welfare Reform Act. ESA was introduced from 2008 to replace incapacity benefits and is split in two: the Support Group for disabled people not required to undertake any work-related activity and the Work-Related Activity Group for disabled people expected to undertake some work-related activity.

Disability Rights UK said the 365 day limit is being introduced retrospectively which means disabled people who have received support from April 2011 will automatically have payments reviewed and many will lose financial support immediately. It points out the department for work and pensions statistics suggest more than 40,000 disabled people will immediately lose help and that, by 2015/16, 700,000 disabled people will be affected by this new measure.

Neil Coyle said: “The government must monitor the effect of time limiting out of work support closely and should better support disabled people into employment. We believe greater awareness of, and resources for, the Access to Work initiative is essential to help the 50 per cent of working age disabled people not in work get into and retain employment.” 

Research project to involve those with autism

A project to identify the priorities for future research into autism will be launched at a Parliamentary Reception this week. 

Research Autism said the need for a better understanding of the lifelong neurological disability, which impairs an individual’s ability to communicate, has never been greater. 

Remapping Autism Research: Identifying Priorities for the Decade Ahead will involve people with autism, parents and carers having their say in how an issue is researched, how it is funded and who undertakes the research. The charity said this re-mapping exercise will continue a much-needed dialogue between families and researchers, enabling parents and people with autism to shape the future UK research agenda.

The business secretary Vince Cable is due to attend the launch and speakers will include Professor Tony Charman from the Institute of Education and Claire Enders of Enders Analysis. The research project will be led by Professor Tony Charman and Dr Liz Pellicano from the Institute of Education.

Polio charity website

The charity supporting those in the UK living with the effects of polio and Post Polio Syndrome has launched a website.

The British Polio Fellowship’s interactive portal provides information about polio and PPS to The Fellowship’s members, their families and medical professionals along with details about its support services and links to its new social media channels Facebook and Twitter.

Ted Hill, the chief executive of The British Polio Fellowship, said: “We want our website to become central to the polio community in the UK. We’re still living with the legacy of this debilitating illness today and need the support of our members and partners to raise diagnosis rates and help treat those affected by it.”

For more details see the website www.britishpolio.org.uk, follow on Twitter @britishpolio or search for British Polio Fellowship on Facebook.

The new website from The British Polio Fellowship.

Dementia group has first meeting

Health and care leaders working to drive improvements in dementia services have held their first meeting. The Dementia Health and Care Champion Group, brings together representatives from the health sector, social care, local government and charities.

Co-chaired by Sarah Pickup, the president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, and Sir Ian Carruthers, the chief executive of NHS South of England, the group will focus on how social care services, the NHS and local government organisations can work together to effect change. 

It follows pledges by the Prime Minister to make the UK a world leader on dementia. The programme aims to deliver major improvements in dementia care, awareness and research by 2015. Three ‘Champion Groups’ are being established to lead the work on each strand.

The care services minister Paul Burstow said: “We are determined to go further and faster in bringing real improvements to the care and support people with dementia and their carers receive in all settings.

“Early diagnosis is key as it allows people to plan for their future. We must also ensure that, once they receive a diagnosis, people have access to the right information and high quality services wherever they live.”