Whoopsadaisy Newsletter Spring 2011
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Transcript of Whoopsadaisy Newsletter Spring 2011
Whoopsadaisy Newsletter - Spring 2011
A charity for the benefit of children with cerebral palsy and
other motor disorders
Registered charity 1083024 Hop House, 41 Church Road, Hove, E Sussex BN3 2BE
……..Tel 07588 555761
News...News...News...News…
Whoopsadaisy has had an exciting, very busy, colourful, and eventful couple of
months since our last newsletter of Summer 2010. Whoopsadaisy has never
been this vibrant before! There is lots of news we would like to share with you
this Spring regarding our extended operations, our exciting past and future
events, and fundraising activities.
Let‟s start with our most recent and very successful event.
Auction Party
Whoopsadaisy was selected from a number of local charities to take part in the
new ITV1 Auction Party series hosted by Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen.
A team of four people, “The Avengers”, represented our charity: Julie- Anne
Gilburt (a famous local artist supporting Whoopsadaisy), Elliot Maurice (friend
of Whoopsadaisy), Nina Holland (founder) and Caroline Matanle (executive
administrator). With the help of Julie-Anne‟s group of artists at JAG the team
were able to „up-cycle‟ artefacts, and along with donations of artwork from
Barry Surtees, Faye Whittaker, Eddie Kidd, Julie-Anne Gilburt and Lester
McGoogan, the
event made over
£4,000 for
Whoopsadaisy.
Thank you to all
the volunteers
who made this
event so
successful. Please
watch out for the
programme being
aired mid-March
on ITV1.
Whoopsadaisy Page 2
Our Services School for Parents for 0-5 year olds
Our two well established groups on Mondays have been
working hard and progressing steadily.
Oliver‟s mum says: “His balance is getting better and he is
communicating more. He also responds better generally.”
Ferris‟s mum says: “Ferris has really benefited from
attending Whoopsadaisy. We are able to practice what we
have learnt at home, especially all the songs - which Ferris
really enjoys!”
Let us share with you the progress of Carys, a delightful
little girl with a range of difficulties who has been
attending Whoopsadaisy‟s School for Parents with her mum since November
2008. At that time, aged two, she was able to sit on the floor and had just
started to crawl - the developmental age of a nine month old baby. She was not
able to put weight on her feet or walk as her legs were lacking tone and
strength, her feet were turning inwards and her co-ordination was poor. She
could only say a few short words, and these were only understood by those who
knew her well.
Within two months, she learnt to be on her feet more readily. She also
started to join words together when communicating and started to identify
colours. After six months, her parents said: “Carys really benefits from coming
to Whoopsadaisy in a very holistic way. She also loves it! Her confidence and
ability to move about has increased - both with the walking frame and within
the parallel bars – and her knowledge and vocabulary have greatly improved.”
And 14 months into her work with us, Carys learnt to walk independently.
She is currently learning to tackle obstacles and uneven surfaces when walking.
In addition to the two Monday groups in January 2011 we have launched a new
Tuesday group for babies.
A very warm welcome to Maya who is 10 months
old and to Archie who is celebrating his first
birthday in February. Happy Birthday Archie!
Both babies attend our classes with their
mums who are very much hands-on and eager
to learn how to help their children at home in
order to boost their early physical
development. It is best for children to start
Oliver at Christmas
Happy birthday Archie!
Whoopsadaisy Page 3
Conductive Education at as early an age as
possible, when they learn more quickly and their
bodies are more flexible. The emphasis is on
developing physical skills (e.g. reaching, rolling,
crawling, sitting, standing and taking steps)
however we also focus on sensory, social,
communication and language skills. All these aims
are “wrapped up” in lots of fun activities such as
singing, enjoying instruments and games such as
peek-a-boo, row the boat and meeting crocodiles
and chasing soft toy doggies on all fours across the room. Beata (Head of
Conductive Education) has never had so much fun before!
New children of all ages and physical difficulties are very welcome in our 3
young groups. If you are interested please get in touch with Beata on 07533
956 149. or e-mail: [email protected]
Outreach service
As part of our Outreach service we have also been working on contributing to
the children‟s statementing process to ensure that their needs are understood
and that they get the right support when they start school next year.
We have an open and friendly approach and we welcome visitors from children‟s
nurseries, schools and other professionals such as physio-therapists, portage
and play workers. We have had volunteers from schools and nurseries working
with us in order to learn from us and support the children in their settings with
our philosophy and techniques in mind.
Saturday School for 5-12 year old children
It is crucial that the progress made in the weekly
pre-school sessions is not lost once the children
start school. This is why, unlike many other
organisations in this field, we also offer services
aimed primarily at children in mainstream schools
who would benefit from our input to further develop
their physical skills and independence.
In October 2010, we re-launched our fortnightly
Saturday School, first piloted in 2009. In addition
to developing skills (and having fun!), the three-hour
Saturday School sessions also give parents and
carers the opportunity to discuss with us any
difficulties the children may be having at school,
and ways of overcoming these problems.
Welcome Maya!
Joe
Whoopsadaisy Page 4
Aliz (our experienced Saturday School Conductor), keeps
detailed notes about each of the children‟s individual
progress and developmental goals, and devises a theme for
each session to ensure the children all have great fun while
they explore and develop their potential. Joe had great fun
talking about the snowy weather and all the fun things we
can do in it and made a beautiful painted candle holder to
take home for Christmas. After all that chilly weather, the
theme for the first session this term was „Going Out‟. We
took an imaginary trip to the park
for football, and learnt that paper
could be folded to make a boat that
floats, which Brandon enjoyed
blowing across his little lake. Jayden
thought it made a nice hat!
Of course, all the while the children were working to improve
their sitting, standing and walking skills, improve their
balance and coordination and fine tune their manual
dexterity. Enjoying time together with other members of the
group and sharing in each other‟s achievements also offers
great opportunity for social development and communication.
All essential aspects of boosting the children‟s independence.
We‟ve had some very positive feedback about our Saturday
School.
Joe‟s Mum has noted “Joe‟s mobility is improving - he seems stronger and more
confident”, while Brandon‟s Mum says „The service is fantastic, Brandon looks forward
to coming to every session”. We are fortunate to have a committed team of volunteers
(Eleanor, Katie and Jamila) who work with Aliz to ensure the children really make the
most of each session, and allow parents and carers to take a well earned break if they
wish.
New face at Whoopsadaisy My name is Sarah Thomas and I‟m the new Manager of Services for 5-12 year olds at
Whoopsadaisy. I‟m taking over this role from Beata (who‟s a very hard act to follow, as
I‟m sure you‟ll agree!), so that she can focus on developing the services for children
under 5.
In practice this means I‟m the person who‟ll be doing all the organisation behind the
scenes for the Saturday School and for the Easter and
Summer Holiday Clubs this year. I‟m working closely with Aliz
and the other Conductors to ensure our existing services run
smoothly and to identify new opportunities for developing our
work to make it as widely available to this age group as possible.
I‟m very excited to be a part of Whoopsadaisy‟s valuable
services, and am really enjoying getting to know all the children
and their families and the team of volunteers.
Jayden in a self made
hat with conductor: Aliz
Brandon
Whoopsadaisy Page 5
Holiday Club
Following on from our successful Holiday Clubs during the Summer and October
half term last year, we‟re planning to run two more clubs this year at Easter
and in the Summer, each for two weeks. We have more than 30 families on our
books who have expressed an interest in our Holiday Clubs.
Each club offers a daily, five-hour Conductive Education session. Aliz, who is
now well-known by the children in our Saturday School and Holiday Clubs, will
be working at the Easter and Summer clubs this year. We expect to recruit at
least one more Conductor to work alongside her, depending on how many chil-
dren attend, to ensure everyone has lots of quality time with a trained, experi-
enced Conductor, as well as having lots of holiday fun!
Each of the children will also have the one-to-one support of a volunteer. We
are working this year to develop our existing training and induction programme
for our volunteers.
As in previous clubs, parents and carers are welcome to stay for the sessions,
sharing experiences and picking up ideas and tips. However, they are also wel-
come to leave their child in our safe hands while they take a break.
Dates for this year‟s Holiday Clubs are as follows:
Easter Holiday Club: Weekdays, 11th - 22nd April 2011 The theme is
spring, growing and exploring how Easter is celebrated in different countries
around the world.
Summer Holiday Club: Weekdays, 25th July - 5th August 2011
If you are interested in the Saturday School or the Holiday Clubs please con-
tact Sarah by e-mail: [email protected] to reserve a place.
Volunteers We are always looking for new volunteers to help in our Holidays Clubs. It is a wonder-
ful opportunity to get to know a world-famous, highly successful method and gain
hands on experience in how to enable disabled children to gain maximum independence.
Whoopsadaisy is the only place in East Sussex that practices Conductive Education.
Volunteering is subject to an enhanced CRB police check. Our volunteers can get a na-
tionally recognized certificate for their work. If you are interested in volunteering
please contact Sarah.
We need further support! To maintain and further expand our services, we
constantly need to raise more funds. We are always looking for people to carry
out their own fundraising ideas for us, be it a sponsored event or completing a
personal challenge. For fundraising ideas please look at our website or contact
Caroline Matanle on 07588 555761. We are grateful for any support no matter
how big or small.
Whoopsadaisy Page 6
Our next big event is the 2nd
Brighton Marathon on Sunday
10th April. After last year‟s
astounding success we now
have 28 runners competing on the day. Brave contestants include relatives of children at
Whoopsadaisy, two of our staff and the Chairman, Jon Orrell and other friends of Whoopsadaisy.
Everybody is in full training now and very excited about taking part in this amazing challenge. If you
would like to sponsor them please go to www.justgiving.com, and please come along and support them
on the day by cheering them on which we are sure they will need. You will find us at the start line at
Preston Park, half way outside Mazelino‟s shop (next to Hove library) on Church Road and at the
finish on Madeira Drive. Come on guys it‟s only 26 miles to go!!!!!
A Whoopsadaisy Marathon runner’s story by Mike Thomson
We first heard of Whoopsadaisy in 2008, through a friend of Beata‟s. Our eldest son Daniel spent
about 18 months having some wonderful Monday afternoons with new friends in the Whoopsadaisy
activity room. He used to love all the singing and clapping, stretching and catching, obstacle courses
and other creative play that really helped Daniel to improve his mobility in some amazing ways.
Sometimes, his little brother Rico would come along to the sessions too and he had an equally
enjoyable time.
Daniel is now at primary school and doing really well. My wife Sandy and I are so pleased that he can
get around independently. The Whoopsadaisy sessions gave him a lot of confidence as well as greatly
improving his balance and mobility. We have continued to take an active interest in the great work
the charity does. Last year, Sandy and I ran the Brighton marathon and raised nearly £1,000 for
Whoopsadaisy. This year, I‟ve roped my Dad and brother into the „race‟ and we‟ll all be raising more
money for such a tremendous cause. My brother and I are taking the event very seriously indeed
and have already picked out our Super Mario Brothers fancy dress costumes. We hope to raise even
more money for Whoopsadaisy this year to support the excellent work that they do.
Fundraising!
We have had a vibrant six months of fundraising. We have received unprecedented support from
trusts, grants, companies and individuals. So a BIG THANK YOU goes to: The Gladstone Pub- for
their three day Gladstonebury Music Festival in aid of us and their on-going collection pot; Paddle
Round the Pier for enabling us to be one of the three chosen charities at their July 2010 beach
event; Marathon runners for their sponsorship and hard training efforts; The two Sussex Community
Foundation grants from the Cullum Family Trust and the American Express Fund; First Tuesday Club
for their Christmas Fayre; Barbara Ward Children‟s Foundation for their on-going support; Carol
Harrison for Cash in the Attic; Brighton District Nursing Association Trust for their grant; Lynda
Myers Solicitors for their donation; Millies Cookie‟s for the collection pot; Jeremy from
indulgencecupcakecompany for their donation of cakes at our Auction Party; Hart Reade Solicitors
for their donation; Brian & Karen Coomber for their donation
of toys and books; Trustees of Stella Symons Charitable
Trust for their donation; Boshier-Hinton Foundation for
their grant; The Preston Brewery Tap Pub for the collection
pot; Professor John Kusel for sponsorship for 10k run;
Windlesham School for Christmas Carol Service Retiring
collection, Hemsley-Orrell Partnership for giving us free
office space, Helen Palmer, our wonderful volunteer without
whom we could not survive, for accounts, grants, fund-
raising, operations and knitting!! And all our funders and
supporters.