News

Service users at Newbridge, the Together Trust’s Stockport Day Service for young adults with disabilities, enjoyed an action-packed day, after staff from Cheshire Peaks and Plains Housing Association volunteered at the site. During the day, 15 staff from the Macclesfield housing provider organised a variety of activities, including a barbecue at the Cromer Street site, and a treasure hunt in a Vernon Park.
 
Cheshire Peaks and Plains visited Newbridge as part of its annual corporate volunteering day. Tim Pinder, chief executive of the Housing trust explains: “Rather than organising a typical team building event, we wanted to take part in an activity which made a tangible difference to others. Last year, we helped clear the courtyard garden at Newbridge to give service users accessible outside space. So this year, we decided to hold an event in the area to celebrate that new space. Volunteering at Newbridge has enabled us to work more closely with the wider community and build a vibrant, positive relationship with like-minded organisations.”
 
Following the barbecue, 28 service users took part in a treasure hunt at Vernon Park, which was organised by Cheshire Peaks and Plains staff. Lisa Michie, manager at Newbridge, added: “Volunteers make a huge difference to Newbridge, so we really appreciate Cheshire Peaks and Plains’ continued support. Having an extra pair of hands for a day – or in this case, fifteen extra pairs – means we’re able to do activities and tasks that are not possible on a daily basis.
 
“Thanks to organisations such as Cheshire Peaks and Plains, we can continue to improve our services, and provide a dynamic, varied programme of activities for young adults with disabilities in the area.”

Inscape Cheadle recently held their second annual ‘Green Day’. The day is part of a national initiative to help make schools more sustainable.

This year’s activities included some of KS4 pupils harvesting their home grown garden produce which was served as part of lunch on the day, children’s author Adele Shaw read to some of KS2 pupils from her book Eco Elf, a KS3 class worked with an architect looking at ways of creating sustainable buildings and other classes made instruments from recycled materials. Many parents, careers, visitors and friends attended the Fairtrade coffee morning and pupils sold plants that they themselves had propagated.
 
The day acted as a springboard for ongoing projects. The school now has facilities to recycle more materials including onsite composting of fruit and vegetable peelings. Garden produce is taken home by pupils to share with their families and is also used as part of a mini-enterprise scheme to produce sandwiches and soups. The school’s kitchen garden area also supports the new post 16 curriculum development in work related learning and ASDAN towards independence.

Bridge College students made a triumphant debut at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show this week (Tuesday 20th July 2010) after they were awarded a Silver Medal for ‘The Rhythm of Bridge’ display at the event. The garden, which was unveiled by Coronation Street star Sue Nicholls, is designed to enable those with profound and complex learning difficulties to enjoy a wide range of sensory experiences – scents, colour, texture and sounds.

Created by the students who have learning difficulties and disabilities and their tutor, Will Lyon, The Rhythm of Bridge features a series of sensory experiences  including an innovative ‘sound sculpture’ which uses sensor technology to translate body movements into digitally generated sound.

“The Rhythm of Bridge is the result of lots of time, hard work and commitment from staff and students at the College, so we’re really proud to be awarded this prestigious accolade and share our achievements on such a public stage,” said Will. “2010 is our first year at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show and it’s proven to be a fantastic opportunity to show off the skills and ideas of our students, as well as raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with complex disabilities.

Through the project, we aim to show that it’s possible to create a fully inclusive environment where anyone, with any degree of disability, can enjoy nature at its fullest and be stimulated by their surroundings.”

Bridge College, operated by the Together Trust, is one of the only day colleges in the country for students with multiple and complex learning needs including autism. Bridge College caters for 75 students aged 19-23 and specialises in supporting students with communication difficulties.

Our local supporters raised over £10,000 for the Together Trust on Saturday 5th June 2010 at our 89th annual Cheadle Festival. The event, which helped generate funds for our care and education services in the North West, featured face painters, a fun fair and a guest appearance by one of Coronation Street’s longest standing stars Sue Nicholls.

During the day, festival goers also enjoyed over 50 stalls selling locally produced items and two dramatic ‘It’s A Knockout’ competitions. After battling it out against their rivals, teams from The AA and Royal Bank of Scotland were declared winners, with St Mary’s Church (from Cheadle), Simply Health and Pets at Home also making the podium.

Topping off the event, Sue Nicholls, an avid supporter of ours, paid a visit to the Festival and even gave attendees a surprise rendition of her 70s chart hit, Where Will You Be?

Commenting on the event, Sally Bowden, fundraising manager said: “The Festival was a fantastic success. We’ve still got money coming in, but at first count, we look set to go over the £10,000 mark.

“This money will make a dramatic difference to the Together Trust, and will be used to support a range of projects for the children, young people and adults who access our services across the North West.”

The next Cheadle Festival has been confirmed as Saturday 4th June 2011 – keep checking our website for details.

A garden created by Bridge College tutor Will Lyon and his students aged 16 to 25 will be on display at RHS Show at Tatton Park between 21st to 25th July. The College, operated by the Together Trust, is based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and meets the needs of students with learning difficulties and disabilities, complex health needs, communication disorders and autism.

 
The theme of the RHS garden is 'The Rhythm of Bridge’. The garden will enable those with profound and complex learning difficulties to enjoy a wide range of sensory experiences, therapy, learning, relaxation and fun. The concept is to create an environment that focuses on particular senses such as feel, vision and sound. This can be provided through tactile experiences, sound and visual effects in many combinations, and variations. It also enables people with any degree of disability to change and influence their environment in a positive way. Please visit the RHS website for further information about the event. We look forward to welcoming all visitors to the garden.

Over 200 pupils from 13 special schools across Greater Manchester and Cheshire joined forces at the Lowry Theatre on Wednesday 7th July to stage the Inscape Salford Summer Festival. It was the 8th anniversary of the event, hosted by Inscape School in Salford.

Young people performed a range of contemporary music and songs to a packed house, including We’ve All Got Something to Give, a number specially composed by Peter Adamson, music co-ordinator at Inscape Salford. The Festival was sponsored by The Village Opticians in Prestwich.

“The event culminated months of hard work and preparation, and it was fantastic for the young people to show off their musical talents in a professional setting,” said Helen Hewitt, Director of Educational Services for the Together Trust. “The performers have a variety of special education needs, but all share an enthusiasm for music and creativity. This passion and love for performing really shone through at the festival and ensured the audience had a great time.”

The pupils from Inscape Salford performed alongside their peers from Elms Bank Specialist Arts College, Millwood Primary Special School, Green Fold School, Springwood Primary School, Chatsworth High School, Cromwell High School, Brentwood Special School, Bridge College, Manor High School ASC Resource Unit, David Lewis Centre, Pictor Special School and St John Fisher School.

Cheadle Pupils enjoy the lesson of a lifetime

Pupils from Inscape House in Cheadle enjoyed a lesson with a difference this month when hip-hop community group, Twelve24, visited the school. During the day, the students took part in activities such as break dancing and body popping, to learn about topics including, self-esteem, respect and tackling racist and homophobic stereotypes.
 
Gail Norrie, deputy head at Inscape House said: “Pupils at Inscape have Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) – they have difficulty with social interaction and social communication, which means that it is particularly important that issues like these are addressed with them. By working with groups such as Twelve24, we can ensure our curriculum meets the needs of each and every pupil, and present topics in a diverse, relevant and entertaining way.
 
The session was thoroughly enjoyed by the students and many got to try their hand at activities such as break dancing for the first time. As well as having lots of fun and learning new skills, the pupils were taught some important lessons that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.”

The draw for the Together Trust Raffle was made on 7th June 2010. A list of prizes and winners is available upon request.

It's OK to be different!

Bridge College, the Greater Manchester based specialist FE College for students with multiple and complex learning needs celebrated diversity week recently. Students enjoyed a wide variety of activities including Caribbean dance and Chinese ribbon dancing workshops, a performance of Hindi dancing, Lancashire clog dancers from Banks Lane Junior School, a Caribbean carnival and also provided afternoon tea for senior and junior members in their local community.

The College, operated by the Together Trust, is one of the only day colleges in the country for students aged up to 25 with multiple and complex learning needs including autism. Bridge specialises in supporting students with communication difficulties and has recently been accredited by the National Autistic Society.

Congratulations to Chris Cole, who works at Pendlebury, for completing the Coast to Coast walk in aid of the Together Trust.

Chris’s lifelong aim was to complete a long, ambitious walk – and you can’t get much bigger than this!  Starting in St Bees in Cumbria, Chris walked 192 miles in 12 days (Plus 10 or more extra miles walking to and from lodgings to pubs!), crossing three national parks, up hill and down dale, and ending in Robin Hoods Bay, near Whitby. You can read all about her amazing journey via her blog.

Well done Chris for such a fantastic achievement, and for raising vital funds for the Together Trust!

45 runners took part in the Bupa Great Manchester Run in aid of the Together Trust on 16th May. 

This year we had our usual base in the Manchester Hilton Hotel, offering sports fitness advice and massages to our weary runners. We also had a stand in the charity village in Manchester Central where we were able to talk to the wider public about the Together Trust and how to support us.

Well done everybody for your great efforts, we hope you enjoyed it!

The Together Trust’s publication into the role of residential facilities in supporting and supplementing family care, Family Work in Residential Childcare, is now available to download.  Originally published in 1988 under our former name, the Boys’ and Girls’ Welfare Society, the content has been praised and recommended by the National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care NCERCC for its exploration of the positive effects of partnership working in this sector.

"On the NCERCC’s recommendation, we have decided to make the book more readily available," said David Marriot, Chief Executive of the Togther Trust. "Those who wish to access the publication can now download a free version by clicking here.

Jonathan Stanley, Manager of NCERCC added, “Reviewing practice guidance for the sector NCERCC noted the gap regarding family work so we are pleased the Together Trust have been able to respond so swiftly. Maintaining contact often leads to better outcomes but research tells us that individual assessment is important and ’family’ means different things to different children so the task is to preserve and where possible strengthen the connection between children, parents and family."

The book - by John Kelsall and Billy McCullough - emphasises the importance of partnership highlights the importance of an inclusive approach towards families, and suggests that family work should involve practical help, emotional support, liaison and informal sharing.

We would like to congratulate our 'Teamstars'  Caroline, Mandy, Lisa, Lorna and Angela for taking part and completing the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 25th April in aid of the Together Trust.

After months of training, strict eating regimes, early nights and loads of fundraising, our brave volunteers took to the streets with approx 36,000 other runners and the grueling 26 mile journey began. 

Each has their own story to tell about how they made it to the finish line but all agreed that is was the best experience of their lives and a day that they will never forget!!

The 'Teamstars' each pledged to raise £1400 for the Together Trust which will be used to fund a short holiday for our fostering families.

Employees of Pets at Home based in Cheshire and Roughley Bikers from Stockport donated over 400 Easter Eggs for the Together Trust’s children and young people recently.

Sally Bowden, fundraising manager at the Together Trust, said: “Unfortunately, for a number of children we work with, Easter gifts are rare, so receiving an unexpected present like this makes such a difference. Year on year many local companies support the Together Trust Easter Egg appeal and we’re incredibly grateful for their help and generosity.”

Together Trust service users in Stockport celebrated World Autism Awareness Day (2nd April) through a creative project with local artist, Steve Elliott. As part of the project, young people and adults from the Together Trust’s social care, Bridge College, Newbridge, Inscape Cheadle and CYCES services produced totem pole designs that express their experiences and understanding of autism.

The Together Trust is transferring its post adoption service to Adoption Matters Northwest with immediate effect following a review of its provision.

The decision will enable Together Trust to concentrate on delivering its core social care and education services in the region. 

"As one of the leading providers of adoption services in the UK, Adoption Matters Northwest is perfectly placed to take over the delivery of our adoption services," said Pat Walton, Director of Social Care at the Together Trust.

The Together Trust has launched a campaign urging people to ’Be the BIG difference’ by supporting one of the hundreds of disabled children and their families in the region needing a short break.