West Somerset
Disability Association

Hello everyone.  Here is the July newsletter.  There is no newsletter in August so the next one will be published at the end of September. I hope to see you all at the next meeting, which will also be at the end of September at 2.00pm on Monday 25th September at the Seahorse Centre, Minehead.
At the meeting everybody must sign in, in the attendance book provided and if you visit the Seahorse Centre at other times sign in at Reception and wear a visitor badge.  There is no smoking allowed inside or at the front of the building.  You can smoke at the back of the building.
The address of the Seahorse Centre is: Stephenson Road, Minehead, TA24 5EB
 Building Community Learning in Somerset    

Transport
If you booked to come by taxi to the monthly WSDA meeting and you can’t make it, can you PLEASE RING DAVE WILLETT, who organises this transport, to cancel it.  PLEASE HELP US TO HELP YOU!!!  Transport queries about outings should be addressed to the Events Committee.

Useful Telephone Numbers
West Somerset Disability Association Committee Members
President:  Jean Gilbert   01984 641197
Chairman:  Dorothy Lloyd  01984 639636
Vice Chairman: Mary Court   01643 702129
Secretary:  Molly Newstead  01984 634739
Treasurer:  David Kendall  01643 863505
Transport for the monthly WSDA meeting only:
   David Willett  01643 708592
Members’ Representative:
   Marlene Saunders  01643 702972
Events Organisers: Margaret Bruford  01984 656367
   Sylvia Griffiths  01643 704637

IT Tutor   Chris Brinkman  01643 708025 Mobile 07971 285878
Seahorse Centre IT room   01643 702021 or 07971 285878
   Messages (Reception) 01643 705000
E-mail: wsomersetdisability@tiscali.co.uk
Web Site: www.westsomersetdisability.org.uk

Computers
Our new website is up and running now.  You can see the newsletter there as well as photos of our activities and news of forthcoming events.  Please give us your e-mail address if you have one, as it costs us nothing to send you your newsletter by E-mail but we have to pay to post them.  Please help us to help you!
If you would like to do some computer training please let one of the committee members know or talk to Chris our IT instructor.  You must be a member of our association (£6.00 per annum) before you can have lessons, which cost £2.00 per hour.  If anyone has a problem with their computer at home and would like help from Chris he will then advise the committee as to the problem and the committee will then decide what to do.

Disability Advocate
The service is provided by A4e and the telephone number is 0800 288 8712.  They are based at A4e, 2nd Floor, Victoria House, Victoria Street, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3JZ. The A4e website is www.a4e.gov.uk.  The service will offer help if you need assistance with care arrangements, equipment, housing, blue badges, etc.   

President’s Report
Hello everybody, this month has flown by, I suppose that means I have been busy!!  Things happen on the phone and I have to act immediately, this is how I work and then I know it’s done!!  Probably something to do with age!!  We have a new grant officer for the Lottery bid as Carol has been running round like a headless chicken, and can’t spend the time on our work.  We shall miss her but look forward to working with our new one.
Have managed to get the T.S.B. grant, and she was most impressed with the work we do.  Have filled in the half way monitoring form, which was late, for Adult Learning and Leisure, and this was successful.  There was a lot of work that Chris had to do for this, and the next step is to finalise this grant, it was only for three months but has seen us over a difficult time.
The website has been a huge success with over 10,000 hits, 339 unique visitors, and 611 visitors. Wow!!  That has really been worth having.  Had to find out all this information when completing the monitoring form.
On September 9th there is a BIG Mobility exhibition at Beaver Ford on the Mart Road estate in Minehead.  Please I need some helpers.  It runs all day and we have a table and three chairs booked, and Mary is coming down with her boards, and we have got pens and carrier bags to give away.  There are at least 12 companies taking part, so it should be good and we will get publicity.
Les Pike should be home by now after his visit to Musgrove and Rob Davis was taken into Musgrove last Friday, have sent him a card from you all.  Have seen Catherine and gave her a hug and she is being brave.  Well done.
If any of our members who live alone go away on holiday please let us know.  We are not interfering with your independent lives, BUT when we as a group come to pick you up for meetings or outings and you are not around then we all start to worry.  So please one quick phone call would eliminate all anxieties.
A very successful coffee morning last Saturday raising £119-05, thanks to everyone who helped putting the tables up and down, at the end, and to David for making the coffee and taking the boxes and bags to Beryl’s garage in his car.
Have been to a lot of other meetings and in my travels have met Neil who is the new Director for the Association for the Blind.  He is very charming and will help us in anyway that is needed, within reason!!
I will not see you all now until October as I have been allowed a holiday!!  Only joking, please be good.  Oh, just thought shall be at the next coffee morning on September 2nd.
 
Vice Chairman’s Report
Hello Mary here,
I hope that you are all well and enjoying the lovely weather we are having at the moment.  I have just come home after two weeks in Tenerife.  The weather was extremely hot and I have managed to ge a lovely tan, even though I am not one to sit for more than a few minutes ata time ,as I get bored just sitting.  The part of Tenerife where we go to is very quiet and not a lot happens but it was nice to be able to get out and not have lots of people everywhere.  Tenerife is a small island and has many temperatures, one side of the island is wet, the top of the island is cooler the left side is very warm and the bottom of the island is Hot Hot Hot; that was where I was.
Costa-Del-Silencio is a very quiet place and there are no high rise Hotels only apartments, it used to be full of entertainment and bars that had lots of live shows and Karaoke also there was a good assortment of shops but it has gone into a bit of a decline as far as these are concerned.  It is a very quiet but a very friendly place.  There does seem to be a lot of new development going on so maybe it could be a good sign of more entertainment coming in the area. It is definitely the place to go if you want a relaxing holiday.  The Island is so small you can go around it in a day and still have time to spare.
I would like to send best wishes to all our members who are ill or in hospital and hope they feel better soon.
REMEMBER We do NOT have a meeting in August so have a good summer I shall look forward to seeing you all in September.
   Best Regards Mary

Events’ Committee Report
On Friday July 14th our Quiz Night was a great success thanks to Marlene and all her helpers sadly we only had 6 players from the group, but we all enjoyed it.
Our Coffee Morning and Bring and Buy was very good on Saturday after expenses we made £119-10. I would like to thank all that helped and supported us.
It has been decided that some of the money that was made on the quiz night will be used to take the group out for a cream tea free of charge either on the 8th August or the 29th August perhaps you could let me know as soon as possible anyone wishing to go.
We would still like some more people to come our lunch at Oake Village Hall on the 10th August so please let me know very soon.
Our next and final Coffee Morning and Bring and Buy sale is on September 2th please do try and come as we do need your support 

Poets’ Corner 

HOPPING MAD

Between the wars, when work was short and men were poor
And wives stayed home to tend their spawn,
All did their best, to earn, by doing chores;
Some wives did laundry, others just scrubbed floors.
No money then, to spend on leisure,
Around their homes they found their pleasure.
Holiday, just dreams, few could afford,
Alas! No thoughts of distant shores.
For Cockneys living back and door to door;
Perchance a break, but nothing more.
Hop fields beckon, from the fields of Kent,
Special trains, for those who went.
Four weeks then, in huts galore,
Camp fire cooking and beds of straw.
The country air and rural scenes!
This, the answer to their dreams?
Early each morning the bins are set,
“Pull the vines and work with zest,
Pick just the hops and not the leaves,
Fill the bins, the pay will please.”
“Pull no more vines,” the day’s labours done.
Community evenings around the fire,
Singing songs and having fun.
Children tired and tucked in bed,
For them, adventure, or so ’tis said.
The mums and dads have done their best,
They’ve had a change, if not a rest.

………………..

Len Cross

Broken dreams can be mended
and wings can be healed
they become stronger with each fall,
and every attempt to fly again.

Love is not measured in
the number of teardrops we shed
for someone who carelessly tosses our hearts
into an ocean of regret and despair to die and
be forgotten…

It is measured in the warmth of the shadow
cast around our lifeless and broken spirit…
the shadow of someone who kisses away the teardrops
and replaces them with eternal smiles…

someone who rewrites the curses of regrets
with the promises of tomorrow…
someone who teaches us how to trust again….
how to laugh again…
how to dream again…
and how to feel again
you did this for me… and more….

But now I must mend my wings once more for they are fragile
There is no storm that I cannot weather
there are no forces greater than my inner strength

Once restored and renewed I can fly free again
and soar so high with air blowing full beneath my wings
that I can then glide effortlessly across clear blue skies
feel the fresh air thrill whilst swooping through space

I’ll be free to travel and reach for the highest heights
Curving the cliffs without fear with all seeing eyes
Soon… I’ll take flight with a soaring heart.
Soon I can fly free again.

By Gillian Cairns, a friend of Jude O’Brien

Articles, letters and e-mails

Steven Elliot wrote:
Thanks for the electronic newsletter, it worked.
The item about the strong plastic carrier bags reminded me of the following: About 40 years ago, I was in charge of a laboratory where there were strong large plastic bags.
At the time, I often went by train, to sites where I needed “wellies”. I used to take these and often only wore them for 10 minutes or so.
I decided to use these bags and put them over my shoes and keep them up with rubber bands. It worked very well. As a result, I always had a supply of these in my briefcase.
On this particular day, I was, as usual, rushing to catch a train.
Going over the station footbridge, quite a wide one, I noticed a lady with a paper carrier bag. (Yes, they had paper ones in those days). The bag had got wet and the bottom was sagging ominously.
Just as I got up to her, it happened, the bottom fell out of the bag and her purchases fell on to the footbridge.
I only had time to reach into my briefcase, hand her a plastic bag with the words “Here, take this”.
I often wonder what she thought!
Steven.

Holiday Apartment
There is a well-appointed, two bedroom apartment with good size balcony overlooking a shared pool.  Situated in Los Gigantes, Tenerife, in a quiet friendly neighbourhood within easy reach of all amenities.  Private parking.  £250 per week.  Tel: 01984 632515 or 01984 632410. 

Handy Numbers
Age Concern Information Line 0800 00 99 66 www.ageconcern.org.uk
Arthritis Care 0808 800 4050 www.arthritiscare.org.uk
Breast Cancer Care 0808 800 6000 www.breastcancercare.org.uk
CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) Minehead  01643 707484
Cruse Bereavement Care 0870 167 1677 www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk
Depression Alliance 0845 123 2320 www.depressionalliance.org
Diabetes UK 0845 120 2960 www.diabetes.org.uk
Help the Aged 0808 800 6565 www.helptheaged.org.uk
NHS Direct 0845 46 47 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Piper Lifeline 01984 635100
Prestige Mobility (Customer Focus Team) 0970 787 1975 www.prestigemobility.com
Samaritans 08457 09090 www.samaritans.org.uk
Somerset Association for the Blind 01823 333818 www.sab-fund.org.uk
Stroke Association 0845 303 3100 www.stroke.org.uk
Winter Warmth Helpline 0800 085 700 www.dh.gov.uk

Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Monday 25th September at 2.00pm at the Seahorse Centre. I hope to see you there.