Contact Supporting residents with learning disabilities or autism
Supporting residents with learning disabilities or autism
Medway Council has commissioned a new pilot project to support residents with learning disabilities or autism find employment.
The Council has commissioned Kent Specialist Employment to provide tailored support to 60 residents, over the age of 16, to support them whilst finding paid employment, work placements, supported apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities which will lead to employment.
Kent Specialist Employment will also work with businesses and offer support and advice on employing people with learning disabilities and autism, to ensure they remain supported in the workplace.
Cllr Jane Chitty, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, Economic Growth and Regulation, said: “I am delighted that we are recognising and focussing on the challenges residents with learning disabilities, and/or autism may face when finding employment. We will work with them all individually to find their strengths and try to find a suitable job, work placement or apprenticeship which best meets their needs. We will continue to offer support and advice once they have found a suitable placement to help them adapt to their new working environment. I am excited that this project has taken shape and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.”
Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, Cllr David Brake, said: “We are committed to supporting our residents to reach their full potential and I am pleased that we will be offering tailored employment support to young people and adults with learning disabilities and autism. I am also pleased that we will be working with employers to ensure they know how to best support employees with additional needs. I would encourage businesses and residents to get in touch with Kent Specialist Employment if they would like to get involved in the project.”
Alicia Moyles, Head of Service for Specialist Employment (incorporating Kent Supported Employment), said: “We are delighted to be supporting Medway residents move into employment. Our proven track record throughout Kent enables us to support the residents to meet their full potential by exploring their skills and abilities using professional career guidance and supported employment principles. Our offer to employers ensures they are able to access a new talent pool of employees to embed within their workplace, through job coaching, job carving and ongoing support.”
For more information, or to find out more about the project phone 03000 410781 or email [email protected]
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Marking the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940. 15 September 1940 was officially declared Battle of Britain Day as it was the day when RAF Fighter Command claimed a decisive victory over the German Luftwaffe.
To commemorate the anniversary this year, Mayor of Ashford Cllr John Link will be taking part in brief services at Great Chart and Egerton on Sunday 13 September to pay tribute to those who lost their lives defending Britain. Coverage from both commemorations will be available online the following week, as the visits will unfortunately be closed events due to the current coronavirus restrictions.
The Ashford borough was home to several temporary airfields, including ones in Egerton, Great Chart, High Halden, Kingsnorth, and Woodchurch. Interestingly, the Egerton airfield was named RAF Headcorn, to confuse the enemy, while Headcorn’s airfield was known as RAF Lashenden.
As with the 75th anniversary celebrations for VE and VJ Day further information about Ashford’s role in the Battle of Britain and the national picture can be read online. This includes links to Winston Churchill’s famous speeches such as the one he gave to the House of Commons on 20 August 1940, when paying tribute to the RAF, he coined one of his most famous lines stating that “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
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With warmer weather forecast for the week ahead, there’s still time to unlock the last of summer and enjoy great days out at Hampshire County Council’s venues and attractions.
Take a stroll or bike ride through any of Hampshire’s five country parks or visit the furry and feathered friends at Manor or Staunton farms. For those looking to spend time out on the water, hire a kayak at Calshot Activities Centre to explore the spectacular Solent coastline. If you’re a garden enthusiast, don’t miss out on the last of the summer blooms at the world-renowned Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey.
The County Council’s Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “Being active and enjoying the outdoors is an important part of boosting your mental wellbeing and maintaining good health. Our dedicated staff are continuing to work extremely hard across all our recreation sites to ensure that people can get out and escape the everyday, with the peace of mind that they and those around them are as safe as possible from further potential spread of coronavirus.
“We’re asking visitors to also do their part to keep Hampshire safe by checking the latest updates for our venues in advance, adhering to the latest social distancing guidelines when they visit, and ensuring they leave our beautiful spaces litter-free for others to enjoy”.
To plan your next day out, visit hants.gov.uk/thingstodo for more information about the County Council’s attractions and each venue’s latest updates.
Firefighters complete Land’s End to John O’Groats Cycle
Firefighters from Burgess Hill have pedalled their way from one end of the country to the other – and raised more than £6,000 for two causes close to their hearts along the way.
The team of four arrived into John O’Groats – the most northerly point of the British mainland – on Monday evening (15 September), having set off from Land’s End in Cornwall on Saturday 5 September.
Burgess Hill Watch Manager Shaun Challis and firefighter Scott Cairncross managed to complete the full 1050 miles, with support from firefighter Matt Firmager and firefighter Martin Belford who shared the driving of the support van and cycled half of the distance each. The challenge saw them take in 60,000ft in elevation over the course of the ten days.
The team of four embarked upon the charity challenge to raise money for Kids Cancer Charity and The Fire Fighters Charity.
Shaun said: “I can’t tell you how incredible it felt to finally see that fingerpost at the finish line in John O’Groats on Monday. After ten days on the road, we were all absolutely exhausted by the end of it.
“But it has been an incredible journey, and the support we have had along the way has been phenomenal. People stopped us to give us donations towards our fundraising, and at one of our overnight stops we even managed to win a tenner during a hotly contested game of pool!
“We set ourselves the ambitious target of £5,000, and we couldn’t believe how quickly the donations were adding up – we are lucky to have received so much support, and watching the total mount up as we progressed up through the country really drove us onwards – even when it was wet and miserable.”
The firefighters celebrated completing their cycle with a dip in the sea at John O’Groats.
Phil Maynard, Station Commander for East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Hurstpierpoint, is West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s champion for The Fire Fighters Charity. Earlier this year he set all stations in West Sussex the ambitious target of raising £1,000 each for the charity. He said: “Each of the stations have found clever ways of pushing themselves to the limit to help raise money for this incredibly important cause, but I think Burgess Hill’s Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) cycle is going to take some beating. They have all worked exceptionally hard to pull this one off, and I know I speak for the whole of service when I say just how proud we are of everything they have achieved over the past ten days.”
Essex Lottery – support good causes recovering from lockdown
Play the Essex Lottery to support good causes across Essex facing financial hardship following the lockdown AND have a chance to win a weekly £25,000 jackpot.
The Essex Lottery is an online lottery created by Essex County Council to support local causes across the county.
Since the Essex Lottery launched in 2017 over £215,000 has been donated to good causes in the county. This is thanks to the thousands of players who buy a weekly £1 ticket – with 60p of every ticket they purchase going to good causes.
Many of the good causes supported by this Lottery have done great work supporting communities during the lockdown, but at the same time are now struggling due to events being closed down by social distancing protocols.
Currently more than 260 charities and good causes are signed up to benefit from The Essex Lottery – supporting a diversity of causes across Essex from animal welfare, education and arts groups to organisations supporting children, disadvantaged groups and the elderly. Local good causes include community groups, sports clubs, brownies or scout’s and school PTAs. Players are able to select the good causes they wish to support.
Now is the time to support these charities and good causes by buying tickets for the Essex Lottery. One such charity supported by the Lottery is Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund.
Linda Belgrove, founder of Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund, said: “Regular funding streams are so important to us. The monies we receive from The Essex Lottery go directly towards vet and welfare costs of retired police dogs.
“Last year we paid out over £8,000. This year an emergency op for stomach blockage was £2,400; then there are the regular payments for debilitating arthritis. We are so grateful to be part of The Essex Lottery and how it helps our retired police dogs.”
Causes which can be supported by playing the Essex Lottery include The East Anglian Railway Museum, South Essex Wildlife Hospital and Colchester Foodbank.
Prize draws take place every Saturday night when a 6-digit winning combination is picked. Prizes will be given to players with tickets that match the first or last 2-6 numbers from the winning combination. Match all 6 and you win the JACKPOT, won for the first time in January 2019.
Every week there are prizes to be won of free tickets and cash prizes of £25, £250, £2,000 and £25,000 – to players whose numbers match the winning number combination.
To find out more visit: essexlottery.co.uk or call the Essex Lottery support team on 0300 302 32 32
A total of 20p from each £1 ticket goes to the prize, with 60p going towards funding good causes (nominated causes receive 50p from each £1 ticket brought via their page on the lottery with a further 10p funding local good causes and initiatives via the Central Fund). The remaining 20p is used to administrate the lottery.
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Solar Together Kent – reduced price solar panels for residents
Medway Council is encouraging residents to find out more about a scheme which could help them save money and reduce their carbon emissions.
Solar Together Kent will use the collective buying power of residents in Kent and Medway to help households get a reduced price on the installation of solar panels.
Medway Council is working with Kent County Council on the innovative scheme which offers high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to help deliver Kent and Medway’s vision of carbon net-zero.
The scheme helps homeowners feel confident that they are paying the right price for a high-quality installation from pre-vetted installers, which will boost local renewable energy generation.
With solar panels, the average household could reduce its annual carbon emissions by 1.3 to 1.6 tonnes each year. This is equal to driving 4,500 to 5,500 miles in an average petrol car.
How it works
Residents can register their interest in the scheme for free and without obligation before 6 October 2020. A supplier ‘auction’ will then be held where approved suppliers will bid for the work. The more people who register, the better the deal should be for each household. Residents who registered their interest will then be contacted with a personal quote and they will have until 11 December 2020 to decide whether to go ahead with the installation.
If residents already have solar panels installed, they can register to have battery storage added to maximise the benefits of their system.
Cllr Howard Doe, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services and Chairman of the Climate Change Member Advisory Group, said: “We are committed to developing proposals, like Solar Together, to help address the climate emergency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Medway. We must all play our part in reducing the impact of climate change and I would encourage residents to find out more about the project, and how solar panels may be able to reduce your electricity bill.”
Marie-Louise Abretti, iChoosr UK Solar Manager added “With residents of Kent looking for opportunities to reduce their carbon emissions and save on energy bills, the Solar Together group-buying scheme offers a straightforward way to make an informed decision and access a competitive offer from a trusted provider.”
The scheme is also open to small businesses and community buildings for installations of less than 50 panels.
