West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society - Autism support in Suffolk

WSNAS Events and Groups 2012 Calendar

2012-01-20T22:27:00.005Z

In an attempt to keep all our 720 members (!!!!) informed about the ever increasing number of regular groups and events we run, we are trialing a WSNAS Calendar. It is intended to be used as a guide.

ALL EVENT DATES ARE PROVISIONAL AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, however we will continue to e-mail confirmation and details about venues and timings in the week proceeding each event/group.

We hope that you will find it a useful tool and will be updating it as and when we add to the schedule in 2012.

WSNAS Committee

Our 3rd Annual Autism Friendly Christmas Party - 10/12/11

2011-12-15T07:47:00.007Z

Thank you to everyone who came along to our 3rd Annual Autism Friendly Christmas Party on Saturday! We had 107 people through the door over the course of the day and hopefully everyone had a good time. Thank you to all the committee and volunteers who made it possible too - we are looking forward to 2012!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from everyone at WSNAS!

NEXT SUNDAY 20th November @ 11am - "Cars 2" Autism-Friendly Screening

2011-11-14T17:24:00.004Z

We will be holding our next autism-friendly cinema screening of "Cars 2" @ 11am THIS SUNDAY 20th November - Abbeygate Picture House, Hatter St, Bury St Edmunds. IP33 1NE. The format will be the same; doors will be open from 10.45am and for those of you who haven't attended one of our special screenings before this is a private screening (lower volume, no adverts, freedom to move around/leave the cinema etc) and therefore it's a great opportunity to try out a trip to the cinema in a friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere.

It's just £3 per person and although all the usual snacks and drinks are available to purchase you are welcome to bring your own if this is better for you.

Best Wishes
WSNAS

Autism Friendly Christmas Party - Saturday 10th December 2011 – 11am-3pm

2011-10-31T22:57:00.005Z

I feel we should be apologising for mentioning the ‘Christmas’ word this far in advance but we are delighted to invite you to our third annual ‘alternative’ Christmas Party at the Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road, Bury St Edmunds. IP33 3JT. You will shortly be receiving your personal e-mail invitation with a printable copy of the Invitation you can see above. Check your in-box!

The ‘party’ is planned very carefully to make it as enjoyable and un-stressful as possible for autistic children, and their siblings. We appreciate that at this time of year and the build up to Christmas and the inevitable departure from routine can make life very difficult for all our families. Your family is welcome to drop in for as long or short a time as suits you between 11am and 3pm.

We have hired the whole of The Hyndman Centre, so only our families will be on the site. Following extensive building work over the last year, the new, improved facilities are now complete and the Centre will be divided into areas for the different activities. We will be offering non-competitive games, arts and crafts, a LEGO room and a computer gaming area, which will have 2 X-box 360 consoles, a Wii and a Playstation 3 (our latest purchases which have already been tried out by the Youth group) set-up as well as seating for children to play on their own DSs (don’t forget your charger!!). There will also be a ‘quiet room’ for anyone who needs a bit of peace or privacy.

Drinks and snacks will be available all day, although if you are planning to be with us over the lunchtime you may like to bring your child’s preferred packed lunch.

We will not be having the real Father Christmas at the party as many of our children find him scary. He will be represented by a toy Father Christmas who stands by our Christmas tree, with a letter inviting the children to each choose a present from him to take home. We will have a have a basket of the unwrapped gifts for the children to choose from.

We will be holding a raffle in aid of Branch funds during the afternoon (prizes will be drawn at 2.45pm – we will ask you to leave contact details so that we can contact you if you’ve gone home (and have won something!!). If any of you would like to donate a prize, please let us know.

Last year the event was really enjoyed by all the children and their families and we really hope that you can join us this year. The party is FREE to all our members, so please could you let us know if you are able to attend (and how many of you will be coming) by e-mailing the branch (address to the right) by Saturday 3rd December 2011. This means we don’t waste hard raised funds over-catering.

Finally, just a reminder that is NOT a drop-off event – children need to be accompanied and supervised during their stay.

We look forward to meeting members old and new on the 10^thDecember 2011!

Youth Group - Ten-Pin Bowling - Tuesday 1st November

2011-10-31T21:03:00.002Z

Just a reminder that this week the youth group will be meeting at 6.50pm for a 7pm start on Tuesday 1st November (tomorrow) at Bury Bowl for an evening of Ten- Pin bowling.

This event is open to members from Year 5 upwards (accompanied and supervised throughout by a adult/carer) and will cost just £1 per game per person.

Even if you haven't been before, please come along. This is a very friendly group and always welcomes new members.

LEGO Club - October 2011

2011-10-22T20:52:00.000+01:00

Thank you to all those LEGO Club members who made such brilliant models this morning! You are all so creative - well done! Check out the photos...........

We have decided to offer a second session of LEGO Club, it will take place on the same Saturday but at a slightly later time (11.15-12.15pm) @ The Hyndman Centre, Bury St Edmunds. We ask for a donation of £1 per session and all our LEGO builders get a photo of their creation to take home. Places are limited so if you are interested please e-mail the Branch and I will send out an application form.

Wow! Great work everyone!

2011-10-22T20:31:00.005+01:00

Next Tuesday 4th October - Youth Group Gaming Evening

2011-09-29T10:48:00.005+01:00

NEXT TUESDAY 4th October WSNAS's Youth Group will be having its first Gaming Evening with our newly purchased Games consoles and TVs at the Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3JT.

We have been lucky enough to be able to buy, with the support of 2 local charities:

2 XBOX 360 Consoles
1 Playstation 3 Console
1 Wii Console

and 4 Flat Screen TVs.

This will be their first outing and we hope that this activity will appeal to our Youth members.

The evening will begin at 7pm and although we have enough controllers for up to 10 players to be gaming at the same time we would be grateful if members could bring along their own hand held games consoles (e.g. PSP or Nintendo DSs) to play while they are waiting. We have several extension leads so remember your chargers!

We will be using a timer system to ensure everyone takes turns on those consoles and games they wish to play on.

We have also purchased a few games for the consoles:

XBOX 360 - FIFA 11 and LEGO Harry Potter
PS3 - LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
Wii - Wii Sports and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

If you would like to bring any other games please ensure they are clearly named and are a '12' rating or below. Use of the games will be at the discretion of the adults running the session.

There will be a suggested donation of £1 per person to take part in this event. Drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening.

THIS EVENT AND ALL THOSE RUN BY WSNAS ARE NOT DROP-OFF EVENTS - EACH YOUTH MEMBER MUST BE ACCOMPANIED AND SUPERVISED THROUGHOUT THE SESSION BY AN ADULT OR CARER. THIS IS FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL THOSE ATTENDING AND HELPS ENSURE THAT EVERYONE INVOLVED HAS AN ENJOYABLE EVENING.

If you need any more details then please call the Branch Mobile on 07795 238778.

Look forward to seeing you there.

URGENT - CANCELLATION OF TOMORROW'S FAMILY PICNIC @ NOWTON PARK

2011-09-09T16:50:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately we have had to make the difficult decision to CANCEL tomorrow's Family Picnic at Nowton Park.

We were unable to man the event sufficiently to meet the requirements of the Risk Assessment.

I would like to apologise to those of you who had planned to attend and prepared your children for the Picnic.

Please pass this message onto anyone who may not check their e-mails before tomorrow. I will also post this message on Facebook and the WSNAS website.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Regards

Jo Hyndman
Branch Officer
WSNAS

End of Summer Family Picnic - Saturday 10th September

2011-09-01T18:13:00.002+01:00

The summer holidays are almost over which means it's time for our annual "End of Summer Family Picnic".

This event will take place on Saturday 10th September 2011 from 11am to 3pm in the Lower Field of Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds. IP29 5LU

We will have our Branch marquee and some outdoor games for you and your family to enjoy and there will be members of the committee there throughout the day. You can come along at any time and stay for as long or short a time as you like, all you need to bring is a picnic and perhaps a picnic blanket as facilities are fairly limited at Nowton while the new visitor's centre is being built. This is an informal gathering but you should be able to meet other families in a similar situation and enjoy a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This is however NOT a drop-off event and all children/young people must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or carer.

No need to let us know whether you can attend but hopefully if the weather is kind we will see several of you there on the 10th September!

URGENT MESSAGE - TOMORROW'S CANOEING DAY CANCELLED

2011-08-03T21:25:00.002+01:00

We have just been notified by the River Stour Boating Director that tomorrow's Canoeing Day has had to be CANCELLED because of tonight's storms and the weather forecast for tomorrow. This a Health and Safety decision. The activity would be deemed too dangerous for all those involved to participate.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this late notification.We are trying to call all those who had booked a place by phone this evening and failing that first thing in the morning.

We hope to be able to rearrange the event before the end of the summer holidays.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards

Jo Hyndman
Branch Officer
West Suffolk NAS

New day - same great Autism-Friendly Cinema Screening!

2011-07-19T23:59:00.009+01:00

"RIO" in 2D : SUNDAY 24th JULY 2011 - 11AM

We will be holding our next autism-friendly cinema screening at the Abbeygate PictureHouse, Hatter St, Bury St Edmunds. IP33 1NE, this SUNDAY 24th July @ 11am.

We are trialling a SUNDAY screening, at a slightly later time but the format will be the same; doors will be open from 10.45am and for those of you who haven't attended one of our special screenings before this is a private screening (lower volume, no adverts, freedom to move around/leave the cinema etc) and therefore it's a great opportunity to try out a trip to the cinema in a friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere.

It's just £3 per person and although all the usual snacks and drinks are available to purchase you are welcome to bring your own if this is better for you.

Hope to see you on SUNDAY!!

LEGO Club goes from strength to strength

2011-07-02T15:05:00.005+01:00

Today, saw the second LEGO Club session at the Hyndman Centre, Bury St Edmunds. 4 families attended, with a total of 6 children building some brilliant LEGO creations. After a drink and a snack each child gets a photo printed of their model to take home. If you are interested in joining LEGO club please e-mail the branch and we will send out an application form. There is one more session before the summer break on Saturday 30th July.

Comet Drop 2011 - Saturday 25th June

2011-06-25T21:36:00.007+01:00

The Comets have dropped!!

2011-06-25T21:22:00.002+01:00

Earlier today, at the West Suffolk Country Fair, WSNAS successfully dropped almost 1000 comets!

With 40 prizes up for grabs and despite a rather stiff breeze which threatened to blow some of the Comets to Ipswich, our friends from the Suffolk Kite Flyers expertly performed the drop in the main show ring of the Fair.

So, if you bought a Comet or two, we just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for your support and generosity and don't forget to check your in-box or answer phone over the next couple of days as we will letting the winners know what they won!

Why not take a look at the photos of the event................................

Just Giving Widget!

2011-06-03T14:01:00.001+01:00

Wow! We have a Widget! Basically that means it's even easier to go straight to our Justgiving page and buy 'Comets'! The prize list is growing by the day so check it regularly. Thanks for your support.

2011 Comet Drop for Autism

2011-05-31T00:32:00.024+01:00

June 2011 sees our biggest annual fundraiser of the year in the shape of ‘The Comet Drop’.

We will be staging a spectacular ’ Comet Drop’ from a high kite as part of the Rougham Estates ‘Country Fair’ on Saturday 25th June 2011.

This will both raise awareness of autism in our community and raise much-needed funds to continue and build on the support that we now offer to people affected by autism throughout West Suffolk.

This includes valuable support and regular social opportunities for children, teenagers and adults as well as special autism-friendly events which have enabled many autistic people in West Suffolk to take part in and enjoy traditional social festivities for the first time ever – including bowling, golf, family picnics, canoeing and our regular Autism Friendly Cinema screenings and alternative Christmas party. To buy 'Comets' follow this link:

http://www.justgiving.com/Comet-Drop-for-Autism-West-Suffolk-NAS

Each comet costs £1 and gives you the chance to win one of many fantastic prizes including;

2 Children's Bikes

3 month trial of Tuition service "I Can You Know"

A 'spider'Kite

Wine

Champagne

5 Model Tank kits from Armourfast

LEGO set

Large Outdoor Cushions from Runaway Coast

Meal voucher for Risbygate Fish and Chips, Bury St Edmunds

2 x Lunch Meal vouchers for the Full House Oriental Buffet, Cornhill St, Bury St Edmunds

Chocolates

4 Tickets for Cineworld, Bury St Edmunds

£20 gift voucher for Balaam's Music

Meal voucher for The Canton Chinese Restaurant, Hatter St, Bury St Edmunds

1 x 6person and 10 x 2 person Day passes for Clarice House, Bury St Edmunds

A round of golf for 4 at the Suffolk Golf and Country Club plus Bedford's Estate Agency umbrella and tees

Golf gloves

A month's free membership to the Ladies only "Gymophobics", St John's Street, Bury St Edmunds

and many more.............

Please pass on this link to your friends, families and colleagues.

After donating, please complete your contact details (email address) where asked, so that we can contact you if you are a winner!!

Thank you for your continued support!

Events Update

2011-05-17T15:48:00.004+01:00

There have several of our regular events which maybe of interest to you coming up in the next 2 weeks....................

1. The regular Folk Music night held at the Adult Resource Centre, Hollow Road,Bury St Edmunds, IP32 7AY is happening THIS THURSDAY 19th May 7-9pm.

This is NOT a WSNAS event but caters for adults with a range of disabilities.
You can find out more by going to their website http://www.milkmaidmusic.co.uk/thursdayclub/about.html

We must apologise as there was a venue mix up by the organisers of last month event, but we have been reassured that this has been resolved.

Refreshments will be available during the evening for a small charge although the evening is FREE.

One of our committee members, Julie Macro, will be attending the evening and will be wearing WSNAS identification.

This evening provides the opportunity for adults with a range of disabilities to experience folk music in a welcoming and understanding environment. Please go along if you think this type of evening would appeal to you or an adult you care for.

2. WSNAS Youth and Carer Group - FRIDAY 27TH MAY @ Bury Bowl, Autopark, Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. IP33 1YQ

The group will be meeting at 6.45pm for a 7pm start. This event is for young people between the ages of 10-17years and each young person must be accompanied and supervised at all time by an adult or carer.

This is a subsidised event but we ask for a donation of £1 per person per game.

3. WSNAS Adult and Carer Group - TUESDAY 24th MAY @ Quaker Meeting House, St John's Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1SJ

Our regular monthly group for adults on the Autistic Spectrum and their parents or carers

6.30 - 8.30pm, refreshments available.

Hope to see you at one of these events

WSNAS Member tackles sea-swim for NAS

2011-05-17T09:20:00.001+01:00

One of our members; Simon Lunken has challenged himself to enter the Tenby 3.8km sea swim competition in South Wales in June. It has been a long time since he has competed, let alone in a competition of this magnitude, as the swim is the full Iron man distance.

Simon's chosen charity is the National Autistic Society (NAS), to help children and adults with this learning disability. Simon's eldest son, Harvey, was diagnosed with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) back in December 2009. He feels the NAS do a marvellous job to support those within the Autistic Spectrum and also the families, through education programs and general support.

So, if you would like to sponsor Simon with this challenge, you can through his 'just giving' website www.justgiving.com/simon-lunken

Many thanks for your support.

Just a reminder that................

2011-05-14T12:35:00.006+01:00

we run 2 regular drop-in groups, as well as our Sudbury Drop-In cafe (see right):

Youth and Carers Group
The group is designed for individuals on the Autistic Spectrum between the ages of 10-17 years and takes place at various venues (depending on the activity) on the 4th FRIDAY of each month:

Friday 27th May 2011
Friday 24th June 2011
Friday 22nd July 2011

Usually from 7-9pm. Members receive an e-mail confirming the details a week or so before the group meets.

Young people must be accompanied and supervised throughout by a parent or carer.

Adult and Carer Group
This group is designed for adults on the Autistic Spectrum and their parents or carers. It meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the Quaker Meeting House, St John's Street, Bury St Edmunds.IP33 1SJ.

Tuesday 24th May 2011
Tuesday 28th June 2011
Tuesday 26th July 2011

6.30 - 8.30 pm

If you would like further information about either of these groups, please call the Branch mobile on: 07795 238778

Hope to see some of you there!

Launch of our LEGO Club

2011-05-14T11:24:00.003+01:00

We would like to announce the launch of our LEGO Club!!

LEGO club will provide opportunities for children on the Autistic Spectrum to play alongside each other while creating and building with their parent/carer.

The session will be structured, with the use of visual timetables but the emphasis will be on creativity and having fun.

WSNAS Members should check their in-boxes for the invitation and application form and complete them as soon as possible.

Autism Friendly Cinema Screening of 'Rango' in 2D

2011-05-14T11:15:00.004+01:00

WSNAS will be hosting an Autism-Friendly screening of 'Rango' in 2D on Saturday 21st May @ 10am at the Abbeygate PictureHouse Cinema, Hatter St. Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1NE.

Doors will be open from 9.45am and for those of you who haven't attended one of our special screenings before this is a private screening and therefore it's a great opportunity to try out a trip to the cinema in a friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere.

It's just £3 per person and although all the usual snacks and drinks are available to purchase you are welcome to bring your own if this is better for you.

Hope to see you there!

2011-05-08T20:13:00.003+01:00

New Helpline Numbers for the National Autistic Society

We have been notified that the following new telephone numbers will be in use from Monday 9th May:

The Education Rights Service is on 0808 800 4102
The Autism Helpline is on 0808 800 4104
The Parent-to-Parent Service is on 0808 800 4106

Calls to these numbers are free from landlines and most mobiles.

Branch News March 2011

2011-03-28T20:28:00.004+01:00

At the recent WSNAS AGM, Jo Hyndman (existing committee member and Secretary) was voted in as the new West Suffolk Branch Officer. Paul Bedford kindly agreed to continue in his role as Branch Treasurer. Beverley Price (Regional Officer NAS) led the vote of thanks to the outgoing Branch Officers Suzanne Stevenson and Lisa Spencer, for their hard work and dedication to the Branch over the past 3 years. They took the lead in launching the Branch and have steered it brilliantly through its first couple of years - now boasting a membership of over 600. They will be a very hard act to follow!

Invitation to the Annual General Meeting

2011-01-16T22:19:00.000Z

You are warmly invited to our
Annual General Meeting
At The Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road, Bury St Edmunds
On Wednesday 9th February 2011
7.00pm – 9.00pm

Dear Members,
It is now two years since the West Suffolk Branch was formed, and therefore time for our second Annual General Meeting.

The primary reason for the AGM is to give members the opportunity to stand for and/or to vote for who they would like to run the branch in 2011 in the roles of Branch Officer(s), Treasurer and Secretary, so that the West Suffolk Branch can continue to run. This year Lisa and Suzanne are stepping down from their roles as Co-Branch Officers. This is for personal reasons, with much regret, but does mean that it is vital for us to elect someone else to the role in February. Please could any member interested in any of the three roles up for election contact us, preferably by e-mail, as soon as possible for further information and to have their names added to the agenda for the meeting.

The AGM is also a useful forum for members to give their feedback on the social groups and autism-friendly events hosted by the branch, and to offer their ideas for improvements and new groups and events.

During the evening we will be presenting an overview of the groups and events that the West Suffolk Branch has run during 2010 and what we hope to continue with and add in 2011. If you would like to be more involved with the branch activities, the AGM is a good opportunity to chat to the current committee members about what is involved. Any member is very welcome to join the committee and to attend our monthly committee meetings. It is not an onerous commitment – it may be that you would just like to contribute your ideas at the meetings, or perhaps help out at just one of our monthly or annual events.

Although the AGM will have a formal agenda, in accordance with National Autistic Society guidelines, we hope that it will be an informative and enjoyable evening, and hope that lots of you will be able to attend. After the formal business is finished (we will try to wrap that up by 8.30pm), we would like to invite you to stay on for a free Fish and Chip supper, to chat to each other and to the committee members for half an hour or so.

We would be very grateful if you could let us know if you will be able to attend on 9th February, so that we have some idea of numbers.

Lisa Spencer and Suzanne Stevenson
Co-Branch Officers, West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society

THANK YOU!

2010-12-13T19:56:00.001Z

Dear All,

We just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you that came along to our second annual Autism-Friendly Christmas party on Saturday.

We hope you feel to was a success, not only because of the fact that a 1/6 of our total membership attended but because we had some lovely feedback and lots of smiling faces on the day!

Without everyone's support prior to, during and in the aftermath of this event, it would not have been such a good day. From unloading vast number of boxes from cars, moving furniture, decorating the building site that is the Hyndman Centre at the moment, chatting to members, selling raffle tickets, marshaling the 'Games Room', making tea and serving refreshments .....................................AND of course clearing up afterwards - your help was greatly appreciated, especially at this busy time of year.

The raffle and member donations netted approximately £120, and will go some way towards our outgoings.

So, in case we didn't get a chance to speak to you personally on Saturday, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Suffolk Group of the Dyspraxia Foundation

2010-12-04T22:55:00.000Z

Some of you may have seen the article in the Bury Free Press about the launch of the Suffolk Group of the Dyspraxia Foundation. Some individuals on the Autistic Spectrum also have a diagnosis of Dyspraxia.

The Dyspraxia Parent Support Group will run once a month in each fourth week. Its meeting will be held at the Hyndman Centre, Hospital Rd, Bury St Edmunds and each meeting will alternate between the afternoon and evening. Next month's meeting will be on 22nd December at 7-9pm to give everyone a chance to attend should a daytime not be possible. Anyone requiring further information please contact Charlotte Gillespy (one of WSNAS's committee members) on charlotte@cgillespy.orangehome.co.uk or mobile 0783 8568308.

Hope this may be of interest to some of you.

Regards

WSNAS

Light Up The Sky Details

2010-11-07T19:13:00.001Z

As you know, Suffolk Kite Flyers have re-arranged the date for the postponed 'Light Up the Sky 2010' - it is taking place next Saturday 13th November 6-8.30pm @ Rougham Airfield, Bury St Edmunds.

Rougham is situated 2 miles east of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. To get to the venue,take junction 45 off the A14 which is sign-posted for Rougham Industrial Estate and follow the signs from there, along General Castle Way. Drive straight ahead once you are on the Industrial Estate, Members of WSNAS/SKF will be at the roadside, wearing safety jackets to direct you.

For SatNav the nearest postcode for the area is IP30 9ND

This year the event will be of a different format, Suffolk Kite Flyers have decided to go back to basics.

THERE WILL BE NO FIREWORKS.

As part of a weekend of flying, we are invited to join SKF from 6.00pm until 8.30pm to decorate and illuminate kites (bring your own / we will have some available for members to buy- £7) and then launch them into the night sky. This should, (weather permitting!!!!) create a fantastic spectacle and be very autism friendly.

There will be glo-sticks and lights (costing between 50p and £1) and other decorations available for you, as well a BBQ (kindly provided by SKF), popcorn and delicious hot chocolate to buy. All proceeds will go to Children in Need – so raid those piggy banks!!!

We will have our large marquee, where members can decorate their kites, shelter and meet other individuals on the autistic spectrum, their parents and carers.

Due to the exposed nature of Rougham Airfield it is advisable to wrap up very warmly. Members who are particularly sensitive to the wind should ensure they have a hat or ear muffs to cover their ears. If you, or your family member prefers you can watch the event from inside your car.

We hope that as many of you as possible will join us for this unique event and help raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Keep your fingers crossed for favourable weather conditions this time!!

Light Up the Sky is back ON!

2010-11-05T16:13:00.000Z

Just a brief message to let you know we have heard from Suffolk Kite Fliers that they plan to hold this year's postponed 'Light up the Sky' on

SATURDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2010

A date for your diaries, more details to follow in the next few days!

Light Up The Sky Update

2010-10-05T19:15:00.002+01:00

We were hoping to take part with the Suffolk Kite Flyers annual 'Light Up The Sky' event on the 9th October.

Unfortunately following an event held at Rougham Airfield last weekend, and the recent wet weather, large parts of the airfield and in particular the entrance are impassable. The Suffolk Kite Flyers plan to re-schedule the whole weekend's activities once conditions improve. We will notify you of this date as soon as a decision is made.

New drop in dates

2010-09-21T19:26:00.002+01:00

Sudbury Drop In
There is a cafe drop-in available to anyone on the autistic spectrum, their families, carers in the Sudbury Area. Come and enjoy a cuppa and a chat at out friendly group. New members always welcome

Thursday 9th Sept 2010

Thursday 14th Oct 2010

Thursday 11th Nov 2010

9.30 - 11.30 am

Number Seventy Two, 72 North Street,
Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1RF

Youth and Adult Drop-in
We are offering a drop-in session for teens and adults on the autistic spectrum and for carers to meet each other on Tuesday Evenings on the 4th Tuesday of the month

Tuesday 28th Sept 2010

Tuesday 26th Oct 2010

Tuesday 23rd Nov 2010

Young adults/teenagers are welcome from 6.30 until 7.30 with a carer to accompany them

Adults from 6.30 until 8.30

Margaret Kemp Room, Quakers Meeting House, Bury St Edmunds

WSNAS End of Summer Picnic – This Saturday - 11th September 2010

2010-09-09T10:50:00.000+01:00

Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds IP29 5LU

WSNAS will be holding our annual End of Summer picnic this Saturday in Nowton Park. We will be there from 11am-3pm and you are welcome to come for a long or as short a time as you and your family like. We will have giant games (Jenga, Connect 4 etc) and sports equipment for you to use, as well as our Marquee/gazebo where children can colour/draw or play on their DS. You are also free to use all the park's facilities. Don't forget to bring your own picnic as there are limited facilities at Nowton Park (No BBQs or fires).

Hope to see you there!!!!

Shrek Forever! - Autism Friendly Cinema Screening

2010-07-28T08:29:00.000+01:00

The summer holidays are upon us and it's time for our next Autism-Friendly Cinema Screening! Next Saturday 31st July @ 10am we will be showing Shrek Forever After in 2D @ the Picturehouse Cinema, Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds.

For those of you who are haven't attended one of these screenings before, you, your family and friends are invited to join us in a friendly and understanding atmosphere - the volume is reduced, lighting is kept on low and you are welcome to bring your own snacks and drinks if you wish. Admission is just £3 per person and we hope that as many of you as possible will come along.

Youth, Adult and Carers Drop-In News

2010-06-16T15:55:00.001+01:00

On Tuesday 25th May 2010, 20 of our members met at Bury Bowl for an evening of Ten-Pin Bowling. For some, it was the first time they had tried this activity but everyone seemed to have fun! Parents and carers were also able to have a chat and a drink in a relaxed environment and hopefully this group will continue to provide this sort of social opportunities for this section of our membership. You may have noticed that there has been a subtle name change to this group; from 'Teen, Adult and Carers Drop-in' to 'Youth, Adult and Carers Drop-in'. Following recent discussions is was decided that we should open up this group to members from Year 5 upwards and hopefully this will mean we can help even more of our membership. Details of the next meeting/event coming soon.

Kite Festival – a BIG thankyou!!!!

2010-06-16T15:54:00.000+01:00

The weekend of the 15th and 16th May 2010 saw the Branch celebrate our first anniversary at the Kite Festival in Bury St Edmunds.

Our new, larger marquee provided a meeting and information point for members old and new and lots of our members got to ‘fly a kite’ in our display. Thanks again to Team Spectrum for their fantastic display flight which provided the perfect prelude to the Comet Drops. These went off without a hitch (always rather nerve wracking!) and thanks to the generosity of all our supporters who bought Comets from members or via our Justgiving site we managed to raise £1300.

This took the total raised over the weekend with our other competitions and donations to over £1500.

A fantastic effort which will enable us to continue to provide events like the Autism Friendly Cinema screenings, Sudbury Drop-In Cafe, Youth, Adult and Carer’s Drop-In and our Christmas parties. Thank you !

Kite Festival Details

2010-05-14T09:56:00.000+01:00

As you know, we are preparing to celebrate our first anniversary this weekend (Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May 2010) at the International Kite Festival at Rougham Airfield, Bury St Edmunds, IP30 9ND. We will be there with our new, larger marquee. You will be able to meet other members, collect information, take part in our fundraising games and competitions or just find a quieter, sheltered place to enjoy your cuppa! There will be colouring and a small, adjoining marquee for any children who need to chill out or quietly play with their Nintendo!!! There will even be a couple of individual sized pop-up tents in case any children want to be completely alone for a while. We are planning to have a chocolate tombola and a guess how much Lego is in the jar competition. On top of this you will be able to see stunning kite flying displays by some of the world's best flyers. To find out more about the other attractions visit
http://www.skfc.co.uk/festival/festivalinfo/programme2010.pdf

You don't need to let us know you are coming, you can just decide on the day. We really hope that we can turn out in large numbers to show how much the membership has grown in the last 12 months. There should be a few spare kites available if anyone decides at the last minute to take part in our group kite fly. The price of kites has increased to £7 and not £6 as we had originally hoped. Kites can be bought by members from our marquee. Those who have pre-ordered will have their kites waiting for them at the marquee too. If you took part last year we are flying the same type of kites again, so you can use your kite once more.

Visit http://www.skfc.co.uk/festival/festivalinfo/layout2010.pdf to see the site layout. We will be next door to the first aid zone, near to the disabled parking area.

The times for our displays are the same on both Saturday and Sunday. Please try to arrive by at Rougham Airfield by 1.15pm at very latest. Allowing time to get through the gates, park up, report to WSNAS marquee to collect kites and read the safety briefing. We all need to be ready to be at Main Display Ring before 1.55 (times may vary slightly).

1.55-2.00 Team Spectrum will perform a tribute flight for WSNAS

2.00-2.10 Members of WSNAS fly their 'rainbow delta' kites as a group display. The more the merrier! Help will be given.

2.10-2.20 Comet drop by SKFC. This is a big fundraiser for us, so if you haven’t already done so, please buy some comets in advance at the just giving website http://www.justgiving.com/cometdropforautism or bring some cash to buy some on the day. Last chance to buy comets will be 1.10pm on the Sunday. Our comet sales are slow this year so please try to get friends and family to take part too.

Directions
http://www.skfc.co.uk/festival/festival_directions.html

Don't forget it can be extremely windy on the airfield so wrap up warmly and consider wearing a hood or ear muffs if sensitive to windy weather (we will have a few pairs of ear defenders and lots of earplugs for members to borrow if necessary). Food and drink can be bought on site but you can bring your own picnic if you prefer.

We are looking forward to meeting up with you this weekend and hope you have a great time at the Kite Festival,

Suzanne Stevenson and Lisa Spencer
Co-Branch Officer, West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society

Autism is much more common than most people think. There are over half a million people in the UK with autism - that's around 1 in 100 people. It is a lifelong condition; children with autism grow up to become adults with autism. For more information please visit www.autism.org.uk

Comet Drop for Autism

2010-05-02T11:29:00.001+01:00

The West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society is marking our first anniversary with a spectacular display as part of The 2010 Suffolk Kite Festival on 15th & 16th May at Rougham Airfield, Suffolk. In order to raise essential funds for supporting individuals affected by autism, we release a shower of rainbow coloured comets from a high kite.

We ask our supporters to sponsor one or more comets for £1 each and the comets that land nearest a target win prizes. Your comet will be released on 15th or 16th and will not only help to support children, adults and families affected by Autism but also create a beautiful representation of the autism spectrum.

Prizes include..... £40 Barwells (butcher's) voucher

Tea for 2 at Wyken Hall

Bottles of Whisky

Pink champagne, flutes and chocolates

Bottle of champagne

Luxury gift box from the Body Shop

Signed books

Chocolate fountain

'Spider' kite

Children's books

Bottles of wine and many more

Simply make a donation here and for every £1 you donate we will release a comet in your name. After donating, please complete your contact details (email address) where asked, so that we can contact you if you are a winner !!

Please give generously....... http://www.justgiving.com/cometdropforautism

WSNAS Autism-friendly Cinema Screening – Saturday 8th May 10am

2010-04-30T17:58:00.001+01:00

Why not come and join us at our next Autism-friendly cinema screening - Nanny McPhee 2 - the Big Bang on Saturday 8th May from 10am?

The venue is the newly refurbished Abbeygate Picturehouse Cinema (formerly The Hollywood) in Hatter St, Bury St. Edmunds. It’s just £3 entry per person and snacks and drinks will be on sale, however you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer. Enjoy this great family film in a relaxed and understanding environment, hope to see you there!

BBFC summary outlining the film's content can be found here

Come and celebrate our first anniversary at: The International Kite Festival Rougham Airfield in Suffolk

2010-04-28T10:35:00.000+01:00

Come and celebrate our first anniversary at:
The International Kite Festival, Rougham Airfield,
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May 2010

Amazingly, it is a year since the public launch our local branch at the annual Kite Festival!
During the year we have grown from 30 to over 400 enthusiastic members of all ages, and are delighted to have set up regular autism friendly cinema showings, social groups for teenagers, adults, family members and carers and e-mail/phone contacts for advice and queries. The special events that we have hosted have been designed to enable people on the autistic spectrum and their families to take part in traditional activities and celebrations in relaxed, autism-friendly settings, and have included the summer picnic, quiet firework display and the ‘alternative’ Christmas party.

It has been great to meet so many of you at these various events. We hope that lots of you will be able to come to our first anniversary celebration at the Kite Festival – kite-flying is a wonderfully autism-friendly activity and the Suffolk Kite Flyers, who host the festival, are a very welcoming and supportive group, so it should be a really lovely weekend.

Information and Itinerary
*Members will be eligible for discounted entry on both the Saturday and the Sunday. Admission for members will be £5.00/adult, £4.00/12-18yrs and free for under 12s. Look out for the sign showing you which entry till to use when you arrive, tell the person on the gate that you are a member of the West Suffolk Branch and give them your surname in order to get our discounted entry. Disabled parking for those of you with Blue Badges will be available adjacent to the festival area.
*The event will be open from 10am-5pm on both days.
*The branch will have a marquee close to the main kite display ring. We will have an information table, seating area, children’s activities and competitions, an attached mini-marquee where children can retreat to play on their DSs or to chill out, and, most importantly, a warm welcome! We will have earplugs and ear defenders available for anyone who is sensitive to the windy conditions up on the airfield.
*Our highlight each day will be a special rainbow kite-flying display in which all our members are welcome to take part. The Suffolk Kite Flyers will be on hand to help members to fly their kites successfully. There will also be an amazing display to music by Team Spectrum (very talented father and son kite flyers from Ipswich) to raise awareness of autism. Our main fundraiser of the year is a spectacular drop of rainbow-coloured comets from a high kite over the arena. There will be a visual timetable available in our marquee to help members with the structure of this part of the day.
*If you would like a rainbow kite(s) to fly in our display, please let us know by e-mailing us at westsuffolk@nas.org.uk by 4th May. We will order them for you at a cost price of £6.00/kite – you can collect and pay for them when you arrive at our marquee.
* We will send you further details of how to help with our fundraising by buying or selling comets in a couple of days. Please let all your friends and family know, so that we can continue to support all our members and hopefully add new services and events to help all those affected by autistic spectrum disorders throughout West Suffolk.

Look forward to seeing you up on the airfield,
Suzanne Stevenson and Lisa Spencer

West Suffolk NAS December News

2009-12-22T19:27:00.003Z

Welcome to all our new members. We currently have 370 members.

On Saturday 12th December, the West Suffolk Branch hosted their first autism-friendly Christmas party. Having consulted with children on the autistic spectrum and their siblings about what they would truly enjoy at a party, we planned the event to include a computer gaming room, craft activities, non-competitive games and plenty of chocolate. Father Christmas sent a cuddly-toy representative rather than attending himself, and the children could choose their own present from him from an unwrapped selection.

Ninety-seven people attended and it went brilliantly. It was lovely to see so many children with autism and their families able to relax and enjoy such a big party. Parents had a chance to chat and share tips of their own, and brothers and sisters were able to play together and have fun without having to cope with meltdowns!

We’d like to say a big thank-you to all at New Life and to Mark at AM Television for lending us super flat screen televisions and to E3 for the loan of games consoles – the children had so much fun with them all.

A special thanks to all the committee members and other volunteers who contributed to the preparation and for supervising activities at the party. The time and effort put in by everyone resulted in a terrific experience for all.

If anyone would like a copy of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Guide to the Festive Season’, which is full of helpful tips and strategies, please e-mail the West Suffolk Branch at westsuffolk@nas.org.uk, and we will send you one out – very useful if you are expecting visitors over the festive season who may have a limited understanding of autism.

The next autism-friendly cinema screening, which will be ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks – the squeakquel’ at 10am, Saturday 2nd January, at the Hollywood Cinema, Bury St Edmunds.

The teenagers and adults with autism group is meeting at the Friends Meeting House (Quakers), St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds, on Tuesday 26th January. 6.30-7.30 is for teenagers with family members and carers. 7.30-8.30 is for adults and carers. We have also booked the X-box gaming area and the music gaming room at Portal Gaming, St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds from 6.30-8.00 on the same date for any teenagers, adults or carers who would like to have a go. Gaming costs £3 per person. You can either go straight to Portal Gaming or meet at the Quakers and then walk up to Portal Gaming from there. Children from 12 upwards are welcome at the teenager group.

Sudbury Drop-in Café
The next dates are Thursday 14th January, 11th February, 11th March and 8th April. The cafe is open to people of all ages and meets from 9.30-11.30 at Number Seventy Two, 72 North Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1RF

Campaigning
If you log onto Dont Write Me Off you can easily send a Christmas message to your local MP reminding them of the needs of adults with autism as part of the NAS ‘Don’t Write Me Off’ campaign.

Fundraising
We have just been informed that West Suffolk branch of the National Autistic Society has been chosen as one of the community charities at Waitrose, Bury St Edmunds for January. Please encourage friends and family to post their green tokens in our box if they are shopping there.
If you know anyone who would like to support our branch by having a few friends round for tea at home or even at work, please get in touch. The NAS has launched an appeal called FestiviTea. We think most of our members would rather do this after the Christmas rush. The idea is to send any money you raise to us at WSNAS, 43 West Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3EN. We will keep half of it for the local branch and send half of it to the regional team of NAS. For further information please visit www.festivitea.org.uk (or a leaflet is enclosed with postal newsletters).

May we wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We look forward to catching up with you again in 2010!

Christmas 'Party'

2009-11-22T11:34:00.003Z

Saturday 12th December 2009 11am - 3pm The Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road, Bury St Edmunds

As we all know, Christmas can be a very difficult time of year for families with a child or children on the autistic spectrum, with all the anticipation, changes of routine and challenging school and social events that it entails. It can be especially tricky for families who also have non-autistic children who would like the full festive works, or families who have friends and relatives to visit who have limited understanding of their autistic child's needs and sensitivities.

With this in mind, we are hosting an alternative, autism-friendly, Christmas event for all our families, which we hope will be a relaxed and enjoyable day out for children on the spectrum and fun for their brothers and sisters too. We hope that as many of you as possible will attend, either for the whole day or just for an hour or two, so that lots of our children can experience a Christmas event that they can cope with and hopefully really enjoy! There is no charge at all for this event, as we don't want anyone to feel that they can't afford it at this expensive time of year.

Please could you reply to this e-mail by 30th November so that we can finalise plans for it very carefully around the number and ages of the children who will be there.

This will definitely not be a conventional Christmas Party!

We have booked the whole of the Hyndman Centre (which has on-site parking) for the day, so will be able to offer a good range of activities in the separate rooms, including a quiet room for those who may like to retreat for a while. Having canvassed opinions from children on the spectrum and from sisters and brothers, the activities we hope to offer will include:

Computer games room, which will include seating for the children to play alongside each other on their DSs (don't forget your charger!),

Arts and crafts activities for all ages and abilities,

Non-competitive games,

Graffiti table,

Lego,

Musical activities - these will be at specified times, in a closed room, so that children who don't like noise can easily avoid them.

There will be no balloons, no party poppers and no loud noises, apart from those made by the children themselves!

There will be plenty of visual menus to explain and help with all the activities. All the activity rooms will be supervised by a CRB checked adult, but please note that the party is not one where you drop off and leave your children. It will be a family event, and all children need to be accompanied by a parent or carer. Apart from safety issues, we are very much looking forward to meeting up with lots of members for the first time on the day.

Refreshments will be available all day, but please bring along your children's own favourite snacks/packed lunches.

The party will be decorated for Christmas, but we have decided not to invite the 'real' Father Christmas as he may be too frightening for many of our children. Instead, there will be a toy Father Christmas on a table, along with a letter from him apologising for not being there but inviting the children to help themselves to a present from him in the baskets beside the table.

We are really looking forward to seeing as many of you as can make it on the day - please could you reply as soon as possible, before the end of this month. The party is absolutely free to all our members, so we don't want to use hard-raised funds catering for those of you who can't be there.

Attached is a festive invitation to print out if you are able to come (the image at the top of the post) - we hope that it will help in preparing your child for the party.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Teen, Adults and Carers Drop-In

2009-11-11T07:56:00.000Z

After a very successful first meeting we will be offering a drop-in session for teens and adults on the autistic spectrum and for carers to meet each other on Tuesday Evenings on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

The next few dates are Nov 24th, (no meeting in December,) Jan 26th, Feb 23rd, March 23rd, April 27 in the Margaret Kemp room, Quakers meeting house, Bury St Edmunds. Teenagers are welcome from 6.30 until 7.30 with a carer to accompany them and adults from 7.30 until 8.30.

During the adults session there will be the opportunity to go to The Bushell pub if you wish to. You are welcome to drop in and say hello at any time. If you have specific needs that you would like us to know about before the evening, please let us know by e-mail to westsuffolknas@google.com or by calling our branch mobile.

First Ever Autism-Friendly Firework Display Raises Money For ‘Children In Need’!

2009-10-29T10:04:00.002Z

Members of the West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society had a great evening at Britain’s first ever autism-friendly firework display last Saturday.

The display was organised by the Branch as part of the Suffolk Kite Flyer’s annual ‘Light Up The Sky’ fundraiser for ‘Children In Need’. They were delighted to raise over £200 for such a good cause as well as enabling their members to enjoy a fun and friendly outdoor event. For many families this was the first time that they had been able to attend a fireworks event, as mainstream displays are much too noisy, crowded and unpredictable for people on the autistic spectrum.

The West Suffolk event was very carefully planned to minimise these discomforts – the fireworks were visually beautiful but very quiet, and were set off according to an illustrated printed timetable. The airfield was arranged so that people could watch the display from the security of their own cars if they so wished, and the Branch had ear-defenders available for those worried by noise or the wind. A softly lit tent was on site, where three young members sold popcorn and novelties to help the fundraising effort.

The West Suffolk Branch is planning to develop the idea further and hopes to make this an annual event and huge thanks must go to the Suffolk Kite Flyers for all their support and the Firework Emporium in Ipswich for all their advice and the many free fireworks they donated

Email Problems

2009-10-28T08:14:00.001Z

We are using this e-mail account as a temporary measure as the WSNAS account, has been out of action for a fortnight. We have no idea when it will be working again. If you have sent e-mails to us recently and not had a reply please write again here at westsuffolknas@googlemail.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Low Noise Firework Display

2009-10-23T17:16:00.004+01:00

Hope to see many of you at our first low noise firework display as part of the Suffolk Kite Flyers ‘Light Up The Sky’ this Saturday 24th October at Rougham Airfield.

Please consider ear-defenders for members who are particularly sensitive to the wind or to noises, we are able to loan a small number of these. We have selected a range of low noise fireworks so there will be no loud bangs, but there will be crackles and few whistles.

Gates open at 6.45pm and we will be there until 8pm. The fireworks will start at 7.30. Please bring a minimum donation of £3.50 per person if you are able to, as this all goes to support Children in Need.

If you would like to see the fireworks in advance, the Firework Emporium who have donated many of the fireworks free of charge have video clips on their website.

The running order will be as follows (click the name for the video link):

Dancing Diamonds

GreenPeace

Brazilliant

Spin Doctor and Whip Wheel

Dancing Diamonds (again!)

Sound of Silence

Fantastic Voyage

We will be providing a timetable for people to use on the night. If you would like to see it advance it can be downloaded from here: Firework Timetable

Autism Act 2009

2009-10-22T17:15:00.000+01:00

Today we have made legal history! The Autism Bill has made it through its last parliamentary stage, and will now become the Autism Act 2009: the first-ever disability-specific law for England.

For more details - read this > http://www.autism.org.uk/autismact2009

Autism Friendly Firework Display

2009-10-15T08:16:00.002+01:00

Yes, you did read that! We are working in collaboration with the Suffolk Kite Flyers to host an Autism Friendly Firework display.
‘Light Up The Sky’ – Saturday 24th October at Rougham Airfield. This is an annual event held by the Suffolk Kite Flyers to raise money for Children In Need, where they do indeed light up the sky with beautiful illuminated kites. This year they have kindly invited the West Suffolk Branch to join in, and we are going to stage an autism-friendly fireworks display during evening. To get to the venue, take junction 45 off the A14 which is sign-posted for Rougham Industrial Estate and follow the signs from there, along General Castle Way. Volunteers will be at the junctions on the estate between 6.45 and 7.05pm to direct you. For Satnav the nearest postcode for the area is IP30 9ND

Gates open at 6.45pm and we will be there until 8pm. The fireworks will start at 7.30. The fireworks will all be low-noise and accompanied by an illustrated ‘firework timetable’ so that everyone knows what to expect and when. The display will be slow paced and will be about 10 minutes long. It will be possible to park cars in a line so you can view the display from inside your car or inside our mini marquee if you don't want to stand outside. We will try to provide pop-corn and glow-sticks for sale. (Glow-sticks can be attached to kites so you may wish to bring a kite too.)
It can be quite exposed and dark on the airfield so wrap up warm and bring a torch. Consider ear-defenders for members who are particularly sensitive to the wind or to noises, we are able to loan a small number of these.

We are really excited about this event, as firework displays are usually out of the question for families with a member on the autistic spectrum! Please bring a minimum donation of £3.50 per person if you are able to, as this all goes to support Children in Need.

The event is being sponsored by The Firework Emporium and Indoor Fireworks

Teen, Adults and Carers Drop-In

2009-10-15T07:16:00.000+01:00

We will be starting a drop-in session for teens and adults on the autistic spectrum and for carers to meet each other on Tuesday 27th October at the Friends Meeting House, St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds. Teenagers are welcome from 6.30 until 7.30 with a carer to accompany them and adults from 7.30 until 8.30. During the adults session there will be the opportunity to go to The Bushell pub if you wish to. You are welcome to drop in and say hello at any time. The first session will be getting used to the building and collecting ideas about what our members would like to do during future drop-in sessions. Refreshments will be available. If you have specific needs that you would like us to know about before the evening, please let us know by e-mail to westsuffolknas@google.com or by calling our branch mobile.

ASD Friendly Cinema Viewing - Come and see Up!

2009-09-10T21:12:00.000+01:00

Date:	Saturday, October 17th, 2009
Time:	10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:	Hollywood Cinema
Street:	Hatter Street
City/Town:	Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

We have another ASD friendly cinema viewing on the 17th October at 10am to see the new Pixar film, UP!

More details on the film can be found here:
Official site - (this needs a good broadband service)
Internet Movie Database
British Board of Film Classification (useful info about what scary bits there might be)

Friends and family are welcome. The cost £3.00 each to come in. The lights will be left on low, the volume will be reduced, you are welcome to get up and move about if you need to and those with restricted diets can bring their own preferred snacks and drinks. Pop-corn, snacks, ice-creams and drinks will be available from the kiosk as usual.

Social skills and Lego therapy for children - an appeal!

2009-09-09T22:25:00.000+01:00

We have had huge interest in our planned sessions to help children on the autistic spectrum develop their social skills. Many of these will involve the use of Lego, which has been well proven to help children to enjoy group based social development training.

Please, please could anybody who has any spare Lego or Duplo consider donating it to us to help with these important sessions? We have a Lego collection bin at Tesco in Bury St Edmunds for the next 5 weeks where you can make your donation - it is at the front of the store by Till no 12. Thank you in advance to everyone who manages to pop in a few bricks or characters - they will be very well used. Thanks also to Tesco for their interest and help.

Sudbury Drop In

2009-08-27T15:48:00.000+01:00

Don't forget there is a cafe drop-in available to anyone on the autistic spectrum, their families, carers in the Sudbury Area.

The dates for the support group are 9.30 - 11.30 am,

Thursday 3rd September
Thursday 1st October

Number Seventy Two, 72 North Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1RF

If you need more information, please email us

August News

2009-08-27T15:09:00.002+01:00

It has been wonderful to talk to so many new members over the last month. These include a number of older people who are parents of adults with autism - their experiences of bringing up autistic children in the days when there was no recognition of the condition and no help at all (just criticism for not controlling their children's behaviour) have filled us with admiration for how they have coped. Without exception they have encouraged us to keep pressing forward with ideas to help the next generation of families like them in West Suffolk.

Our membership is 298 individuals and is growing fast so a big welcome to anyone who is getting this news update for the first time. If you know anyone else who would like to join, please contact us and we will send you a Membership Form for them to complete. We also have a new Facebook group, which has already gathered 101 members. Find the link on our website to get involved and join in the chat!

Social events

On Saturday 22nd August we will be having our first ever autism-friendly cinema screening. We'll be seeing Ice Age 3 at 10am at the Hollywood Cinema in Bury St Edmunds. This will cost just £3 per head and tickets can be bought from the cinema either at the time or in advance if you prefer not to queue. The usual kiosk snacks will be available to buy on the day, but it is fine to bring along your own preferred snacks instead. Low lighting will stay on throughout the film, and the volume will be at a comfortably low level. It is really good to know that we have several families joining us for this event who have never been able to go to the cinema before. There will be plenty of room so we encourage members to bring family and friends to share the experience and to boost the numbers a bit!!

Saturday 12th September is our family picnic in Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds. From 11am - 3pm we will be hosting a picnic as a chance for members to have a relaxed family outing within a supportive, friendly group. It could be a great chance to meet other families and make new friends, but it is absolutely fine for people to come along who don't feel able to interact with others - just enjoy the fresh air and watch! Please bring along your own food and drinks. You can also bring garden games that your family enjoys.

Don't forget our monthly drop-in café in Sudbury, which supports people of all ages affected by autism, their families, friends and carers. This is a friendly and welcoming group, so do drop in if you can. The next meeting is on Thursday 3rd September and 1st October.

We are still trying to set up a monthly Teen and Adult evening drop-in in Bury St Edmunds. This will enable teens and older people to enjoy social contact in an autism-friendly and supportive environment. As yet we have not had enough volunteers come forward to make it viable. If you are interested in helping with this and are available one Tuesday evening a month, please let us know. It would be great to launch it in October if we can!

Fundraising

Lisa and I have been busy working with the fundraising sub-committee and chasing links we made during the Gala Evening to secure funds. We were thrilled to hear the Councillor Bob Cockle, who was the mayor of St Edmundsbury last year, has chosen us as one of his charities and will be presenting us with £1 000 later this month. The Bury St Edmunds Young Farmers have also decided to support us by donating money from their funds. Lisa and I are going to accept a cheque for just over £2 000 from them tomorrow and we will also give them a presentation about our branch activities. In addition, we have applications to local councillors for help with our start up costs and the cinema viewings.

The big fundraising event for the Autumn is going to be a Celebrity Pictures Exhibition and Auction. So far Gordon Ramsay, Emma Noble, Gaby Roslin and Paul Heiney have offered to take part. Do let us know if you have any celebrity contacts. We will settle on the date, venue etc. once we see what we have got to auction!! We would also like to invite any of our members who like to paint or draw to get in touch as we may need your help too. There is a special website for this event which Steve Crooks has set up for us. www.eyesonautism.co.uk

Social skills and Lego therapy for children - an appeal!

We have had huge interest in our planned sessions to help children on the autistic spectrum develop their social skills. Many of these will involve the use of Lego, which has been well proven to help children to enjoy group based social development training.

Please, please could anybody who has any spare Lego or Duplo consider donating it to us to help with these important sessions? We have a Lego collection bin at Tesco in Bury St Edmunds for the next 5 weeks where you can make your donation - it is at the front of the store by Till no 12. Thank you in advance to everyone who manages to pop in a few bricks or characters - they will be very well used. Thanks also to Tesco for their interest and help.

Autistm Friendly Cinema Viewings

2009-07-28T13:33:00.002+01:00

Date:	Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time:	10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:	Hollywood Cinema
Street:	Hatter Street
City/Town:	Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

Look at this week's free paper through your door, if you are in West Suffolk. We should be on page 15 of the Mercury and its sister papers.

Please put 10am on Saturday 22nd August in your diaries. Invite extended family and friends to come along too...we are hosting our first Autistic Friendly cinema screening at the Hollywood Cinema in Bury St Edmunds and we want a really full cinema!

It will cost £3.00 each to come in. The lights will be left on low, the volume will be reduced, you are welcome to get up and move about if you need to and those with restricted diets can bring their own preferred snacks and drinks. Pop-corn, snacks, ice-creams and drinks will be available from the kiosk as usual.

Quotes from our members

2009-07-02T20:44:00.002+01:00

As part of a launch event we asked our members to complete a quote, asking them share their thoughts, ideas, experiences and hopes for the West Suffolk Branch. Here are a selection of the responses.

From an adult on the autistic spectrum
I hope the branch will be able to press for better services for diagnosis and support for adults, for much better ASD training for mental health professionals and for an Autism Team to take over provision for all ASD adults.

From a mother of a child with autism
It is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of Autism within the community and to help others understand a little of what we go through every day.

A child on the autistic spectrum
Autistic people can become united, especially us Aspergians. We can become closer as friends and we can understand each others behaviour. I have made new friends that I know are like me.

From a father of an autistic child
They will be able to encourage more interaction of members children and help them realise they are not alone

From a mother of a child with autism
It is easy to start feeling isolated when you are dealing with a child with Autism. Now that we have the branch I feel a lot more relaxed about it and have gained lots of information. Also, my daughter is enjoying feeling part of something and has met others with autism at our events.

A child on the autistic spectrum
I know if I need help I can go to the National Autistic Society and not just now, but when I’m Older I will still be welcome and I’m also happy there’s a National Autistic Society because lots and lots of people can join and it doesn’t matter how much Autism you got, the National Autistic Society will help!

From a parent of an adult with autism
It will put us in touch locally with other carers of teenagers and adults with ASD, with whom we can share mutual experiences and support. We hope it will alert us to local provision and procedures for the period of transition which we are soon to face.

From a mother of a child with autism
I fear desperately for my daughter’s future when I am no longer around to support her. She is so clever, gentle and trusting, and has many strengths, but I know that she will need very local support if she is to be able to cope with independent living, friends and work as she grows up.

From a mother of a child with autism
I would like to see more events like the Kite Festival and possibly day trips or just an organised picnic in the park for parents and children. I feel this will give a sense of belonging to a community and will be of great support to many members, as well as sharing ideas and problems.

From a father of an autistic child
We were lucky! We had an early diagnosis and access to help and support – not enough, but it can never be enough! The help we received in filling in the forms for financial support was invaluable; every family in this situation should have automatic access to this level of support. The new NAS branch should help to facilitate this.

An adult on the autistic spectrum
73-74 years existence with no diagnosis, resources, identity or acceptance have been terrible. No-one else needs to suffer this, God be praised, and no-one should.

From a child with an autistic sibling
It has enabled me to meet other teenagers who have siblings with autism and be involved in helping to raise money for the branch. I am learning to be more supportive of my brother and now I appreciate how fortunate I am to have been blessed with a sibling on the autistic spectrum.

From a parent of a child with autism
I want my daughter to live in a community which not only accepts and understands her, but makes use of her strengths and will support her if she ever feels lost and alone.

From a parent of an adult with autism
I do not want any other family to feel the isolation and helplessness that we have been through for many years or any other child to suffer like my son because no-one realised how different he was and why.

A child on the autistic spectrum
So? I’m not the only person in the world who is Autistic?

From a mother of a child with autism
Services, support and provision for people affected by ASDs need to be dramatically improved and it would be fantastic for our branch to be the front runners in ensuring that those in authority endeavour to understand the complete spectrum of autism and action support for those affected by it.

From a mother of a child with autism
It would be a non judgemental, safe space for us to be as a family with a child with ASD, as it is often so difficult to go to places or access leisure facilities because of our daughter’s behaviour, it is often heartbreaking and always exhausting and puts great pressure on the whole family and mine and my husband’s relationship.

From a child with an autistic sibling
It will provide excellent help to people who need it. Young or old. This support I’m sure will succeed in giving people who suffer from autism the help they need for the rest of their lives.

From a mother of a child with autism
We now have access to the information we need to support our son on his ongoing journey with Autism right on our doorstep.

From a mother of a child with autism
I am hoping that I will be able to gain more guidance/information regarding young people leaving school who are on the spectrum and offer me the help I need in order to help my daughter for her future and branching out in life.

From a mother of a child with autism
Autism is an ‘invisible’ condition that has had an enormous impact on my family and our day-to-day lives, and although it cannot always be ‘seen’, it’s nice to have a ‘voice’ and be ‘heard’.

Latest News form the WSNAS

2009-06-21T10:44:00.006+01:00

Firstly, I would like to welcome all of our new members of the West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society. Our membership is just over 230 individuals and is growing fast. If you know anyone else who would like to join, please contact us and we will send you a mauve Membership Form for them to complete.

WSNAS have been in the news a lot this week. You may have seen items in the East Anglian, Bury Free Press and Mercury about the Gala Evening which we hosted for organisations with whom we would like to work. The evening was attended by 51 people, representing a wide range of groups. There has been a very positive response from those who attended and we have had many pledges to do something to move things on for Autism. These range from being invited to attend scrutiny committees at Suffolk County Council, to helping to get our posters on all the village notice boards in West Suffolk, hosting art workshops, fundraising events and many more... We were also pleased that donations on the night covered the costs of hosting the evening. Other links with individuals who hold locality budgets and other funds were established, and these will be useful as we start to bid for financial support for new ventures. We would like to thank all of the committee who worked so hard to make the evening a success, and particularly, we would like to extend our thanks to the young WSNAS members who entertained our guests with musical performances at the start of the event.

We were contacted last week by Shane Armstrong, who is conducting some research about Adults with Autism. He is keen to hear from all sorts of different groups of individuals affected by Autism as well as parents, carers and practitioners. He is struggling to find enough people who live within a 30 mile radius of Ipswich. Please consider expressing an interest by calling the Opinion Leader on 020 7861 2877 or by visiting www.OLAdultAutism.org.uk

In the next few weeks we are going to be following up on information and offers which were made at the Gala Evening, planning a summer picnic for all members and trying to set up a drop-in cafe based in Bury St Edmunds for Teens and Adults affected by ASD and their carer. We are also keen to establish contact with anyone who is interested in being involved in setting up a drop-in cafe in Newmarket, Mildenhall or Haverhill. In the autumn we are hoping to auction some doodles by celebrities to raise awareness and funds. If you have links with anyone famous please let us know...so far we have a possible Phil Collins and Danni Minogue!!

WSNAS has been given a monthly column in the Mercury Papers which will help us to raise awareness in the community. We also plan to use this column to promote our main objectives which are

¨ supporting individuals with autism

¨ listening to families, friends and carers

¨ raising awareness

¨ representing members' needs

¨ engaging with employers

¨ extending social opportunities

¨ campaigning for essential services

I think we are going to be busy this year! Do contact us if you think you can help us towards our objectives in any way. The more people we have helping, the better we will be able to get things improved. Also, if you have any special skills or talents that we might be able to make use of, please let us know.

Finally, if you are a subscribed member to the National Autistic Society, please remember to tick the box for part of your membership fee to be given to the West Suffolk Branch next time you renew your membership. If you would like to join the National Autistic Society you would be supporting autism at a national level; helping them to campaign on issues such as the Autism Bill, provide essential services such as the Helpline and Parent to Parent and many other services which we depend upon to keep us running smoothly as a local branch. Click here to find out more http://www.nas.org.uk/membership

The Gala Reception to Introduce the West Suffolk Branch

2009-06-20T19:54:00.001+01:00

Here are some images of our Gala Reception to introduce the West Suffolk branch.

Setting up in the Atheneum, Bury St. Edmunds

Each table was arranged with a specially selected pack of literature including membership forms, autism and Aspergers awareness literature, and posters for the recipients to post up in their premises announcing the West Suffolk branch.

Each table also had ideas cards for the guests to complete with their thoughts on how the branch could look to meet our main objectives.

Press taking shots of the guest arriving, including; Robert Pritchett (National Autistic Society Regional Director for London and the South East) Bob Cockle (Deputy Mayor) Suzanne Stevenson (Co-Branch Officer, West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society) and Lisa Spencer (Co-Branch Officer, West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society)

Thanks for Sponsorship at this event.

Flower arrangements: Donated by Rene and Carol
2 cases of wine: Donated by Greene King plus 1 case from a personal donor
Weekend Away prize donated by Greene King
Bottle of Champagne: Prize for donors, The Grid
Bottle of Champagne: Prize from Waitrose
£200 from: Peter King Electrical
Crooks Design: for Banner, T-shirt, Poster design
Thanks to the Volunteer Centre and Autism Suffolk for doing some office tasks on our behalf

We are on Facebook

2009-06-20T08:49:00.002+01:00

The West Suffolk Branch of the NAS now have a Facebook group. Come and have a chat.

West Suffolk NAS Facebook Group

Sudbury Drop-In

2009-06-02T21:41:00.003+01:00

There is a cafe drop-in available to anyone on the autistic spectrum, their families, carers in the Sudbury Area.

The dates for the support group are 9.30 - 11.30 am,

Thursday 11th June
Thursday 9th July
Thursday 6th August
Thursday 3rd September
Thursday 1st October

Number Seventy Two, 72 North Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1RF

If you need more information, please email us

We have lift off!

2009-05-20T12:02:00.007+01:00

The West Suffolk Branch of the NAS are up and running after our fantastic launch at the Suffolk Kite Festival.

Big thank you to Team Spectrum and the Suffolk Kite Flyers

A video of our Team Spectrum display can be found here

Thanks to all who came to the launch at the Kite Festival, those who helped on the stall and those who sold comets for us. We had a lot of positive interest, we increased the profile of autism in the community and raised well over £1000.

More Kite Fesitval Pics

2009-05-20T11:05:00.003+01:00

Kite Practice at Rougham Airfield

2009-05-14T12:24:00.002+01:00

The West Suffolk NAS branch practicing for our launch event at the Suffolk Kite Festival. We were privileged to be given our own display by Team Spectrum as well as given huge help by the Suffolk Kite Flyers while practicing with our own rainbow kites. Also, great fun was had on kite powered buggies.

WSNAS Newsletter - April 09

2009-04-30T03:04:00.019+01:00

This is an update on our activities for the next month.
The West Suffolk Branch has an e-mail address westsuffolk@nas.org.uk
and a branch mobile/helpline 07795 238778

Sudbury Drop-In

We are delighted to announce that there will be a cafe drop-in available to anyone on the autistic spectrum, their families, carers in the Sudbury Area. The dates for the support group are
9.30 - 11.30 am, Thursday
30th April
11th June
9th July
6th August
3rd September
1st October
at Number Seventy Two
72 North Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1RF
For enquires you can call our branch mobile, or just turn up on any of the days listed.

Kite Festival
We have several activities associated with our public launch at The International Kite Festival on Saturday 16th May at 2pm at Rougham Airfield. To find out more about the Kite Festival in general please visit http://www.skfc.co.uk/festival/
At the festival we are planning to have a spectactular launch in the main display arena at 2pm, this will include a professional kite diplay by Team Spectrum of Ipswich, kites will be flown by our members also and there will be a 'Comet Drop' where comets are sponsored by individuals for £1 each and those which land nearest a target will win a prize.
• If anyone would like to buy comets or sell a sheet of 10 comets for the branch please contact us via the branch mobile. We are aiming to sell at least 600 comets before the kite festival and your help would be much appreciated.

• We had a practice session at Rougham Airfield on Sunday 26th April between 2 and 4pm, where the Suffolk Kite Flyers Club were on hand to offer advice and guidance. We flew spectrum coloured kites in readiness for the launch. If you want to take part in the launch display you can get your kite from the WSNAS stand on the day of the launch. They will be offered for sale at £6 each. Alternatively, if you would prefer not to purchase your own kite, it may be possible to borrow one of our kites to fly. To give us some idea of numbers please e-mail us if you are wanting to take part in the launch display, although we will welcome anyone who just turns up on the day.
• We want as many people as possible to come to launch at the Kite Festival. Rougham Airfield have kindly offered a discount at entrance to anyone who is coming to the festival especially to support the West Suffolk Branch launch. To qualify for this discounted entrance (which will be all under 12s free, all 12 and over, including adults and consessions £3) you will need to display a special LOGO in your windscreen which we will send out by post to all our members, the Autism Suffolk mailing list and NAS members in West Suffolk, nearer the time. If you need extra copies for friends and family who are coming to support the launch, let us know. We are not permitted to make these logos available to the general public.
• We are keen to hear from anyone who would like to help on the stall at the kite festival.
• For directions to Rougham Airfield please go to http://www.roughamairfield.org/Location.html
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes,
Suzanne Stevenson and Lisa Spencer
Co-Branch Officers, West Suffolk Branch of the National Autistic Society

Many thanks to the sponsors

2009-04-27T15:27:00.003+01:00

Help from the following organisations is appreciated

Bury St Edmunds Roundtable - www.buryroundtable.co.uk
Bedfords Estate Agents - www.bedfords.co.uk
Suffolk Kite Flyers - www.skfc.co.uk/
TWP Designs - Commercial Refurbishments
Crooks Design - Graphic Designer East Anglia

Welcome to the West Suffolk NAS Blog

2009-04-25T22:20:00.001+01:00

If you have any comment, please email us at: westsuffok@nas.org.uk