Cinema remains a popular (but expensive) befriending activity. This information should help you save money for your matched family:

Kids’ Clubs

Vue cinemas (e.g. Cribbs Causeway) have a good deal: there‘s a film on that costs 95p for adults/children (but adults need a child with them) on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This also seems to apply to everyday in the school holidays (usually around 10am). See www.myvue.com , choose cinema and then ‘hot offers‘. There are also teenage films for £1.95 (see here) and 3D films for £2.95.

Cineworld, Hengrove Leisure Park, Hengrove Way, Bristol, 0871 200 2000. £1 (incl fun and games) one adult admitted free when accompanied by a child. Saturday mornings (check dates and films). See www.cineworld.co.uk/films/junior . Scroll down to the bottom of the listings for the Bristol cinema and you‘ll see the £1 films

Cinékids is at the Watershed (Canon‘s Rd, near the Fountains in the Centre) once a month. It is usually 1pm on the 3rd Saturday of the month (check their calendar) and is aimed at children aged 8-12. Cost £2 per child and £3.50 for adults (adults need to be accompanied by a child). There are often creative activities related to the film afterwards. e.g. a street dance workshop in July 2010.

Odeon (Union Street, Broadmead). £1 and one adult admitted free with a child. See here and look for the parent and child icon (Saturday and Sunday).

Cinema discounts

CEA cards enable a disabled person to take someone else into the cinema with them for free (e.g. their befriender or parent). The cards cost £5.50 and last a year so they pay for themselves the first time you use them. See www.ceacard.co.uk  to apply.

 “The CEA Card is the national concessionary card developed by the Association to allow people with disabilities to obtain one free ticket for a person accompanying them to the cinema. Around 90 per cent of UK cinemas now support the scheme, ranging from the large national chains to smaller independent operators. Further details on the scheme can be found on the CEA Card website here. (This site may open in a new window)”. At the moment it seems to cost £5.50 and last one year. This means that one befriender or parent can go to the cinema free each time they are with a young person who has a valid CEA card.

This website: www.artsline.org.uk will give you accessibility information about different venues, including cinemas. If you follow this link: www.yourlocalcinema.com/ad.bristol.html you will see a list of current films in Bristol which have audio descriptions (for people who are visually impaired).

Disabled children who have parents on a low income are likely to be eligible for a scheme which gives out free computers and assistive technology.

The best thing is to phone up to apply: 0333 200 1004

Or phone for more information: 0800 877 8777 | 024 7641 6994
To find out more online see this link.

Please could volunteers pass this information onto families who don’t have a computer (as they probably won’t be online to read this!)?

“Ever wanted to learn to swim? If you are aged over 11 now is your chance to learn – and for free, thanks to a new government initiative and the city council’s partnership with Sport & Leisure Management (SLM), who manage Bristol’s six swimming pools. 

The following opportunities to learn to swim for free are currently on offer and start the week commencing February 1st. 

Disability lessons (age 11+):

• Easton Leisure Centre Mondays 11.00am – 11.45am
• Henbury Leisure Centre Sundays 4.30pm – 5.30pm

Participants signing up to the free swims will have the chance to take part in up to six hours of lessons by qualified instructors.

To book a place and find out more information about free courses please contact:  Alan Powell on 07825 313 199.

Adult lessons (age 18+):

• Henbury Leisure Centre Wednesdays 7.30am – 8.15am
• Horfield Leisure Centre Thursdays 7.00am-7.45am & 7.45am-8.30am
• Easton Leisure Centre Tuesdays 7.00am-7.45am & 7.45am-8.30am”

The Mill Youth Centre, on Lower Ashley Road in Easton has a session for 13-19 year olds who have learning difficulties (including young people on the Autistic Spectrum who also have learning difficulties):

Tuesdays, 7pm – 9:30pm

This is for people who live in central Bristol (post codes BS5, BS2 and BS7) but there are similar groups in Hartcliffe and Southmead for people in other areas of Bristol.

If you’re interested phone 0117 951 0188 to find out more. If transport is a problem, it would be worth discussing this with workers at the Mill Youth

Although Time2Share doesn’t have any religious affiliations, we thought you might be interested to hear about this inclusive Sunday School (for those of you who would like your children to access a Sunday School).

“The Incredibles” is a Sunday School for special needs children, their siblings and friends. Their website is www.theincredibles.org.uk and it is run by Tim and Terina who are parents of two sons with disabilities. It meets at Hop Skip and Jump on Sundays 10:30 to 12:30 and the parents stay and chat over coffee whilst The Incredibles is going on. This Sunday they are launching The Incredibles Support Group which will enable parents to share their own experiences and hear how other parents have overcome similar life issues. Some of the parents as well as having their own children with special needs, work at Warmley Park School so therefore have a vast experience of working with many different special needs. 

The age of the children ranges from babies to 16yr, however the upper age is flexible for children with special needs. There is no fee or waiting list. Families are welcome to come and join. They are also planning to have a youth group for children 10-16 in place by the time our next newsletter goes out. This will be fortnightly basis on  Saturdays at Hop Skip and Jump running from 5:30 – 7.00pm.

Sport Unlimited is a nationwide initiative to get more children and young people taking part in sports. It offers young people 10-week taster sessions in sports to try and encourage them to participate and try something different.
Inclusive Disability Multi Sports Club
Time: Tuesdays 4.30pm-6pm (term time only)
Venue: Horfield Leisure Centre
Start date: Tuesday 7th October
Age: 7+
Cost: £2.50
Kodachi Inclusive Judo Club
Time: Mondays 7.40pm-8.40pm (term time only)
Venue: St Paul’s Community Sports Academy
Start date: Monday 6th October
Age: 9+
Cost: £2.50
Disability Athletics
Time: Mondays 6.15pm-7.30pm
Venue: Filton College WISE Campus
Start date: Monday 6th October
Age: 7-15 and 16+
Cost: £2
Football
Time: Thursdays 7pm-8pm
Venue: Almondsbury FA Office
Start date: Thursday 9th October
Age: 11-15
Cost: £2.50
www.bristol.gov.uk/sportunlimited
For more information please contact Jay Lee
Tel: 07795 315 265
Email: jay.lee@bristol.gov.uk

To find out about organised sports for disabled young people in Bristol, go to this link.

We are delighted to announce that yesterday the government responded to EDCM’s calls for a right to short breaks, by creating a new legal duty on local authorities to provide short breaks to support families with disabled children.The duty has been described as a ‘historic moment’ in improving services for disabled children and their families – and we would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all our supporters that have backed our calls for a clearer right to short breaks. Read our news story for more detail:
http://www.edcm.org.uk/shortbreaksduty

While this is a huge step forward, the new duty is not likely to go as far as creating a new legal right to short breaks for individual families. EDCM will continue to campaign – with your support – for further changes to the law.We would also like to say thank you to all those that have taken part in our winter fuel action by emailing their MP. Although the extension of winter fuel payments to families with young disabled children was not announced as part of the budget statement last week, EDCM is meeting with the Director of the government’s Child Poverty Unit this week to take this forward. We will keep you posted…
You can find out more at: http://www.edcm.org.uk/winterfuel

News story: EDCM welcomes child poverty measures in Budget
http://www.edcm.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_8517nb_90592704720430z48g_20083124852g

News story: EDCM supports calls for independent advocacy
http://www.edcm.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_7366pc_77925109350434f87e_20083114358k

To find out if your Local Authority have signed up to our charter please go to
http://www.edcm.org.uk/lacharterlist

Down 2 Earth Group - Bristol Area Down’s Syndrome SupportThis is a new social group for young people 15+ years with Down’s Syndrome that meets every couple of months. For more information about the Bristol group contact Sandie Davis, 0117 9708324. 

Down’s Syndrome and Sibling RelationshipsA university researcher is investigating coping strategies used by the siblings of children with Down’s Syndrome with the aim of producing guidance for a support service for siblings.  The project needs siblings aged 7-18 to fill in a short questionnaire.  For more information or to request a questionnaire contact snowdonc@coventry.ac.uk