"Surviving Winter" launches and help for young people with learning difficulties

Surviving Winter Appeal launches at The Palace of Westminster!  Representing Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF), I joined colleagues from other Foundations and guests at the House of Commons as Martyn Lewis hosted the event which brought together the Community Foundations, Saga and National Energy Action as co-sponsors of the campaign. Speakers included Ros Altmann from Saga, Denise Robertson from the This Morning TV show and Justin Sargent from Somerset CF, who first launched the idea of redirecting Winter Fuel Allowances. It was a very uplifting occasion and we left London inspired to make the campaign as successful as possible.

The money raised by the Surviving Winter appeal will be used to support local charities and community organisations who can reach the people really in need of help and it will make sure that they can afford to stay warm and eat well. Funds will also help ensure that they can contact doctors, get to the shops and maintain an active social life. Locally, Surviving Winter is being handled by CCF and, here in Cambridgeshire, we are only a handful of donations away from triggering some matching funds from The Big Give. So here’s hoping!

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Cambridge Joint Playschemes (CJP) enables young people with severe learning disabilities, including autism, to access leisure activities that will contribute to their personal and social development, reduce their social isolation and allow them to be more confident in their life. I arranged to visit one of their vacation sessions in Linton following a grant from the Outlook Fund to the group.

During the session I attended, the young people were cooking and doing craftwork and I was very impressed with the caring and interactive relationship between the youngsters and the volunteers. The level of autism and severe learning disability makes it difficult for the young people to participate in mainstream activities without specialist support. They can also be isolated in their community as they cannot access activities by themselves, even if they are of an age when non disabled young people would be independent of their parents. Attendance at CJP enables them to experience independence from overprotective parents and other family members, allowing them the confidence to socialise and to try new things.

One great way that CJP enables youngsters to have fun and gain independence from their families is through its Saturday Leisure Clubs. The Cinema Club visits mainstream cinemas and the Activity Club provides access to a range of activities including ten pin bowling, canoeing (see picture below of recent canoeing trip), trampolining, visiting museums, visiting local animal farms, tobogganing on a dry ski slope, swimming, cooking and music.