In need of furniture at home?

Do you claim Income Support, Housing Benefit or Family Tax Credit?

Furniture Aid South Thames is a furniture recycling project where you can buy quality second hand furniture at reasonable prices, PLUS delivery to your home.

How to get a referral

Referrals can be made by any professional who can verify you are on a low income or receiving benefits such as Housing Officers, GPs, Social workers, Benefits Advisors, CABs, etc.

The Lambeth Mental Health & Disabled People's Action Group is a registered group of professionally trained staff, that assists parents of disabled children who may have mental health problems.

We can help with the following:

• getting care in the community
• safety in the community
• assistance for users with mental health problems to obtain a freedom pass
• we can answer a range of questions around the future of mental health services in Lambeth
• we have a sports and recreation scheme set to last 6 months, for adult mental health service users in Lambeth

We are an independent charity working with disabled adults in Lambeth. We provide three main services:

• Advice and Information
• Support with Direct Payments
• Disabilities Partnership & Involvement Project

DASL is an organisation which welcomes disabled people and others who support our work as members.

Joining DASL means that you will receive the Mole newsletter regularly and, if you wish, can take part in meetings and other events and activities.

We work from fully accessible premises near the centre of Brixton, served by good public transport.

There is also car parking available for disabled people. If you cannot come to see us we are able to visit clients in their homes.

The Shared Care Network have previously held conferences providing practical advice and training around short breaks and the specific needs of children with ASD

• A personal insight into the experience of autism
• ‘A Job Worth Doing’ - setting up a contract carers scheme
• Intensive Interaction
• Caring for a child with Autism
• Working with the parents and carers of children with ASD
• Using structure and visual supports in the home and community
• An Introduction to ASD
• Challenging Behaviour and ASD - a practical approach
• Planning for play with your children

Parents-Education-Achievement-Character

Giving girls the opportunity to reach their full potential

The Baytree Centre in Brixton are creating an opportunity for a select number of families to take part in the exciting new PEACH programmed aimed at helping girls to:

• Maximise their potential
• Increase their academic achievement
• Develop new skills
• Attain success in their future careers
• Be able to make a positive and worthwhile contribution to future society

...while at the same time enhancing the quality of family life.

The total cost of the programme per family for a year is £20, which includes mentoring and parent support.

Places on the course are limited, and parents/children are asked to attend an interview to ensure that they are committed to the programme and able to achieve the goals. The interview will also be an opportunity for applicants to find out more about the course and to ask questions.

For children with autism who are 5 to 11 years old, and are resident in Lambeth. The sessions will be taking place at Archbishop Sumner School, Kennington, 4.30 - 6.30pm on Thursdays.

The course lasts for 11 sessions. There are only 8 places available and these will be allocated on a first come first served basis! The next workshop will start April 2008 and will run until July 2008.

Please note that parents/carers are required to attend all sessions.

If you are interested, please contact Mellissa Gordon - Mellissa.Gordon@nas.org.uk.

Got an idea that needs funding? Apply now!

The Small Grants Project scheme has been set up to give children an opportunity to have a say in what activities they want funded, and allow them to make decisions on how to develop the projects and make them even better. One of the conditions of successful applications was that ideas on how to spend the money came from children.

So far the grants have been allocated to over twenty projects, which got the money for exciting outdoor trips, new play equipment and a zip wire amongst other things.

Young people from Whippersnappers applied for money to make a music video of an anti- violence song they had recorded and peer mediators from Lambeth Peer Mediation Service got money for walkie-talkies and a mediation hut in their school.

And the good news is that there is still plenty of money in the pot!

The limit is £1,500 and the applications from the groups who didn't apply in the previous rounds are particularly encouraged.

The applications can be in the form of pictures and story boards explaining what children would like the grant for. A responsible worker has to agree to support and carry out the work involved and that they have signed the form agreeing to do this.

To find out more information about the grant criteria or to download an application form visit Lambeth Children's Fund website www.lambethchildrensfund.org.uk. You can also call Jane O'Sullivan, the Junior Peer Inspector Coordinator on 0207 926 2169.

Shape Tickets is an accessible booking service that works with venues, museums and galleries to remove barriers to arts, culture and entertainment events. Membership costs just £25/year, and is open to anyone who faces obstacles in booking or getting to events. If you are unable to get to the venue on your own, a volunteer Access Assistant will pick you up, enjoy the show with you and return you back home afterwards (at no extra cost to you!)

Membership includes reduced price tickets to arts and entertainment events across London; free door-to-door and venue support from our volunteer Access Assistants; no booking fees; two-for-one deals; season brochures and online listings; accessible booking methods; information on venue accessibility; Meet and Greet events; Member's Advocacy service; and helpful and attentive staff on hand to take bookings and answer any queries.

To find out more about becoming a member, contact Shape Tickets.

This free programme looks at the issues that trustees from black and minority ethnic (BME) community groups face and offers very practical ways of approaching and dealing with them. The programme consists of four flexible, three hour "facilitated" workshops, to develop your capacity as a trustee of a BME voluntary and community group.

• The workshops are very practical and based on real life scenarios.
• You will have a chance to network and share experience with other trustees who are dealing with similar dilemmas and decisions.
• Further support and mentoring will also be available as part of the programme.

The workshops are run consecutively once a week for four weeks. However there is some flexibility in the programme.

Spaces are limited so book now.

NewStart 2 Housing Ltd is a voluntary organisation supporting people with mental health issues and refugee integration in the community. We are looking for new volunteers with vast experience of working with charities and companies to join the management Committee.