Letter to editor:- "Children with Disabilities Services."

"I am from Bolton MBC and we want some help. We need to get in touch with the people who organise the Bolton to Southport day trip in Black Hackney cabs?

We have a number of parents of disabled young children who would like their children to take part, but have no contact details.

Hoping you or your readers can help us. Many thanks. Gaynor"

Editors note:- "Thanks for your email. We have contacted the North West Hachkney Carriage Association who will be calling you very soon.  Please let us know how you get on."

Cancer Support, One Step at a Time.

On Sunday 28 May 2006, Naomi Crosbie, a fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support, invites you to join her as she sets off from Parbold on a sponsored walk along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Naomi is hosting the walk in support of Macmillan’s Nationwide Fundraising Event:- “Walk Wonders”, an event which encourages people to either join a sponsored walk or to organise their own walk to raise money for people living with cancer. Naomi will be setting off from Parbold’s waterside towpath (near to the windmill) around 11.00am and walking along the attractive stretch of canal as far as Appley Bridge, then following part of Douglas Way before ascending Ashurst’s Beacon, returning then to Parbold for afternoon tea. Walkers can choose to walk as far as Appley Bridge before making their return, or to go on as far as the Beacon. Families, pets and individuals of all ages are welcome to join the walk and it’s completely free to take part. Simply register by calling Naomi on 01925 846751 or by emailing:- Ncrosbie@macmillan.org.uk. Once Naomi knows you’re interested, she’ll send you sponsor forms and further walk details. All you have to do is to get sponsored! Alternatively, you can make a donation to Macmillan on the day.

MERSEYSIDE BLIND CHILDREN GO FOR GOLD

AS Gordon Brown recently announced the launch of the UK children’s Olympics in the build-up to the London 2012 Games, Action for Blind People will be giving blind children from Merseyside the opportunity to go for gold at their own games. Blind and partially sighted children, aged 8 to 16 years, will compete in an Athletics event on Saturday 22 April at Princess Mary Stadium, Cleckheaton.

The children are members of Liverpool Actionnaires multi-sports club, run by Action for Blind People. The club has been fantastic in enabling the children to build self-confidence and realise and achieve their own potential. The children will now have the chance to show off their sporting skills by taking part in track and field activities and competing against other Actionnaires children from across the North of England.

Ross Ford, Sports Development Officer at Action for Blind People, said:- "The inter-club event is all about bringing young people from different areas together to give them a taste of competition. It is great to see blind children getting involved in sporting competitions like this one. There should be no reason why we shouldn’t encourage blind children to become athletes of 2012."

All the children have been practising hard ahead of the competition in their respective clubs where they have all received specialist coaching. The children will be competing in shot-put, discus, javelin, long jump, high jump, 60m and 100m sprint, plus the 600m, 800m and 1500m. Each winner will take home a trophy.

Bank’s funding helps Speke’s budding gardeners

CHILDREN in Speke are getting to grips with the great outdoors thanks to welcome funding from the Alliance & Leicester.

After moving to new premises with plenty of land, staff at Speke Adventure Playground discovered the ideal opportunity to nurture some new nature skills among its young members.

Instead of letting the extra land to go to waste, the playground committee decided to develop a small sensory garden for children at the site on Conleach Road.

Senior Play worker, Ann Shaw, applied to the Alliance & Leicester Fund, administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, for help.

Awarded £500, the organisation, which provides play opportunities for children and young people, bought garden shrubs suitable for a sensory garden, a water feature and new tools before setting the children to work on transforming the land, which also has a play building, playground and multi-purpose sports pitch.

Overseen by parents, community members, conservation groups and local play workers, the children are now busy with their gardening tasks and the garden is already proving popular with the children.

Ann told us that:- “When we moved to our new premises, we found that the land needed redeveloping and so we decided a sensory garden would be a great project to undertake!

Thanks to the support from the Alliance & Leicester Fund, we’ve been able to get young children involved in conservation, gardening and have encouraged them to take ownership of an educational project that will benefit the environment.

We’re also planning to install play equipment at the centre, which will make the centre even more appealing to local children!”

Bill Sutton, Director of Operations at Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank, adds:- “Alliance & Leicester is delighted to be supporting a project that is not only educational but one that offers children the chance to improve the environment and become involved in physical outdoor activities.”

The Alliance & Leicester Fund, one of many funds administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, was set up as part of the bank’s ongoing commitment to the local communities in the North West, where the bank has a presence.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available to registered charities in Greater Merseyside, Manchester and Wigan for projects that are based in and around the themes of education learning, environment or health.

Joan Ford, Community Foundation for Merseyside Grants Officer, explains:- “The Community Foundation is keen to hear from groups like Speke Children’s Environment Committee planning projects that benefit the young community in an educational but fun way. The Alliance & Leicester Fund provides the ideal mechanism for community groups to access vital funding for important projects.”

Caption: Speke Adventure Playground Senior Play Worker Ann Shaw and Emma and Daniel McDonough get stuck into creating the sensory garden.

Web Link:- www.cfmerseyside.org.uk