Go-Ahead has signed up to RNIB’s (Royal National Institute of Blind People) Bus Charter to ensure services are accessible for passengers with sight loss.

The bus operator has pledged its support for the Bus Charter, which sets out 13 commitments to improve bus travel. RNIB has worked with Go-Ahead’s regional bus operators holding local Swap with Me events. During the events bus drivers swap places with blind and partially sighted people, to learn from each other’s experiences.

Fazilet Hadi, RNIB’s Director of Engagement, said:

“Blind and partially sighted people rely on buses to get out and about. Bus companies have a vital role to play in enabling people to travel safely and independently.  Timetable information needs to be accessible and buses need to stop at bus stops. Bus drivers need to help people find a seat and when there are no audio announcements, let people know when to get off the bus.

“We are delighted Go-Ahead has signed up to our Bus Charter. This builds on the success we have had working with local Go-Ahead operators across England.

“We also applaud Go-Ahead’s decision to fit all new buses with audio visual equipment. Audio announcements considerably improve bus travel for blind and partially sighted people, taking away the stress of not being sure where they are or when to get off.”

Go-Ahead’s Bus Development Managing Director, Martin Dean, said:

“We’re committed to improving journeys for all customers, and it’s important to us that blind and partially sighted customers have a positive experience when travelling by bus. Our local operating companies play an important role in the communities they serve. We want to ensure that our bus services can be relied upon, so that customers continue to use them and also recommend them to others.

“All our new buses will be fitted with audio visual equipment and we are continually investing in new technology such as apps that make journey-planning and paying for trips as easy as possible.”

To find out more about the Bus Charter and join our campaign visit www.rnib.org.uk/bus or call RNIB’s campaigns hotline on 020 7391 2123.

Have your say – see what others said about plans to change parliamentary constituencies and tell the Boundary Commission for England what you think!

The Boundary Commission for England needs your help once again as it begins the next step of its 2018 Boundary Review – the second consultation.

Parliament has asked the Commission, an independent and impartial public organisation, to review all the constituency boundaries in England, reducing the total number and making each constituency an equal size. This is a big job and the Commission can’t do it without your help.

Last year, the Commission ran a consultation asking you, the public, to look at its proposed changes and tell them what you thought – did the proposed boundaries reflect your local community? For instance, were the local places that are important to you, such as where you go to meet friends, play sports or attend clubs, in the same constituency as where you live? Nearly 20,000 responses were received – you may even have had your say.

The Commission has now started the next phase of the review and today it launched its second consultation.

This is your chance to get involved once again, but this time around it’s slightly different. The Commission has published all the responses it received in the first consultation and is asking you to look and comment on these – telling them what you do and don’t like about other people’s ideas. Again ask yourself do other people’s suggestions reflect my local community?

You have until Monday 27 March to go online and get involved. Visit www.bce2018.org.uk to view the responses from the last consultation and add your comments. You can also see the initial proposals here and see how your local area could be affected. Finally, don’t forget to follow @BCE2018 for the latest updates.

So now it’s over to you – go online to have your say and help shape the new Parliamentary constituencies in England!

National disability charity responds to new findings from the Centre for Social Justice, and calls for the Government to actively work with employers to promote disabled people.

New polling from the Centre for Social Justice showed that two thirds (63 per cent) of HR decision makers think there are barriers to hiring disabled people, and that only a third (33 per cent) have hired a person with a disability or mental health condition in the last year.

In response to these findings, the national disability charity, Sense, who’s Realising Aspirations for All report looks at the key issue of disability employment, calls on the Government to do more to work with employers and promote disabled people as valuable employees.

Kate Fitch, Head of Policy and Campaign, said:

“The Centre for Social Justice’s polling once again highlights the scale of the challenges facing disabled people as they look to secure and remain in employment.

Disabled people face many barriers to work, including negative employer attitudes, with employers failing to make essential adjustments needed for disabled people to perform their roles successfully, isolation in the workplace, a lack of career progression, and concerning issues with receiving the right support from Access to Work.

We are supportive of the Government’s focus on improving access to employment for disabled people, and welcome the Improving Lives: Work, Health and Disability Green Paper.

Many disabled people want to be in employment, and Sense has been working with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that their voices are heard directly by government.

However, this polling shows that there is clearly still a great deal to do when it comes to employer attitudes. Sense is calling on the Government to work with businesses across the country to make the positive case for disabled people as valuable employees.

We want to see the Government develop and implement a coordinated campaign to raise employers’ awareness of the abilities and potential of disabled people, including those with complex needs.”

For more information www.sense.org.uk.

Prague based filmmakers, Paul Dean (UK) and Kristyna Balaban (Canada), announced the launch of their indiegogo campaign to raise funding for the completion of their documentary, ‘The Road Less Run’, and to help spread the unique concept of inclusion of disabled athletes in marathon running developed in Prague by the charity Running With Those That Can’t.

From 2009, with courage, tenacity and sweat, Scott Keel and Honza Holna have fuelled a revolution in perception. In 2013, they competed in their last marathon together as a team. “Everything,” Scott says, “can be accomplished, if you do it together.” Now, as more people begin to witness amazing new horizons of human potential, the idea is catching on.‘The Road Less Run’ is the incredible true story of how one dream broke down barriers, changed an entire community and inspired people all over the world.

Running With Those That Can’t (RWTTC), is a Prague based charity, founded in 2009 by American medical student, Scott Keel. The Charity raises money to build specialized strollers for disabled athletes then creates teams of runners to compete alongside the athletes in the Prague Marathon. Honza Holna (CZ) was one of the first disabled athletes to compete alongside Scott. As the film’s director, Dean says, “When we were first approached to make a short promo video about RWTTC, it quickly became apparent that there was a bigger story to tell.” Fellow director, Balaban, continues, “After many months of following Scott and Honza, we discovered a truly inspiring story that we knew we had to share with as many people as possible so that more communities would be able to share in the same experience.”

When asked why Indiegogo was appealing, Dean noted that “Indiegogo has provided us with the perfect platform that allows us to attempt to raise much needed funds for the completion of the documentary but also helps us to reach our primary goal of spreading the story’s message of charity, inclusion and community to as many people as possible.” Consequently, the documentary team is hoping to acquire around $50,000 of funding not just to complete the documentary but also to make a 15-20 minute promo film that will be made available for free to athletics organizations, advocacy groups and marathons worldwide to help inspire others to create similar projects in their own communities.

The film was shot over a period of months in 2013 for free, using a number of volunteers and generously donated equipment, including GoPros, Red cameras, Canon DSLRs and Sony HDCams. Monies raised through Indiegogo will be used for colour grading, sound editing and mixing, original and licensed music, language transcriptions, legal fees and distribution and festival costs. Also, approximately one week of additional shooting in March and April 2017, around this year’s Prague Half Marathon, with most of the original subjects and exploring further story lines.

ABOUT: Paul Dean is an English filmmaker based in Prague. He has worked in the film industry for over ten years and has written and directed numerous short films, music videos and commercials. Kristyna Balaban is a Czech-Canadian documentary filmmaker and interdisciplinary media artist from Toronto, Canada. Kristyna now lives in Prague where she works for the Institute of Documentary Film and on her own projects.

Watch the film and back the campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-road-less-run-documentary-film-running#/.

Write it, Snap it, Film it

Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK are inviting you to get involved in Raynaud’s awareness month! Let’s unite together, raise our hands and raise vital funds for people with Scleroderma and Raynaud’s by sharing our hand images and stories.

Your stories, photos and videos will demonstrate the large number of people affected by Raynaud’s. From your first colourful hand experience to where you are now with the condition, we want to see the real photos, videos and stories that have made your life different. Share your story now!

#raiseyourhands with SRUK and together as part of the Raynaud’s Community help increase awareness for Raynaud’s. You can get involved by following SRUK on Twitter and Facebook by following #raiseyourhands.

Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK have now also launched on online test. Think you might have Raynaud’s, take the online test now: https://www.sruk.co.uk/raynauds/raynauds-test/.

With Raynaud’s Awareness Month occurring in February, Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK launch #raiseyourhands simple test to help millions affected by Raynaud’s. The test will be live on 1 February (www.sruk.co.uk/testme). 

This winter the UK is set to have the heaviest snowfall for many years, bringing misery and suffering for millions of people with Raynaud’s and Scleroderma. Many of us take it for granted that chilly hands will disappear once spring arrives, but that’s not the case for many people with Raynaud’s.

A trip down the frozen aisle of the supermarket or simply sitting in an air conditioned office anytime of the year, can trigger a painful attack for up to one in six people in the UK, living with a little known condition called Raynaud’s.

Raynaud’s is a condition that affects the blood supply in the body’s extremities – usually the fingers and toes – and many people living with the condition will regularly experience colour changes to the affected area, pain and discomfort.

Up to 10 million people in the UK are affected by Raynaud’s yet many living with the condition are not aware they have Raynaud’s or that support and treatmenti is available and left to deal with the impact alone Research from Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK (SRUK), the only UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by Scleroderma and Raynaud’s, reveals that only 4% are able to identify the symptoms of Raynaud’s. SRUK is tackling this lack of understanding by getting everyone affected to unite and #raise your hands during February.

SRUK has launched a simple online test, accessible via their website to help identify if you may have Raynaud’s. At the end of the test you will be told if you could have Raynaud’s and the next steps to take, which could include top tips on keeping warm or downloadable information to take to your GP.

For many with Raynaud’s it will be a mild inconvenience but for 1 in 10 people affected by Raynaud’s they will go on to develop an autoimmune condition like scleroderma (which can cause disability and can be life-threatening), Arthritis or lupus, which may need further treatment and close monitoring.

Top 5 signs of Raynaud’s

1. Cold fingers and toes
2. Colour changes in the skin in response to cold or stress
3. Colour changes in the affected area to white, then blue and then red
4. Numbness, tingling or pain in the fingers and toes
5. Stinging or throbbing pain upon warming or stress relief

Other parts of the body can be affected by Raynaud’s including the ears, nose, lips, tongue and nipples. Symptoms can last for a few minutes to several hours.

Sue Farrington, Chief Executive of SRUK, says: 

“We are encouraging more people to seek medical help and advice if they regularly experience one or more of the main symptoms which include pain, numbness or tingling in the body’s extremities.

“We know that despite a quarter of people saying that they had experienced symptoms, only 10% on average have visited their GP. This needs to change – Raynaud’s can be a minor but uncomfortable inconvenience, but for those more seriously affected by Raynaud’s or Scleroderma, it’s crucial that they seek medical treatment and support as early as possible. We hope with our online test people can self-manage the condition better, seek treatment where necessary but above all know that they are not alone, we are here to support and assist people in coping with the painful and sometimes life-changing effects of the condition.”

SRUK currently supports over twenty five thousand people in the UK living with the conditions but this is just the tip of the icebergii.

For more information on Raynaud’s, the signs to look out for, how to manage symptoms go to www.sruk.co.uk and download a Raynaud’s information pack today. To get in touch with SRUK  contact info@sruk.co.uk or call 020 7000 1925.

The national report, which was published by Mencap as part of their Don’t Freeze Us Out Campaign last week, asked 300 learning disabled people aged between 18 to 35 how they felt about going to clubs and music gigs.

The report showed that 1 in 4 had been bullied at a nightclub, 13% said they were worried about asking for help if they needed it and 24% said they often felt like they couldn’t go to clubs and therefore felt isolated.

Since spring 2015, ARC have worked with a group of learning disabled club planners to create and run the Arctic Piranha club nights ensuring that learning disabled adults living in the Tees Valley to enjoy a genuine club night experience without the worry of feeling isolated, out of place or afraid.

Vici Wreford Sinnott, Creative Lead for the Cultural Shift project said:

“Since the club nights were introduced, staff at ARC have seen a steady increase in numbers and positive feedback from learning disabled clubbers who have enjoyed club night themes including Hollywood red carpet, Summer Nights as well as Halloween and Christmas club nights.”

The club nights have a relaxed pace, safe chill out areas and companions can accompany clubbers for free. There is also the opportunity for learning disabled people to have their say on the theme of each club night as well as suggest ideas for the music and cocktail list for each event at a regular club night planning meeting.

The next club night will take place on Saturday 21 January and has a Gold theme. The club night on Saturday 11 February will take on an I’m A Celebrity jungle theme and there will be a space themed club night on Saturday 18 March.

The January club night starts at 7.30pm and costs £3 per person and companions go free. Drinks and snacks will be available to buy at the bar.

Tickets can be booked at www.arconline.co.uk or via calling the Box Office on 01642 525199.