For more information visit www.paralympics.org.uk.

Starting at Alton Rugby Club (Anstey Park) and running from 9.30am to 4.30pm the event has all the ingredients for a great day out.  With three different lengths of walk, approximately three, five and 10 miles, incentive prizes, childrens’ treasure trail, countryside quiz, face painting, refreshments and ice creams there’s something for everyone.  The last start time for the 10 mile walk is 12 noon.

The day will end with well-earned refreshments and entertainment back at the Rugby Club.  The event looks set to be a fantastic family day out and a great way to keep fit as well as raising valuable funds for both Treloar School and College,” said Fiona Janczur, Events Manager for the Treloar Trust.  “And we really hope it will become an annual fixture on our events calendar.”

The Treloar Trust supports Treloar School and Treloar College for physically disabled young people from all over the country.   Each year the Trust needs to raise around £2 million to fund new facilities, equipment and improvements to ensure each of the 300 plus disabled students are able to live as full and independent a life as possible.

Registration is £5.00 per adult (free for children).  Entry forms are available from Wendy Edwards on 01420 526523, email or downloard the entry form here.

Autumn term (November)	Medical, therapy and independence training
Spring term (February)	Education/ curriculum
Summer term (June)	Residential, social care and leisure

Visitors are welcomed to the College by the Principal who gives an overview of who we are, how we operate and our plans for the future.  This is followed by group tours to areas of the college relevant to the day’s focus.  The tour might include visiting the therapy areas, the 24-hour medical centre, rehabilitation engineering, residences and independence flats, the Ian Karten (business) Centre, the Learning Resource Centre and also visits into classrooms to observe lessons.

Although there is plenty of time for visitors to ask questions throughout the day, members of staff from all areas of the college join visitors for lunch, giving further opportunity to discuss issues and ask questions.

After lunch*, a student panel conducts a plenary session - always very popular with visitors, as they are able to, ‘hear it from the horse’s mouth’.  This is followed by the focus group session, where visitors can return to areas of specific interest for a more in-depth session or meet with staff for professional discussions before reconvening for refreshments and feedback, prior to departure.

Outline itinerary
10.15 – 10.30  Registration
10.30 – 10.50  Introduction and welcome
10.50 – 12.30  Tour of the College
12.30 –  1.30   Lunch with staff
 1.30  –  2.00   Plenary session with students
 2.00  –  3.00   Focus sessions
 3.00  –  3.20   Refreshments and evaluation
 3.20 onwards   Guests depart

Comments from visitors

. Fantastic!  Very informative day, thank you!
· Very positive environment
· A memorable place with huge qualities and much to learn from
· Great advice and valuable information given
· The staff has a wealth of knowledge and give only solutions, very encouraging
· A very positive and independence focused environment
· I learnt a lot about the development taking place with essential skills and using electronic communication aids
· Brilliant day – really positive – thank you

* A small charge of £10 is made to cover refreshments and essential costs.

Click here for more information or to print off a registration form.

The tickets have been designed by Kate Mellor, Marie Devlin and Charley Walker in 10T and have been printed at the college. Tickets are being allocated on a first come first served basis. Those who have already ordered tickets will receive them in the post soon after the half term holiday. 10T are organising the ticket sales, under the supervision of their form tutor, in order to gain some work related experience. 

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=526010&providerCategoryID=128&fileName=\\ey\\SC\\SC_SC012024_18042008.pdf

or by accessing through our section:

http://www.treloar.org.uk/item/377

• 80+ sports training video clips to help students improve their technique in athletics, boccia, football, hockey, netball, tennis, rugby and cricket.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/pe/video/boccia/

We are awaiting news as to whether current student David Smith will be selected to represent the UK in the Boccia, and former student Ben Rushgrove, who hopes to be selected to race in the T36 100m and 200m as part of the Athletics Squad.

Specialist Learner Assessments (SLA) can help mainstream colleges understand better the needs of learners with complex physical, sensory and communication needs in order to offer appropriate and cost-effective support which will enable them to study effectively with the rest of their course group.

SLA teams are hand-picked from Treloar College staff of professional leading specialists – chosen from speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, sensory impairment advisers, education psychologist, an IT access specialist, rehabilitation engineers, physiotherapists and an examination specialist – so that provision at a college can be tailored for individual disabled learners.

Specialist Learner Assessments are carried out within the student’s proposed environment, and involve the staff that will work with the disabled student.
An SLA can be undertaken pre-admission or in-year, and post assessment support is also provided. 

A user-friendly report is produced from the SLA, which in addition to its practical advice, helps staff development and boosts confidence among all concerned.

Specialist Learner Assessments undertaken by Treloar College teams have already proved their worth, showing benefits for both the colleges and disabled students involved. For example, identifying appropriate equipment that will enable the learner to be more independent can remove unnecessary support-staff hours, resulting in the saving of hundreds and even thousands of pounds of resource funding.  

“The key result for colleges having a Specialist Learner Assessment is that it provides appropriate and cost-effective support to learners with more complex physical, sensory and communication needs. This is achieved by understanding fully their abilities and desires within the context of their disabilities and course requirements,” said Nicola Rance, SLA Co-ordinator at Treloar College.

Recently, Treloar’s has begun to disseminate and develop its assessment techniques, having formed a partnership with Westgate College, a leading national specialist college in Kent for deaf people and those with additional complex needs.
 
For more information about the Treloar College Specialist Learner Assessments contact Nicola Rance on 01420 547721 or email.

The exhibition was held on the last day of term so that parents and students had the opportunity to view the products together.  The College therapy team was on hand to discuss how individual students might use or benefit from specific products. 

With over 40 exhibitors displaying a range of new and innovative products, the exhibition was a great success.  As well as the latest technology in wheelchairs, exhibitors demonstrated a variety of the most up to date mobility aids including beds, hoists and aids for bathing and for daily living; a range of new technologies to assist visual impairment were on display, also the latest software and aids to assist disabled users to access computers.  

Exhibitors were encouraged to learn from students about their particular needs and seemed happy to take ideas on board… …we look forward to seeing some of the suggestions converted into products at future exhibitions.

The two professional Army chefs, who have cooked all over the world, pitted their culinary skills against each other, with the green team led by Corporal Paul Carroll just pipping Lance Corporal Barry Pope of the red team to the post.  The mouthwatering winning dish which included pan-fried breast of guinea fowl with wild mushroom risotto was tasted by Michael Aspel, who also helped the chef prepare the dishes.

The competition was very close and although Anthea Turner offered some enlightening cooking tips it was Michael Aspel’s surprising skill at segmenting a pink grapefruit that won over the audience - as the standard of the cooking from both chefs was excellent.

For details of forthcoming fundraising events in support of Treloar’s visit our events page. 

BC1 - David Smith won the final and Ryan Langdon took 4th place

BC3 - Therese Hunt came 5th

The club starts on Wednesday 23 April at Treloar School, Upper Froyle, Nr. Alton, Hampshire and will continue every Wednesday evening from 6.45pm – 8.00pm during term, for just £1.00 per week.

The sports club which is run by East Hants District Council and based at Treloar School will provide a range of sporting activities for people of all ages with any disability from in and around the local area. Participants will be able to sample among other activities table tennis, wheelchair football, zone hockey, polybat, boccia, basketball, table cricket, new age kurling, wheelchair basket ball, swimming, badminton, athletics and balloon volleyball. The idea is that the club will start by providing a varied programme of sports to give everyone an opportunity to try them out and see what they like best. Anyone wishing to attend the club that requires support should bring someone with them.

To find out more contact Kirsty Cope, Community Project Worker for Sport and Play on 01730 234396, email or go to www.getactivenow.org.uk.

During this half term the Boccia players have been busy preparing for the Regional Championships, at which 23 school students competed, representing 1 in 5 of all students. With all standards from beginner to experienced international athlete separated only by physical classification, we did extremely well to take 5 of the 13 available qualifying places for the Nationals (with another 7 going to current College and former Treloar players).

Congratulations to Andrew Morgan, Paige Tabone, Kate Mellor, Jess Hunter and Trevor Wright for qualifying for the Nationals, which will be held in Sheffield in March.

The swimmers are also preparing for their Regional Gala, which will be held this Saturday in Southampton. Good luck to Nathan Crowe, Craig Dewart, Ellie Sewell and new swimmers Ben McGifford and Marie Devlin. Nathan has already qualified for the Nationals in March, and has also attended a Regional training day along with coach Dionne deBotte.

Meanwhile, Josh Toomer has been attending Athletics Regional Squad training days; another new venture for the South East, and one which we expect more students to become involved in in the future. The date for the Regional Athletics looks like it will change from the usual Sunday of the MayDay weekend, so please watch this space for the new date!

Many students are talking about the wonderful display of Sports Acrobatics that we had in Assembly on Tuesday 5th February, performed by the sister of one of our Boccia players, and her team-mates from St. David's College. They have invited us back to demonstrate Boccia and we will be planning a date to do this with them as soon as we can.

The proposed Multi-Sports Club will now start on Wednesday April 23rd, and run between 6.45 and 8p.m. every Wednesday during term time. This is being organised by East Hants and will be open to all, but please note that students who need assistance must provide this for themselves, and this is not something that the school will be able to staff.

Ryan Langdon (pictured) won 1st place in BC1
Therese Hunt (pictured) won 1st place in BC3
Jaco Roux won 3rd place in BC2
Matthew Shipp won 3rd place in BC3
Rebecca Wolff won 3rd place in BC4

24 students from Treloar School performed in a concert at Glaziers Hall in London on December 6th 2007. Their voices and enthusiasm were praised by all, including Michael Aspel, the compere for the evening.

This biennial event is always a highlight in the Treloar callenda and a special start to the festive season.  The evening was entitled Festive Harmony and featured songs and readings by the School students, including songs from their future production of The Sound of Music.

The National Youth Orchestra Band along with students from Frensham Heights were also involved in the concert.

David’s achievements include, double World Champion at the World Cup in the singles and team events, winner of both the British Nationals and Championships and is part of the number one ranked Great British boccia team.  David remains unbeaten for last 18 months.  What an achievement! 

Boccia

David Smith’s sporting year culminated with being named BBC South Disabled Sports Personality of the Year (2007), after a string of successes in boccia (a form of bowls and Paralympic sport).  David’s achievements include, double World Champion at the World Cup in the singles and team events, winner of both the British Nationals and Championships and is part of the number one ranked Great British boccia team.  David remains unbeaten for last 18 months.  What an achievement! 

Current and former Treloar School and College students made up 13 of the 14 players that represented the South East Region at the DSE National Boccia Championships in Liverpool recently.

The team secured four first places in total: Therese Hunt won the senior BC3 (ramp) class, Jess Hunter the junior BC3 class, Andrew Morgan the junior BC1 class and Matthew James the senior BC1 class. Emma Turner gained  second place in the senior BC4 class and Paige Tabone came third in the junior BC2 class.

The team came second overall in the team championship, after entering only eight of the 16 classification groups and lost out on the first place by only two points!

New players Habib Cham and Cailean Tadden both had a great first-time experience of a competitive sports weekend with Habib winning one of his two games.

Swimming

The Treloar swimming squad successfully competed in several competitions this term.  The most significant the Regional Qualifying Gala in October, which resulted in Nathan Crowe, Craig Dewart and Anna Pakenham qualifying for the National Championships next year. 

In October Treloar’s took their largest ever squad to the Aldershot Gala. All eight swimmers did well and gained a total of 20 medals between them!  The squad came 4th overall.

The squad were among 14 other swimming clubs that took part at a recent swimming gala at Guildford Spectrum which resulted in the following medal wins: Anna Pakenham - silver and bronze, Sonny New - gold and bronze, Elizabeth Sewell - silver and bronze and Richard Kirk - gold, silver and bronze medals.  Both Faye Longley and Luis Coward also swam well and achieved personal best times!

At the end of the event a number of individual trophies were awarded. To the team’s delight, Richard Kirk was awarded the Bernard Owen Challenge Cup for the highest number of points (mens), Ellie Sewell won the Bernard Owen Junior Trophy (girls) for her high score and a special Endeavour Award was presented to Faye Longley for her achievement.

Muriel was completely unaware of her success and in the middle of a well-deserved break in Canada when she heard that she’d been short-listed for the Outstanding Leadership award. STAR Awards are presented by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) to people making a difference in learning and skills and are designed to celebrate the tremendous achievements of the unsung heroes of the further education system.

“This is an amazing achievement given the overwhelming quality of the nominations received by the QIA each year,” said Pat Teague, Treloar College Principal.  “We didn’t want to let Muriel know about the nomination initially as she’s very modest and would have been embarrassed but it’s fully deserved after nearly 21 year’s of dedicated service to education within the College”.

During Muriel’s time as Programme Manager: Access (Entry Level) and Skills for Life she has provided outstanding vision, dedication and support for members of her team.  In the last twenty years of her service she became an innovative and creative leader, leading by example as an experienced practioner herself.                                                                              

Having made it through the first stage of the judging process, both Muriel and Pat attended the prestigious 2007 National STAR Awards ceremony in London, where the winners for each category were announced. 

Although Muriel didn’t get first place in the Outstanding Leadership category, for which there were 9 other candidates, she was touched to have been so highly regarded by her fellow colleagues at Treloar College that they felt strongly enough to nominate her.  “There is something quite unreal about being nominated for this award by Treloar’s who gave me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and supported me 100% throughout the whole of my time at the College.  Nevertheless, it is a huge privilege to have received such a nomination and the icing on the cake at the end of a long, happy, challenging and fulfilling career,” said Muriel.

The award was presented to training manager Kay Griffiths by Fame Academy’s David Grant, at one of the regional ceremonies.

The College provides education, therapy, independence training and 24-hour nursing and social care. It is one of only a few providing palliative care for students whose disabilities are life-threatening. “Care needs have grown more complex and labour-intensive and care staff must be well-trained to cope with these demands,” said Kay Griffiths, Training and Development Manager.  “At least half our care staff must be trained to NVQ2 or above.”

Treloar Trust that that supports Treloar College designed a programme of training aimed at increasing the number of staff registering for and achieving NVQ2 or 3, improving staff retention and progression and improving the College’s consistency of care.

An NVQ co-ordinator was appointed, followed by two full-time assessors who were members of the residential care team. Over 180 residential workers took part in the programme. The assessors, highly experienced in the area of care, were able to monitor the staff they were assessing through observation and portfolios, ensuring that training had been transferred to the workplace. 

NVQ2 competencies covered areas such as supporting students with additional needs with eating and drinking, communicating with students with additional requirements, ensuring confidentiality and contributing to the provision of advocacy for individuals.

Seven workshops were linked to the programme to ensure the underpinning knowledge for the NVQ had been gained from training. The number of training sessions was doubled to improve attendance and accessibility, increasing motivation, attitude and confidence and ensuring a high level of consistency.

Professionals from all areas of the College are involved in designing and delivering sessions pertinent to their areas of expertise, and they worked with the NVQ co-ordinator to ensure that the knowledge required for the NVQ was covered by the training session. Nine training sessions were delivered over a year.

Before the programme, staff had to wait a year before starting their NVQ, but they are now encouraged to start as soon as they join.

Treloar's achieved Investors in People, and the 2005 IiP report showed a clear shift in staff attitude. It said the needs of people working part-time or on shifts were recognised, and training experienced staff as NVQ assessors had improved the access of part-time and night workers to training.

The programme’s success is reflected in student surveys, showing 90 per cent or more are “pleased” or “very pleased” with the quality of care they receive. The most recent CSCI report shows the College met every one of 46 standards, and that 73 per cent of staff are now qualified or working towards the award. Staff retention has improved, with turnover falling from 27.3 per cent in 2002 to 13 per cent in 2006.

The assessors, experienced ex-residential workers, have been able to identify good practice in one part of the College and share it with other residential units, improving consistency, as well as training and assessing staff. 

“There has been a significant shift in the attitudes and motivation of care staff towards training and the NVQ award,” said Kay Griffiths. “Staff who were previously negative are now highly motivated, using the skills gained in their roles, and some staff have been promoted as a result.”

The National Training Awards operate throughout the UK and celebrate businesses, organisations and individuals that achieve outstanding success through training and development.  The awards are sponsored by City & Guilds and supported by Investors in People.  Treloar College was awarded a 'Highly Commended' accolade, having shown great potential and demonstrated a dedication to excellence through training.

The Treloar School students achieved the following fantastic results:

• Christian Cunningham – Personal Bests in club and grip ball throw, Gold in fencing (foam sabre), Silver in club, Bronze in target cricket, height bean bag, grip ball and manual wheelchair slalom.
• Shane Hartop – Gold in powered wheelchair slalom, Silver in target cricket, 10th in shooting (our highest scorer), quarter-finalist in kurling
• Josh Toomer – Personal Best in discus, Bronze in table tennis
• Jess Hunter – Gold in powered wheelchair slalom, Silver in height bean bag, Bronze in grip ball and precision bean bag, 4th in boccia
• Craig Dewart – no medals achieved but did fantastically well in wheelchair rugby, which was a ‘come-and-try-it’ event
• Cory Boardman – 6th in target cricket
• Thomas Blumire – 9th in target cricket
• Steven Archer – 13th in target cricket

‘Wheelpower’ is the new name for the British Wheelchair Sports Federation who provide the opportunity for many to try out sports such as archery, shooting, powerlifting, handcycling, mini tennis, fencing, snooker, pool, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby, which we cannot currently offer at School.

In addition, there are competitions in boccia, new age kurling, zone hockey, polybat, table tennis and table cricket that provide an excellent opportunity for our GCSE students to be assessed against others with the same degree of disability as themselves.

Thank you very much to the parents and staff who lent their support and help to the event!

“Extraordinary People – the Boy Who Can Never Grow Old” features 19-year-old Stuart Wickison from Treloar College in Hampshire, as he battles to fulfil his dreams despite suffering from the terminal muscle-wasting condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Like other young people, Stuart and his friends want to go to pubs, have relationships and follow their dreams.

All this is possible with the specialist help available in many residential colleges for physically disabled young people.

At Treloar College, the UK’s first beacon college for severely physically disabled 16-25 year olds, students can even be assisted by specially trained staff to have relationships, and express their sexual needs if that is their wish (see appendix).

Life outside these specialist centres, however, can be frustrating and extremely lonely for disabled young people, according Dr Graham Jowett, Treloar’s Director of Education.

He is calling upon the government to create a new type of transition worker or advocate to help disabled young people “through probably the hardest period of their lives”.

“Although the Department of Children, Schools and Families has recognised the need to put resources into support for families with a disabled child, there is a desperate need for workers with the skills to bring these resources together in the teenage years.”

Dr Jowett says it is well-known that services for these youngsters are “extremely disjointed and patchy. These young people need advocates with the necessary experience to see them through to adulthood.”

“Growing up for most teenagers is a process of developing independence, but the spontaneity and experimentation which non-disabled young people enjoy is impossible for many disabled young people who are almost entirely dependent upon their parents. If you’re seriously disabled you generally don’t go on sleep-overs or fall in and out of love. Even something as simple as going to the pub or taking exams is fraught with difficulties.”

“In many ways disabled young people are very mature – they may have to make decisions about life-threatening surgery and cope with a level of pain which would flatten most non-disabled people and yet they can be denied the ordinary, everyday experiences which turn children into independent adults.”
 
Dr Jowett wants to see a new qualification of social worker for disabled young people.  They would work with the teenager and family to facilitate everyday teenage experiences, liaise with school and colleges to ensure adequate provision is in place, offer realistic career advice, help with wheelchairs and communication devices and advise on housing, leisure and relationships.

Treloar’s has pioneered and underwritten “Moving On” an outreach project offering assistance to physically disabled young people aged between 16-25 living in Lewisham and Woking (see appendix for case study).

The outreach service aims to help local disabled people with practical lifestyle issues such as housing, employment and social independence. While it is hoped that other agencies will develop this project, Dr Jowett believes central government assistance is needed urgently.

APPENDIX

SAFE – Sexuality in Further Education

Eight years ago, responding to requests from the students, Treloar College sought legal advice to create a pioneering framework in which the young people could be assisted in having physical relationships providing both parties were consenting and there was no abuse or coersion involved.

The policy took 18 months to draft with the help of a barrister and a further six months to agree with the senior management team and college governors.  It was piloted for a year before becoming part of the college’s formal policy.

“The students were saying that they were told they should be independent and make decisions for themselves and yet the most basic human right to have a physical relationship was taboo,” said Dr Jowett.                                                                                                                                            

“Specially trained staff can assist the young people to have a physical relationship providing we are clear they are both consenting and there is no abuse of power involved.”

The College policy states “helping students towards self-fulfilment is not just ancillary to educational aims but an integral feature of the college’s task.  To exclude from this task support in intimate relationships would be to deny students the same opportunity as other young people.”

The SAFE policy is now available to other colleges and hospices.

Moving On – case study

Matthew Hague, aged 22, from Woking is a highly sociable young man with no natural speech. 

As a small child, his disability was no bar to friendships.  According to his mother their house was constantly humming with youngsters popping into play with Matthew.

As a young adult, his home town has become an extremely lonely one.  While his childhood friends have moved on, he finds it hard to make new friendships without speech.   Matthew’s cerebral palsy has also affected his ability to swallow so that he sometimes dribbles, which can also be off-putting when meeting new people.

“There’s no-one around here who is Matthew’s friend any more.  He gets very low sometimes,” said his mother Frances Bundock.

“We do what we can to help but really what 22-year-old wants to go out at night with his mother?”

At the moment Matthew is in his last year at a special college near Coventry, where he has friends during the term time. His family are worried what will happen to Matthew when he leaves the safety of college.

“I have no doubt in my mind that his next stage of life will be the hardest.  I know of a couple of disabled young men who became clinically depressed when they settled down to adult life,” said Frances.

Matthew is currently being helped to find work and make friends by Craig Holder from Treloar’s 'Moving On' project in Woking,

“Craig helps Matthew fill in forms, goes with him to interviews and takes him to places where he can meet other young people.  It’s been revolutionary for Matthew.  Every disabled young person should have a Craig,” said Frances.

ENDS

Contact:
Kate Walker on 01420 526421/07771 575496 (Kate.Walker@treloar.org.uk),
Vanessa Casey on 01420 526459/ 07770398141 (Vanessa.Casey@trelaor.org.uk)

Information Line: 0800 0190086

Watch the trailer here 

Despite his condition, Stuart’s determination to live as a normal teenager has never been stronger. He’s leaving the comforts of Treloar College for young people with severe disabilities to study art at university. This is a huge step for Stuart, at Treloar’s he has 24-hour medical support, physiotherapy and lives in an environment where people are accustomed to his needs. Now many of the services he takes for granted he will have to organise himself.

Treloar College doesn’t believe in wrapping up its students in cotton wool and hiding them from the world. Students are encouraged to live life as normal teenagers; they go clubbing, pubbing and have sexual relationships. However sex isn’t easy when you can’t move your body and need carers to assist you.

The documentary follows the DMD teenagers as they go to London to lobby parliament for more research funding, as a cure is imminent. Professor Dominic Wells one of the world’s leading scientists in gene transfer therapy has been able to heal muscles damaged by DMD in mice. The boys are campaigning for money to fund human trials, even though it’s unlikely that a cure will be available in their lifetime. This is especially hard for their parents, a race against time that they’re not winning.

For Stuart’s mum and dad the move to art college is particularly stressful. They’ve cared for him all his life, they’ve known that he’s going to die since he was a three-year old. Now at a time when so many questions are being asked about his health, they have to let him go. For Stuart it’s the only option, as his desire to live, even though he is facing death, has never been greater.

This uplifting intimate film follows Stuart on a remarkable journey, as he pushes himself beyond his limits, overcoming obstacles to achieve his dreams.

For more information about DMD visit: http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/

Click on the following link for further details on the Race Against Time campaign  www.ppuk.org

The Race Against Time campaign is a coalition of three Charities: Parent Project UK (PPUK), Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC), Duchenne Family Support Group (DFSG) and the Party Parliamentary Group of MP’s – APPG Muscular Dystrophy, which are campaigning for further funding for research to find a cure or treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Christian Aid’s 1,000 mile 'Cut The Carbon' march, which began on 14 July, passed through Alton on 27 September, on its way from Alresford to Farnham. 

The marchers were welcomed at Treloar School by Headteacher Harry Dicks and Religious Education Coordinator, Karen Booker.  There they were presented with Treloar’s baseball caps by Thomas Blumire, Headboy and representative of the school’s Eco-Council, and Paige Tabone, Headgirl, before they marched on towards Farnham, to be welcomed by supporters there.  The march will end on 2 October, when they take their final steps into a special Christian Aid service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The Christian Aid team is made up of volunteers from home and abroad, and they carry the message that for people in poor countries, climate change is not a future threat but a present crisis.  Christian Aid is asking businesses, the UK government and individuals to cut their carbon emissions urgently and dramatically.

www.christianaid.org.uk/climate

Watched by Treloar Trustees, local dignitaries, students and funders, Sir David’s spadework was a fitting founding feat since he chose Treloar’s as the beneficiary of his Lord Mayor’s Appeal during his term of office last year, and helped raise £4m for Centenary projects. The new single-storey Hall of Residence will increase accommodation floorspace at Treloar College, and enable most boarding students to have a room of their own if they choose - previously many have shared.

Two of the 36 rooms will be used for day student care, and two independence flats will be included in the scheme. Many of the existing rooms built in the early 1960s, which no longer meet the needs of Treloar’s severely disabled young people, will be upgraded in phased work. Students are expected to move into the new complex at the start of the academic year in September 2008. The design of the new Hall was developed by a multi-disciplinary team from Treloar’s, including residential support staff, occupational therapists and students, and is planned to help learners develop skills for independent living.

"This new building incorporates many features that students find most valuable in Campbell Court, our seven flats for independent living," explained Pat Teague, Principal of Treloar College. "There are all the benefits of a private room, plus discrete areas for socialising and preparing drinks and snacks, which will enable students to develop their domestic skills and independence in a supported setting."

"Ultimately, our aim is that young people who were previously the most dependent on society will become contributors to it and actively participate in shaping their own futures. Even those youngsters for whom this is not a viable option will gain greater control of their lives," she added, medical and technical advances now provide disabled young people not previously thought capable of living independently, with the opportunity to work towards running a home of their own. Today, over 80% of Treloar College students use wheelchairs or powered wheelchairs, but these take up more space. Despite modifications and efforts to make the most of restricted facilities, conditions had become cramped in the old Hall of Residence and Treloar’s was aware of the need to maintain care standards.

The pressure for the additional new building was highlighted by Treloar Trust pledging £1m to underwrite the initial project costs, so enabling planning to progress. As an independent charity, Treloar Trust, which manages Treloar College and Treloar School, has to raise £2m every year just to keep the College and School ’treading water’. Apart from the new Hall of Residence, Treloar’s Centenary Appeal, which has 11 months to run, is also currently funding the Moving On programme in Lewisham and Woking.

In total they gained 33 medals and recorded 12 Personal Bests (BP's), winning 10 Gold, 13 Silver and 10 Bronze medals in total. On the track, nearly every Treloar competitor recorded a PB; testament to the large group of track athletes that competed this year, and which enabled the team to spend relatively more time on track training compared with previous years.

Josh Toomer was undoubtedly our best all-rounder, recording three PB's and gaining 6 medals in total. As a consequence he was selected to represent the South East at the UK School Games in Coventry during late August, where he also recorded a massive PB in the shot putt, and helped the SE team to it’s 2nd consecutive win in this combined able-bodied and disability sport event.

Other Treloar athletes who competed and their achievements were:

• Harry Newton - 1 PB, Gold and 2 Bronze
• Aimee Harris - 3 Gold and 1 Silver
• Jess Hunter - Gold and 5th
• Trevor Wright - Silver and 2 BS
• Adam Hayes - Gold and 6th
• Jake Swapp-Sweet - 11th
• Shane Hartop - 1PB, Gold, Silver and 7th
• Andrew Morgan - 1PB, Gold, Bronze
• Nathan Crowe - 1PB, Bronze, 5th and 7th
• Holley Squires 1 PB and 3 Silver
• Ryan Fagan - 1 PB, Silver, Bronze and 4th
• Rebecca Walker - 1 PB, Gold, Silver and Bronze
• Rachel Medcraft - 1PB and 5th
• Ellie Sewell - 1 PB and 4th
• Justin Allen - 2 Silvers and Bronze
• Connor Medford-Hawkins - Bronze

It was very good to have so many athletes in the School Squad last year, so many that we had to extend squad training over two afternoons.  Thank you to all of the parents and staff who gave freely of their time to support the athletes at both the Regional and National events.

Charlie Dimmock’s Tea for Treloar’s prize ‘celebri-tea’ will highlight the work of voluntary fundraisers for Treloar Trust, which provides ground-breaking education, independence training, therapy and residential support for some of the most severely disabled young people in Britain. Many of these fundraisers were present when Charlie Dimmock launched the 2007 Tea for Treloar’s campaign with, fittingly, a magnificent tea-party, supported by catering suppliers 3663, in the grounds of the renowned special school for physically disabled students at Upper Froyle, near Alton.

Treloar’s has an inhouse team to assist and advise on the staging of fundraising Tea for Treloar’s tea-parties, including details of the Treloar’s ‘Pyramid Tea’ scheme which can raise £1,500 just from the effort of popping the kettle on! Whether it is an American style ‘Boston Tea Party’ or an Alice in Wonderland children’s tea-party, organisers will be in good company as imaginative Treloar supporters throughout the country brew up funds for the Hampshire charity.

“With tea-drinking as traditional in Britain as giving to worthy causes, the Tea for Treloar’s charity campaign encourages the nation to combine both – by raising a cuppa and raising funds to help physically disabled students from throughout the UK who receive education and independence training at Treloar School and College,” said Jon Colville, Treloar’s Community Development Manager. “Tea for Treloar’s tea-party organisers simply have to make a small charge or ask for a donation. Frankly, we are hoping that people will party like there’s no tea-morrow!” joked Jon Colville.

Tea for Treloar’s information packs, containing ideas for fundraising, are available from Fiona or Wendy on: 01420 526511/523 or by email.

It will be a fitting beginning for Oars for Treloar’s, which is challenging rowers throughout the UK to raise sponsorship cash to row 100 miles - a mile for every year that the Hampshire-based Treloar Trust has been helping to improve the lives of physically disabled students. Ed Coode, part of the victorious GB coxless four team in Athens in 2004, is not the only Olympic rowing star putting his weight behind Oars for Treloar’s. Five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave and 2004 Silver Medallist Debbie Flood, are also helping Centenary fundraising for Treloar School and Treloar College in Alton, which have been providing specialist education and independence training for disabled youngsters since 1908.

As an independent charity, Treloar Trust has to raise £2m every year just to survive. The Amateur Rowing Association and Concept2 (the indoor rowing machine company) are also both promoting the Oars for Treloar’s campaign, which will award sponsorship incentive prizes including two return flights to the USA, donated by Concept2. Virgin Active is also promoting the campaign to its employees and members.

The Oars for Treloar’s 100-mile charity challenge is open to all types of rowers - on river, lake, sea or land! The 100 miles can be rowed on a rowing machine or water, by individuals or in a team. The campaign runs until September so rowers will have plenty of time to accumulate the miles. Rowers will also have a common cause - helping to establish a world where physically disabled young people can learn and take control of their lives.  

Most young people at Treloar School and Treloar College are wheelchair users; many have little or no speech; some will not live to grow old. Treloar’s, as the renowned specialist provider of education and independence training is popularly known, is currently celebrating its centenary - 100 years of providing generations of disabled people with, quite simply - a better life "We need your support to help them improve their lives and dare to dream. Together we can change the lives of some of the most disabled young people in the UK today. Go on..... push the boat out, put some muscle into it, and pull for Treloar’s! " urged Fiona Janczur, who is ’coxing’ the fundraising campaign.

Oars for Treloar’s information packs are available from Fiona Janczur or Wendy Edwards on 01420 526511/523.
 
 

Sir William’s successive Lord Mayors have each become honorary Treloar Trustees and have visited the Treloar campuses during their year in office. And, with Treloar’s celebrating its centenary, the current Lord Mayor, Alderman John Stuttard, wasn’t going to break the proud association. Accompanied by more than 30 Masters of London Livery Companies, and eleven Treloar Patrons, The Lord Mayor, Ald. John Stuttard, met staff and students of Treloar’s. During their tour of Treloar School at Upper Froyle, Alton and the nearby Treloar College at Holybourne, the visitors gained an understanding of the specialist needs of the students and the progress they can achieve during their time at Treloar’s.

Music, textiles, PE, IT, science, photography, business studies and the on-site accommodation were all on the itinerary – with students and staff happy to explain details of their work. The Lord Mayor’s party and other guests were also invited to a behind the scenes view of the important work of Treloar’s physio, speech and language, occupation therapy and rehabilitation engineering teams and saw, first hand, how these dedicated professionals work closely with teaching and residential support colleagues to enable each child to achieve the best they can.

“We were hugely impressed with what we saw and came away with such a good impression of what you are achieving”. Treloar’s is currently staging a Centenary Appeal – of which HRH The Princess Royal is Patron – aiming to fund three much-needed projects: the building of a new Hall of Residence at Treloar College; modernising and enlarging of outdated, outgrown classrooms at Treloar School; and the Moving On outreach programme helping disabled people facing the changes and challenges of adulthood and working life.

‘Moving On’ assistance has also been provided with accommodation problems, travel and job placements – for example, one Surrey client is now undertaking part-time voluntary forestry work for the National Trust. Our ‘Moving On’ outreach workers based in Lewisham and Woking are now recognised as integral parts of their communities and their specialist knowledge and skills connected with physical disability are increasingly being used in partnership with other care and social welfare groups.

In Lewisham, outreach worker Claire Major is now gaining a steady stream of client referrals and working closely with Headway (cranial injuries), The Stroke Association, and the Lewisham Volunteer Centre. Craig Holder, outreach worker for the Woking and Guildford area, says: “The good news is that the Moving On project itself is moving on successfully. The project has established good relationships with different people and organisations in relation to referring people, and to finding possible voluntary work placement, but we are still working to overcome the difficulties faced by disabled people when trying to find accessible accommodation and transport.”

Claire Major added: “We are now in our third year of this pilot project, but the ‘Moving On’ programme has already proved its worth, not least to the 60-odd disabled people we have already helped in South London. It has been difficult to gain acceptance, but I now regard myself as a fully embedded worker within this community, and am encouraged daily by the changes we are bringing to peoples’ lives by giving them more personal independence.”

Things get off to a flying (or should that be pedalling) start with a Cork to Dublin sponsored cycle ride which was held in May. Funds raised will support our Pushing the Boundaries programme where disabled students face the challenge of a week long outward bound adventure as a fun way to learn important new skills. You can sponsor the BLP team on the just giving website by clicking on the following link:www.justgiving.com/blpbikeride

David won the BC1 singles event at the Boccia World Cup, which took place from  8 - 20 May in Vancouver, Canada. Nigel Murray also won a bronze in the BC2 event and the GB throwers team won a gold medal, of which David is also a member.