It was lovely to see so many faces! Thank you for going easy on me for my first CANN as a co-chair!
To start the morning I had a wonderful opportunity to share with attendees what our service is about, where it came from, what we offer, and how we support individuals across the North East using our Rainbow Guides and app.
For those who missed the session, I have sent over our slides to be included. You can also download them here.
If you would like to refer to our service, you can do so here: https://www.choicewellbeingservice.org/services
If you would like to join our well-attended bi-monthly SEND in Sunderland Network, bringing together practitioners and organisations that work in Sunderland, you can join that here: https://ChoiceWellbeing.wixforms.com/f/7303011385351340409
After spending time hearing me waffle on about our service, we got stuck in and engaged in the Marshmallow tower activity.
As you will see by the images, we had great fun!
The purpose of the activity was to engage everyone’s brains after hearing me waffle on, to show the impact of SEND on both teams working within the sector and the families, but also the importance of communication and collaboration. By working together, towers were built (and fell ha!) but the communication was great.
After a brief discussion on collaboration, we answered some burning SEND questions, about us and the wider SEND community.
After further introductions, we passed the space back over to the whole room to share information, good news, and bits about themselves and the organisations they were representing.
First up we heard from Bev at The Chronicle Sunshine Fund:
- The Santa Bus will be running in Newcastle again this year with a new location
- The Sunshine Fund have also received further funding to run more parent carer specific fun sessions, building on previously offered successful sessions
Bev also popped on her Gateshead Parent Carer Forum hat to let us know the forum will be hosting a big showcase in November of their Rainbow Guide, bringing together organisations to be involved. If you are interested in hosting a stall that day, please get in touch with Bev.
Next up, David Jones from Life Science Centre:
- David shared with us how the Life Science Centre has undergone a series of accessibility updates, including adding BSL and words on screens, particularly in the planetarium.
- The centre has also added a quiet/calming corner, providing space for individuals to take a break.
- David also informed us that he has recently purchased more items to create new sensory bags for the centre, partially because of their success and previous additions being stolen.
Thank you to all attendees today, I look forward to seeing you all again at the next CANN!
Tracey Huggins
