NAS Surrey Service Clubs and Services for under 18s

NAS Children’s Clubs and Youth Clubs in Surrey are run by NAS professionals from the NAS Resource Centre in Godalming (not by volunteers at NAS Surrey Branch). Please contact them directly by email: SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk or Tel: 01483 521 743 extn 3 for more information about clubs.

​Clubs are open to all children and young people with autism and Asperger syndrome who live in Surrey and run during in term-time only. The clubs offer a wide variety of fun activities in a safe, structured and autism-friendly environment and are all about having a good time. Everyone gets time to meet new friends, learn and play. The clubs aim to help children and young people to grow and develop their communication and social skills, become more independent, develop their confidence and boost self-esteem. 
​
To apply for a place for their child, parents must complete a self-referral form available from SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk or Tel: 01483 521 743.
All activities cost £5 per session (£2.50 for families on income support or for second siblings). 

CHILDRENS CLUBS (age 5 - 11)Godalming – Thurs 6.00 – 8.00 p.m. (age 5 – 11) 
Reigate - Thurs 6.00 - 8.00 p.m. (age 7-14) 
Staines - Tues 5.00 – 7.00 p.m. (age 5 – 11)

YOUTH CLUBS (Age 11 - 18 year olds) Woking - Thursday 7.00 - 9.00 p.m.
 Godalming – Tuesday 7.00 – 9.00 p.m.

ALL AGES (5 – 18 years old)Horsham – Thursdays 5.30 – 7.30 p.m.
Clubs run in term-time and are open to all children and young people with autism and Asperger syndrome who live in Surrey, or Sussex for the Horsham club. The clubs offer a variety of fun activities in a safe, structured, autism-friendly environment and are all about having a good time. Everyone gets time to meet new friends, learn and play. The clubs aim to help youngsters to develop their communication and social skills, become more independent, develop confidence and boost self-esteem.

Cost: £5 per session (£2.50 for families on income support or for second siblings).

Find out more on Facebook. To apply for a place for your child, contact the NAS Resource Centre by email: SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk
or tel: 01483 521 743 (option 3).
ASSIST SERVICE (Age 16+)
Asperger Support, Signposting & Information Services Team
(For those who do not qualify for support from Adult Social Care.)

Co-ordinator: Mike Leat
Email: mike.leat@nas.org.uk
Tel: 07436 261194 (answerphone).

ASSIST runs on Thursdays and Saturdays in Godalming, on Tuesdays in Reigate, and on Saturdays in Aldershot. It offers one-to-one discussion sessions, usually once a month. 

Sparklers Spring Holidays Playgroups 😃

These are free stay and play plus sessions for children with additional needs  (0 to 13) and their families. The Surrey and Hampshire  Early Help professionals will be present.

Wednesdays, 4th & 11th April 2018
Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
Venue: Deepcut Garison Community Centre,
GU16 6SY.

Friday, 13th April 2018
Time: 10.30pm to 12.30pm
Venue: Frimley Baptist Church,
Balmoral Drive, GU16 9AR.

For more information and to express interest, contact Sparklers via
Email: contact@sparklers.org.uk
Tel: 07854571041

NAS Surrey Branch Mini Survey

We are planning our (limited) resources and budgets for 2018 and would like the views of members so that we know what the most important things are for the branch to do to help support families. Just a reminder, the NAS Surrey Branch is run by parent volunteers and is focused on providing support for parents and carers – we are not involved with the children’s’ and youth clubs or ASSIST services which are run by the NAS Resource Centre - a separate part of the NAS run by professionals

Please spend just a few minutes completing the short survey here to help us prioritise how we use volunteers’ time and spend our money, which all comes from donations: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PS3CF23

Cygnet Courses Hosted by NAS Surrey Branch in 2018

We are once again hosting two 2-day Cygnet programmes for parents of children aged 5 – 18 with autism. They are being run by trainer Liz Waters:

Dorking – Weds 7^th & Thurs 8^th  March

Guildford – Tues 8^th & Weds 9^th May

The two-day programmes are designed to:

• • Increase understanding of autistic spectrum conditions 

• • Help parents / carers develop their knowledge of how a child on the autistic spectrum experiences the world and what drives their behaviour 

• • Learn about practical strategies to use with children 

• • Find out about relevant ASD resources 

• • Let parents / carers meet with others to gain support and learn from each other.

Topics covered include autism & diagnosis; communication; sensory issues; understanding behaviour and managing behavior.

This two-day course is FREE for families in Surrey to attend. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL. To reserve your place, we require a £10 deposit per person but your deposit will be returned on completion of both days. We reserve the right to retain the deposits of people who have booked but do not attend. To book your place, please email Sarah Mead at events@nassurreybranch.org with ‘Cygnet’ and your preferred location in the subject line.

Workshop on Behaviour in Guildford January 2018

FULLY BOOKED. Workshop on behaviour in children with ASDs on Thursday 18th January 2018 from 8.00 – 9.00 p.m. Coffee will be served from 7.45pm.  Booking essential.

The workshop is being delivered by Sue Goldman, who has taught autistic children for over 20 years at locations including the NAS Sybil Elgar School, The Little Group and Papillon House. She has experience in the ‘Attention Autism’ approach, Makaton and TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children).

Update on NAS Surrey Service Clubs and Family Support

As families who already use the NAS Surrey Service after school or youth clubs, or the Family Support service know, its services for under-18s are being changed or cut following the consultation by Surrey Short Breaks during May and June this year. 

There is information about the changes on the Surrey Local Offer website.

From 1st December 2017, there will be just two after-school and two youth clubs run by the NAS in Surrey – details of venues will be announced in the autumn. Clubs in other areas will be delivered by the YMCA.

Sadly the NAS Family Support service will stop from December and new referrals are no longer being taken. For queries, contact 01483 521743 or email SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk. 

The new address for NAS Surrey Services is Birch House, No 6 Godalming Business Centre, Woolsack Way, Godalming GU7 1XW.

John Williams to Perform at NAS Surrey Branch AGM 5th July 2017

Our Branch AGM will take place from 8.00pm on Wednesday 5th July in the Brooklands Room at the Doubletree Hilton, Victoria Way, Woking GU21 8EW. Coffee will be served from 7.30pm.

We are delighted and excited that our speaker this year will be John Williams, stand up comedian and author of the book and blog  ‘My Son’s not Rainman’. Here’s what his website says about him:

"I'm a comedian... it's what I do. I used to always talk about family life on stage, but there was one crucial bit of our story I always missed out, and that was the bit about my son having autism and cerebral palsy. Yet despite his diagnosis, and maybe even sometimes because of it, there is joy in our world. That's all this is about. It isn't a story about autism - it's a story about a young boy who happens to have autism, there's a difference.

The show first premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2013. Since then it has been performed at theatres, comedy clubs, headteacher conferences, autism events, teacher training days and fundraisers across the UK and Ireland. An excerpt was recorded for Radio 4 'Four Thought' and was selected by the BBC as one of their Magic Moments of Radio 2015 as well as featuring on Radio 4's Pick of the Year. 

The book telling our story 'My Son's Not Rainman' was published by Michael O'Mara Books on 1 September 2016." 

The first 30 minutes or so of the meeting will deal with our AGM buinsess, including voting in a new Chair. As you may have seen in the newsletter, current volunteer chair Emma Whitfield is stepping down this year after six years in the role, but very happily past chair Sara Truman has been persuaded to stand for re-election. Haywood Drake has also kindly agreed to stand for re-election as treasurer. If you would like to put your name forward for either of these roles, please email Sara at nas@mugsy.org by 15th June. 

If you were to see John perform in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, you would pay £15 or more, so we are asking anyone who can to donate £10 for the evening. You can either give cash on the door or donate via our justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/nassurreybranch

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on 5th July - please email Emma at emma@mugsy.org with ‘AGM’ in the subject to let me know if you are planning on coming so we have a rough idea of numbers.

NAS and interAKtive Ice Skating Event 8th July 2017

We are holding our annual ice skating event, along with the charity interAKtive, on Saturday 8th July from 4.45 – 5.45pm at Guildford Spectrum Ice rink.  

We take over the whole ice rink, get the flashing lights and loud music turned off and provide plenty of pushalong penguins to help children who aren’t confident on the ice. You can also come straight into the rink through a back door without having to go through the noisy reception area if that works best for your family.   

Please note, children remain the responsibility of their parents at all times and we ask that children under 12 are accompanied on the ice by a responsible adult. Guildford Spectrum recommends that children under 10 should wear one of the helmets supplied (they can wear their own if they prefer).   

To book your place, go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nas-interaktive-family-ice-skatingjuly2017-tickets-34191180742. Suggested Donation: £4.50 per skater  For more information, contact Sarah Mead on 01483-454245, email sarah_mead@hotmail.co.uk   

‘Day around the Autistic Spectrum’ Event in Godalming

Carers Support Waverley and Carers Support Guildford are holding a ‘Day Around the Autistic Spectrum' for parents, carers, or friends of someone on the Autistic Spectrum of any age.

Date: Thursday 19th January 2017
Time: 9.30am to 4pm
Venue: Guildford Rugby Club, Guildford Rd, GODALMING, GU7 3BU

The event will include a workshop by The Curly Hair Project covering topics including rigidity, refusal or ignoring requests, avoidance, behaving in non-socially acceptable ways in public and physical aggression and meltdowns.

The event will include information stalls covering most aspects of being a parent, carer or friend of a young person including disability, education, behaviour and respite. There will also be an opportunity during the afternoon for one to one advice from Core Assets, Surrey Welfare Rights and other agencies and community services.

Visitors are welcome to come to all or part of the day. If you would like to go along, you can book your place by calling 01483 458123. 

Sensory Conference in Dorking

The SEND Teaching School and Surrey County Council are holding a Sensory Conference for up to 150 delegates. The event will include a series of presentations with regular coffee breaks, and there will be an exhibition of local organisations during the coffee and lunch breaks – NAS Surrey Branch will have a table at the event.

The event is aimed at both parents and professionals from both mainstream and special schools.

Date: Friday 27th January 2017
Time: 9.00am – 3.30pm
Venue: Denbies Vineyard, London Rd, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA

To find out more, contact Vicky Jones, email: courses@sendteachingschool.co.uk Tel: 020 8330 3009 extension 237.