Easy to Use Postal Library Service

We now offer a postal library service for NAS Surrey Branch members which enables you to borrow up to 3 books at a time from our library of over 300 titles about autism and related issues. We have books suitable for parents and carers, children and adults with autism and professionals working in the field. Please carefully read ALL the steps and rules below which explain how to borrow books. 

Step 1 

You can view our books on a spreadsheet here (if the link doesn't work, paste this into your browser: http://bit.ly/2e7WGDA). This takes you to a spreadsheet that allows you to view all the library books and DVDs and decide which books (maximum of 3) you wish to borrow from those shown as AVAILABLE. Please note, it may take a bit of time to load the first time you view as it contains images of all the books. 

Step 2

If possible, make a donation of at least the cost of the postage cost shown (which includes return postage) via our Justgiving page www.justgiving.com/nassurreybranch or by a cheque made payable to 'NAS Surrey Branch' and sent to our postal address: NAS Surrey Branch, c/o Mayfield, 74 Hersham Road, Hersham Surrey KT12 5NU.

Step 3

Email parent volunteer librarian Susan on nassblibrary@gmail.com to request the book/s you want, giving your name and full postal address, including postcode.

Step 4

When you receive the books in the post please remember to KEEP THE JIFFY BAG and the RETURN POSTAGE ENVELOPE safe. 

Step 5

When you are ready to return the book/s you’ve borrowed, you will just need to put them into the jiffy bag they arrived in, and then into the pre-addressed plastic postal wrapper supplied, which will already have the appropriate amount of postage. You can then just pop it into a postbox. 

Family Voice Surrey Free Parent Carer Events

The parent participation group Family Voice Surrey is holding a series of free events for parents of children with any type of disability or special need. Upcoming events are:

25th Jan - Caterham
Trainer: Mark Brown, Special Help 4 Special Needs
Understanding the behaviours or obsessions of a child with additional needs is key to helping them develop and deal with the world around them. In this session, Mark will offer top tips for developing your understanding of your child’s behaviour and a ‘tool box’ of interventions to help you support them effectively.

9th Feb - Camberley
Trainer: Mark Brown
This workshop, called "Just a few more minutes - getting more sleep" gives hints and tips on how to manage sleep issues, based on Mark's 30 years of experience working with people with additional needs.

22nd March - Staines
Trainer: Laura Kerbey, PAST
Laura will look at sensory needs and behaviour, positive behaviour management techniques and look at how you can build your own resilience.

Choose from a daytime (11am – 1pm) or evening (7pm – 9pm) session. For more details and to book, please contact Family Voice on contact@familyvoicesurrey.org or call 01372 705708. For more details about Family Voice Surrey go to their website.

Bowling Event in Frimley Sunday 19th Feb 2017

We are partnering with a new parent-led support group, Sparklers in Deepcut, to run a bowling event in Frimley for families that include someone with an ASD or other learning, communication and developmental difficulties.

Date: Sunday 19th February 2017
Time: 2.00 – 3.00pm
Venue: Pine Ridge Bowling at Pine Ridge Golf Club, Frimley 
Suggested donation: £3.50 per head

We have reserved the bowling facility at Pine Ridge for up to 30 people for members of Sparklers Charity and NAS Surrey branch. The event is designed to let families and youngsters meet one another in a relaxed and fun environment.

We will have exclusive use of the bowling facility between 2.00pm and 3.00pm, but suggest arriving around 1.50pm to change into bowling shoes etc. There are six lanes with five or six players per lane, so you may be put with other members. Please note, children remain the responsibility of their accompanying parents/carers at all times.

You can book places online via our Eventbrite page. For more information, contact Harriet Agbenowu at Sparklers on 07854 571041 or email sparklers.charity@yahoo.com 

Talk on Short Breaks Leisure in Guildford 18th January

Our speaker in January is Jane Stark, Manager for Short Breaks in Surrey. Short Breaks are part of the support provided to families of disabled children and young people and are designed to have positive benefits for both children and their parents and carers. Short Breaks are currently being re-commissioned, so Surrey County Council recently worked with Family Voice Surrey to run a survey and focus groups to find out what outcomes families, children and young people want to see from Short Breaks. 

In response to the priorities set by families, they are now looking to turn some of the creative ideas that families suggested into a Short Breaks offer that meets a wide range of needs with the money available.

Date: Wednesday 18th January 2017
Time: 7.45 for 8.00pm til approx. 9.30pm
Venue: Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford GU1 4LH

Please email emma@mugsy.org if you are planning on coming along 

Calendar of Events, Activities & Courses Jan – Feb ‘17

NAS Surrey Branch support groups, talks, parent programmes and activities are great places to meet other parents and get support - please contact the parent-volunteer who is hosting for details and to check that the event is still on a day or so beforehand. Our activities and courses get booked up quickly - to find out about things early, join the branch for FREE at www.nassurreybranch.org 

For events run by other organisations, please contact the organiser direct.

JANUARY 

Weds 11th 10:00am to 12:30pm, Parent Workshop - Dorking
NAS Family Support service ‘Understanding Challenging Behaviours’. See p9 for details 

Fri 13th 10.00am – 12.00noon Support Group, Guildford. Contact Sara Truman nas@mugsy.org 01483 822630 

Fri 13th Jan 8.00pm Dad’s Group meal out, venue to be decided. Contact Martin Trenaman trenamans@talktalk.net 01737 360069 

Mon 16th 9.15am Support Group, Frensham. Contact Christine Malik Christine.malik@btinternet.com / Bonnie Noyce jbnoyce@yahoo.com 

Tues 17th 7.30pm Parents of Adults Group, Reigate. Contact Sara Truman nas@mugsy.org 01483 822630 

Tues 17th 6.00pm Parent workshop - Esher
NAS Family Support service ‘An Introduction to autism and Teenagers’. See p 9 for details 

Weds 18th 10.00am – 12.00pm Support Group, Woking. Contact Sarah Norris sarah4ian@ntlworld.com 

Thursday 19th ‘Day Around the Austistic Spectrum’ Godalming. Run by the Carers’ Support organisations in Waverley and Guildford. For details see page 5. 

Friday 20th 10.00 am, Parents of Girls Group, Woking. Contact Rachel Pearson racheldpearson@gmail.com 01483 727378 

Friday 20th 11.30am Parent Workshop, Godalming
NAS Family Support service ‘‘Introduction to Autism’. See p9 for details 

Tues 24th 10am – 12.30pm, Parent Information morning ‘Autism, Anger and Anxiety’, at Woking Children’s Centre. Run by members of the Freemantles Autism Outreach team. For details, email info@freemantles.surrey.sch.uk or go to www.freeoutreach.org.uk/training 

Wed 25th Jan 10am – 12 noon, Redhill Support Group. Contact Helen Ruffhead h.ruffhead@ntlworld.com 01737 212043 

The branch is hosting a two-day Cygnet course on 31st Jan – 1st Feb, which is fully booked. To find out about future courses, email Sarah Mead sarah_mead@hotmail.co.uk

Weds 18th 7.45 for 8.00pm NAS Surrey Branch TALK 

Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford GU1 4LH. Talk by Jane Stark, Manager, Short Breaks - An update on plans for Short Breaks in Surrey and a chance to have your say. Please email emma@mugsy.org if you are planning on coming along. 

Weds 25th 8.00 p.m. Spouses & Partners Group, Guildford. Contact Sara Truman nas@mugsy.org 01483 822630 

Weds 25th Jan – Family Voice parent carers event, Caterham 11am – 1pm or evening 7pm – 9pm. Mark Brown, Special Help 4 Special Needs. Contact Family Voice Surrey  contact@familyvoicesurrey.org 

Friday 27th 9.30 – 11.30am Support Group, Café Rouge, Queens Road, Weybridge. Contact Fi Phippen fionnula.phippen@surreycc.gov.uk 

Friday 27th 9.00am – 3.00pm Sensory Conference. Organised by the Surrey SEND teaching School. Contact training@linden-bridge.surrey.sch.uk for details

FEBRUARY 

Wed 1st Feb 7.30 p.m. Parents of Adults Group, Farnham. Contact Hilary Dyce 01276 66032 Hilarydyce@yahoo.co.uk 

Fri 3rd Feb, 9.15 – 11.15am Support Group, Chertsey. Contact Emma Whitfield emma@mugsy.org 

Mon 6th 9.15am Support Group, Frensham. Contact Christine Malik Christine.malik@btinternet.com / Bonnie Noyce jbnoyce@yahoo.com 

Thurs 9th Family Voice Surrey Parent Carer event 11am – 1pm or evening 7pm – 9pm by Mark Brown, Special Help 4 Special Needs.  Contact Family Voice Surrey contact@familyvoicesurrey.org 

Fri 10th Feb 10.00 am – 12 noon Support Group, Guildford. Contact Sara Truman nas@mugsy.org 01483 822630 

Weds 15th Stay and Play in Deepcut. Contact Sparklers Charity sparklers.charity@yahoo.com

Wed 22nd Feb 10-12pm Support Group, Woking. Contact Sarah Norris sarah4ian@ntlworld.com 07543 920917 

Friday 24th 9.30 – 11.30am Support Group, Café Rouge, Queens Road, Weybridge. Contact Fi Phippen fionnula.phippen@surreycc.gov.uk 

TBC 2.00pm Support Group, Hinchley Wood Primary School. Contact Juliette Sturge juliettesturge@gmail.com 

Well done all at William Cobbett!

Thanks go to SENCO Belinda Romeu and all the children, staff and parents from William Cobbett School for raising a spectacular £301.43 for the NAS Surrey Branch through their autism awareness day in June.  

NAS Surrey Branch fundraising volunteer Sarah Mason collected the money and spoke to the children about autism in an assembly and said that the children asked some really great questions about what they had learned.

Spectacular donation from Hayley Willoughby and Friends

A very big Thank you to member Hayley Willoughby and friends who organised a Onesie Wednesday Walton Funday to raise money for the NAS Surrey Branch during World Autism Awareness Week in April, raising an amazing £550. 

Hayley and friends got everyone to join in the fun and wear onesies - including the adults!

Relaxed Performance - Children of Eden Youth Theatre

Relaxed Performance of musical 'Children of Eden by YESOS youth theatre group Fri 5th August. 2.00pm

Tickets from:  Harlequin Theatre, Redhill on: (01737) 276500 or http://www.harlequintheatre.co.uk 

Info from :  Alison Bond at YESOS (01293) 774212 / ali@alibond.co.uk or  http://www.yesos.co.uk . Price £8. 

Women & Girls with Autism Info Day

**EVENT IS ALMOST SOLD OUT - contact Sara Truman at conference@mugsy.org to check availability **

We are hosting a one-day event for parents/carers, people with autistic spectrum conditions, professionals and others interested in autism and Asperger Syndrome.  It will explore the differences between males and females of all ages with autism, and look at which strategies best help women and girls on the spectrum.

DATE: Saturday 1st OCTOBER 2016 
TIME: 10.00 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
VENUE: Leatherhead Leisure Centre, Guildford Road, Leatherhead KT22 9BL 

Speakers include: 
Sarah Hendrixx - Autism Consultant
Developing social and personal relationships, from childhood friendships to complex adult interactions 

Dr Louise Connor - Clinical Psychologist 
Diagnostic assessment with women & girls 

PLUS

• Bettina Stott - Manager of NAS ASSIST service) on strategies and support for adult
• Sarah Wild - Headteacher, Limpsfield Grange School on educating girls with autism.
• Marianne Scallon on her experience of having autism.
• Liz Cooper - Assistant Head of Freemantles on educating girls with autism

To book, please complete the form on Eventbrite  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-and-girls-with-autism-tickets-22504324039  You can pay by debit or credit card or by cheque. 

Booking closes 3rd September. If you would prefer to post a booking form, please download a form from here. You can then complete it and post it with a cheque.

For further information contact Sara Truman: conference@mugsy.org

Tel: 07989 – 315609.

Employment Works for Autism

We understand that applications are still being accepted for places on the ‘Employment Works for Autism’ project. The project supports people on the autistic spectrum in Surrey who want to work but are not eligible for help from other supported employment schemes.

It is run by Surrey Choices EmployAbility, with support from other organisations, including the NAS Surrey Branch, and funded by JobCentrePlus. During their time on the project, participants get individual coaching to help them build the skills they need to get into work, and supported work experience placements are then found to suit their interests and abilities. Generally people have the opportunity to do 2 different part-time work experience placements, to expand their skills further, and towards the end of their time on the project they have access to a specialist job club to help them apply for permanent jobs. Applicants should:

• live in the Surrey County Council area 
• be claiming either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) 
• not be in employment or education 
• not be involved in any other work related funded projects e.g. J2E, Work Programme 

For an application form, or more information, contact Surrey Choices EmployAbility Tel: 01483 806806 or employability@surreychoices.com