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Dear AU Member...


It's been a grey and wet week, hasn't it, making getting out and about less appealing, but we hope you've found ways to keep your household occupied nonetheless. We love these photos sent in to us by Emma of some of the craft activities they've spent their AU award on - keep them coming, we love to see what you're up to.

Did you know you can download our spending guidelines, spending records and all sort of other useful documents from our website? If you'd like to find out more, just click this link.

Without further ado (what IS an ado?), we bring you the latest news and resources that have landed in our Inboxes this week:

Activities and Resources

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Carers Week - Making Caring Visible

This week has been Carers Week, with the theme "Making Caring Visible". We've seen lots of great stuff on social media this week, including this video from some of the Young Carers involved with our partners at Suffolk Family Carers. To find out more about Suffolk Family Carers and the support that they provide, click here.
 
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Resources from Reachout ASC

We really like these social stories about bubbles, social distancing and going back to school from Reachout ASC. It's easy to forget that for some of our young people, all this talk of bubbles might be conjuring up images of children zorbing around playgrounds.... we can't be held responsible for the disappointment of the fact that won't actually be the case though!

Click here to download and read in full.
 

Lego as Learning 

If you've got a child who learns through tactile play rather than looking at images, we also really like this story about a Mum who has been using Lego to explain social distancing - click here to find out more. 

Have you come up with creative ways to explain current events to your children? We'd love to see and share them to help other families.
 
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FREE Online Parenting Courses

We could all use a helping hand from time to time, right? Did you know that as a Suffolk Resident, you are eligible for several free online parenting courses? Visit www.inourplace.co.uk  for more information.
 
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FREE Online Citizenship Course

With so much of life being lived virtually at the moment, there's no better time to help your teen navigate the online world. The team at Creative Computing Club are still taking bookings for their FREE Internet Citizenship online course next week for young people aged 12+ - contact them for more info.
 
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Pro Corda - Create Together, Wherever!

Have you seen this video from the Create Together, Wherever sessions at our provider Pro Corda? This is the video from their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory workshop - what a bunch of superstars! We love seeing what you're all up to, thank you and keep going :)
 

Every Mind Matters

Have you heard of "Every Mind Matters", the mental health initiative from the NHS? With tips on how to protect your mental health through these trying times, articles on supporting children and young people, working from home, how to improve your sleep and lots more, there's something for everyone. Find out more about it here.
 
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Virtual Felixstowe Carnival!

Entries for the Felixstowe Virtual Carnival are now open! 
You can send in:
• A video of your float designed and built in your garden
• A drawing / painting of your ideas for a float or procession entry
• A photo / drawing of your costume, or
• A positive message for the people of Felixstowe
Create your works of art and upload them at https://virtual.felixstowecarnival.org/
Entries close 30th June and will then add edited into the Virtual Carnival ready for the original Carnival day of 25th July. 
 
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Suffolk Home Start - "Families Connected"

Home Start is a national charity that supports families. The Suffolk Home Start team have been in touch with this message, which they have asked us to pass on:

"We know that families are struggling - we can hear the stress in their voices, their worries about money, the loneliness they are facing, the pressure to perform, the fear of losing loved ones. We are now able to offer telephone support across Suffolk through our recently launched ‘Families Connected’. If you or a family you know needs support from our amazing team then do get in touch!" 

If you'd like to find out more, visit www.homestartinsuffolk.org or give them a call on 01473 621104.
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In The News

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The Mirror this week ran a story from Naina Bhardwaj, who writes,

"A global pandemic brings out both the best and the worst of people, but those who never seem to get much of a say are us special needs siblings. During lockdown, my brother with autism and I have been going on daily walks as part of our  exercise regime and it’s made me realise just how different things can be for us.... if you have a sibling with special needs during a public health emergency then things become even more complicated."

To read the whole article, click here.

If your household have siblings, they might like to look at the work of Suffolk Family Carers - Young Carers or Sibs, a national charity supporting and raising awareness of the challenges the siblings of those with special needs face.

If you've got any superstar siblings, we'd love to hear from them about their experiences. Email Carole at localoffer@suffolk.gov.uk for a chat :)
 
Lastly,  a little reminder that our offices remain CLOSED at this time, in line with Government guidelines. Please do not send us physical post, but scan or take photos of anything you need to send in and email them to us at info@activities-unlimited.co.uk . Thank you!
That's all from us this week. Stay safe and have a good weekend all.

The Activities Unlimited Team

 
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