CONTACT BOARD

SHOPMOBILITY

n ALTRINCHAM . Tel 0161 929 1714 n ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE. Tel 0161 339 9500 n BARROW. Tel 01229 434039 n BIRKENHEAD. Tel 0151 647 6162 n BLACKBURNAND DARWEN. Tel 01254 690566 or 07757 502217 n BLACKPOOL. Tel 01253 349427 n BOLTON. Tel 01204 392946 n CARLISLE. Tel 01228 631564 n CHESTER. Tel 01244 312626 n CHORLEY. Tel 01257 260 888 n COLWYN BAY. Tel 01492 533822 n CREWE. Tel 01270 580 031 n ELLESMERE PORT. Tel 0151 355 1420 n KENDAL. Tel 01539 740 933 n LEIGH, Wigan. Tel 01942 777 985 n LIVERPOOL. Tel 0151 707 0877 n MANCHESTER Trafford Centre. Tel 0161 747 2684 n MANCHESTERArndale Centre. Tel 0161 839 4060 n NELSON. Tel 01282 692 502 n NORTHWICH, Vale Royal Tel 01606 288820 n OSWESTRY. Tel 01691 656882 n PENRITH. Tel 01768 895 438 n PRESTON. Tel 01772 204 667 n RHYL. Tel 01745 350665 n ROCHDALE. Tel 01706 865 986 n RUNCORN, Halton Lea Tel 01928 710144 n SHREWSBURY. Tel 01743 236900 SKELMERSDALE. Tel 01695 550066 n ST HELENS. Tel 01744 613 388 n STOCKPORT. Tel 0161 666 1100 n WARRINGTON. Tel 01925 240064 n WARRINGTON. Birchwood Tel 01925 822 411 WIDNES: 0151 511 8833 n WIGAN. Tel 01942 776 070 n WINSFORD Tel 01606 557550 n WREXHAM. Tel 01978 312390

MIDLANDS

n BIRMINGHAM. Snow Hill Railway Station. Tel 0121 236 8980. Level 2, Centre Car Park, Bullring. Tel 0121 616 2942 n STAFFORD. Tel 01785 619456 n STOKE ON TRENT. Tel 01782 233333 n SUTTON COLDFIELD. Tel 0121 355 1112 n TAMWORTH. Tel, 01827

Lottery boost for city’s amputee group

IT’S CELEBRATION time for Liverpool’s amputee groupACSIL, who have received a £40,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The funding enables the group to continue providing support and advice to people affected by amputations.

Peter Walthew, 65, the charity’s treasurer, joined theAmputees and Carers Support in Liverpool group 11 years ago after operations to amputate both legs below the knee.

“Without the help ofACSIL I don’t know what I would have done.

“The help they provided got me through some very dark days. When I first met members of the group, they gave me a new lease of life. I met people in the charity and some had lost both of their legs completely. I said to me wife ‘how lucky am I?’ because their circumstances were even more difficult than mine.

“It turned my life around. From that day I was a different person. ” n ACSIL was set up 16 years ago.

Support is given to more than 250 members including relatives and carers. They are based at The Breckfield Centre, Breckfield Road North, Liverpool 5. Tel. 0151 261 1166.

MUSEUM’SBESTMUMMY

SAM BOWEN combines her talents as a special needs mum and museum professional to help children to enjoy the joys and benefits of culture.

And her efforts to highlight how important museums are to youngsters with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have landed her a top award.

Sam’s work has been recognised by her fellow museum professionals with the Museum Association’s prestigious 2021 Radical Changemaker award.

Sam said: “Winning this award is not just a huge achievement for me personally, it recognises that the 8% of the UK child population with SEND matter to museums.

“My own child, Lucy, has complex needs and requires 24-hour care but visiting museums and galleries provides an enriched setting away from the home to share new experiences and build memories.

“To families like ours, this is invaluable and supports wellbeing and health. It is why, despite facing my own daily challenges, I am passionate about supporting others and making a difference in any way I can. ”

In December 2020, Sam was awarded a project grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund andArts Council England to create an advice website for museums.

www.SENDinMuseums.org.uk goes live at the end of the year.

n Sam also runs online training for museums across the UK as well as speaking at national conferences. She is the author of the Special Schools and Museums Toolkit –

www.southeastmuseums.org/ Special-Schools-and-MuseumToolkit/ CHANGEMAKERS: Sam and daughter Lucy

HELP AT THE END OF A PHONE

n ANGLESEY: TARAN

Tel 01407 721933 n BLACKPOOL Disability

Information and Support.

Tel 01253 472 202.

Textphone 01253 476 450 n CHESHIRE CIL

Tel 01606 331853 n CHESTER Dial House

Tel 01244 345655 n DENBIGHSHIRE

Tel 01745 354445 n ELLESMERE PORT DICE Tel 0151 355 1420 n HALTON Disability Service Tel 01928 717222 n KNOWSLEY DISABILITY CONCERN. 0151 480 4090 n LANCASTER DISC

Tel 01524 34411 n LIVERPOOLAssociation of Disabled People. 0151 2638366.Text0151260 4076. n ACSIL(Amputeesand Carers),Tel,01512611166 n THE BRAIN CHARITY

Tel 0151 298 2999 n MANCHESTER (GTR)

Coalition of Disabled People Tel 0161-273 5154 n MOLD Flintshire Disability

Tel 01352 755546 n NELSON: Pendle Pakistan Welfare Association.

Tel 01282 603 616 n PRESTON DISC:

Tel 01772 558 863.

Text 01772 204 787 n RHYLTel 01745 350665 n STOCKPORT: Disability

Stockport. 0161 480 7248 n WARRINGTON Disability

Partnership. 01925 240064 n WIRRAL WIRED

Tel 0151 670 1500 n WEST LANCS HELPLINE

Freefone 0800 220676 n ST HELENS DASH

Tel 01744 453053

MIDLANDS

n BIRMINGHAM Disability Resource Centre Tel 0121 789 7365 n Disabled People’s Network Solihull Tel 0121 788 1544 n STOKE: Disability Solutions Tel 01782 683800 n WOLVERHAMPTON Elder and Disabled Group Tel 01902 448552 n WEST MIDSAmputee Group. 07891 794733; 07585 958322; 07557 228154

STARSINTHEIREYES

PATIENTS at a Merseyside hospice have been space travelling, swimming with dolphins and embarking on breat-taking funfair rides – without moving from their beds.

It’s all comes courtesy of virtual reality headsets, which are putting smiles on patients’ faces at St Joseph’s Hospice, Thornton.

Betty, 80, was one of the first to try out the new equipment.

She said: “It has already given me such a lot of pleasure. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to experience swimming with dolphins and travelling through the stars.

“I can actually reach out and touch them and see everything all around me.

“Ruth, one of my carers, has taken me to

Atrip to space or a swim with dolphins for hospice patients

so many beautiful places using the headset and we’ve seen some funny things, too. It really helps with my pain. When I am feeling at my worst, during the night, she will bring it for me and it helps me to relax. ”

Mike Parr, chief executive at the hospice, said: “Our new virtual reality equipment is just incredible as it enables our patients to leave the hospice, travel to exciting places and experience some of the greatest wonders of the world.

“It has really enhanced the care that we can provide as it is another way that we can comfort our patients, support their wellbeing, enrich their lives and even ease their pain and symptoms.

“We also have plans to develop this further in the future by personalising virtual reality experiences for patients, such as filming their favourite walks, events such as a wedding or even just sitting with their family at home. ”

The new equipment was provided through a £9,200 grant from the National Lottery’s Community Fund.

VISUAL PROBLEMS

n ACCRINGTON

Tel 01254 233332 n BARROW Tel 01229 820698 n BIRMINGHAMAction for

Blind Tel 0121 665 4200 n BLACKBURN

Tel 0125 554143 n BLACKPOOL: N-Vision

Tel 01253 362696 n BURY Tel 0161 763 7014 n BURNLEY

Tel 01282 438507 n CARLISLE:Action for Blind People Tel 01228 595121 n CHESHIRE & N WALES:

Vision Support. Tel 01244 381515 n CUMBRIA(West)

Tel 01946 592474 n CUMBRIA(Sth Lakeland)

Tel 01539 726613 n GUIDE DOGS

Tel 0118 983 5555 n HENSHAW’S 0161872 234 or 0151 708 7055 n LIVERPOOL: Bradbury

Fields.Tel 0151 221 0888:

Action for Bind

Tel 0151 298 3222 n MANCHESTER:Action for

Blind Tel 0161 787 9252 n PRESTON:Action for Blind People Tel 01772 320550 n OLDHAM Tel 0161682 8019 n ROSSENDALE

Tel 01706 873256 n SIGHTLINE (North West)

Tel 0800 587 2252 n WIGAN Tel 01942 242891 n WIRRALTel 0151 652 8877

HEARING ISSUES

n BIRMINGHAM Institute for

Deaf Tel 0121 246 6101 n CHESHIRE Deaf Society

Tel 01606 47831 n CUMBRIADeaf Society

Tel 01228 606434 n LANCASHIRE (EAST)

Deaf Society

Tel 01282 839180 n MANCHESTER Deaf Centre. Tel 0161 273 3415

Genie Networks.

Tel 0161 941 4549.

Text 18001 0161 941 4549 n MERSEYSIDE Society for

Deaf Tel 0151 228 0888 n SOUTHPORT Centre for the Deaf Tel 01704 537001 n ST HELENS: Deafness

Resource Centre

Tel 01744 23887 n WOLVERHAMPTON Centre for Deaf Tel 01902

HELP AT THE END OF A PHONE

CARERS’ CENTRES

n ACCRINGTON Tel 01254 387 444 n BLACKBURN with DARWEN Tel 01254 688 www.bwdcarers.org n BLACKPOOL Blackpool Borough Council, Tel 01253 477 716 nCUMBRIA Carlisle. Tel 01228 542 156 Penrith. Tel 01768 890 280 Barrow-in-Furness. Tel 01229 822 822 Kendal. Tel 01539 732 927 Whitehaven, Tel 01946 592 223 n CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON Helpline:0300 102 0008 n KNOWSLEY Tel 0151 549 1412 n LANCASTER Tel 01524 66475 nLIVERPOOL Tel 0151 705 2307 n MANCHESTER Tel 0161 835 2995 n MORECAMBE Tel 01524 833456 n PRESTON Tel 01772 200173 n RUNCORN Tel 01928 580182 n WIDNES Tel 0151 257 9673 n SALFORD Tel 0161 833 0217 n SEFTON Tel 0151 288 6060 n ST HELENS Tel 01744 675 615 n STOCKPORT Tel 0161 442 0442 n WARRINGTON (WIRED) Tel 01925 633 492 n WEST LANCS Tel 01695 711243 n WIGAN & LEIGH Tel 01942 705959 / 486923

MIDLANDS

n BIRMINGHAM Tel 0121 675 8000 n SOLIHULL Tel 0121 788 1143 n WALSALL Tel 01922 610 810

NORTH WALES

n ANGLESEY Tel 01248 722828 n BANGOR Tel 01248 370 797 n CONWY Tel 01492 533714 n DENBIGHSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 0845 603 3187 nDOLGELLAU Tel 01341 421167 n FLINTSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 01352 751436 n WREXHAM CARERS SERVICE