December 2014 Share Open Day. Investors in People. Festive Share parties. Go Anywhere, Do Anything in moving pictures. Healthwatch Wandsworth. Season's greetings from Share.

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Sign up for Share's Open Day

We are going to be starting 2015 off with a bang!

Share's first Open Day of the year will take place on 29th January 2015 between 10am and 3pm.

The event is open to professionals working with disabled adults, as well as carers and potential students, and is an opportunity for everyone to find out more about the services Share provides for disabled adults in our community.

The Day's programme will cover information about Share's:

Accredited training and traineeships
Social enterprises
Employment support
Go Anywhere, Do Anything project

We will also be discussing the issues and challenges associated with securing funding for training and personal development, and providing some insight into the options available to disabled adults and the process involved.

In addition, we will be running a Carers’ Workshop for carers to share their experiences, network with other carers and have their say about how Share can help them and the person they look after.

To find out more, visit Share's website

Register for the Share's Open Day online

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Investors in People Bronze Award for Share

Share has once again achieved the Investors in People Bronze level award, which means we join an elite group of only 7% of Investors in People accredited organisations who hold this award.

Read more about what this means for Share, its students, staff, volunteers and trustees.

Fun times, celebrating and partying at Share HQ

We've had a pretty full social calendar this month at Share. 'Tis the season, and there was certainly no shortage of parties.

First, there was our Winter Celebration in the company of the Mayor of Wandsworth, with students, their families and carers, sponsors and supporters, staff, volunteers and trustees, all gathering to celebrate a busy but hugely rewarding year full of our students' many achievements, and lots and lots of fun!

Rob Persey, Head of the Joint Commissioning Group at Wandsworth Council, also attended the event and spoke briefly about the challenges and opportunities presented by the Care Act which comes into force in April 2015, giving us some insight on how it might impact those wanting to study at Share.

In addition, the Winter Celebration gave us the opportunity to thank two longstanding contributors to Share – Clive Hershman MBE, a member of the Share Board of Trustees for over 20 years and a former chairman of the Board, who is standing down at the end of the year, and

Dougie MacDonald, who has worked at Share for over 30 years and is retiring to finally put his feet up and enjoy some quality time with family.

Many thanks to Clive and Dougie for their hard work over the years and their commitment to Share. We shall miss you, but wish you all the very best for the future, and hope that you will keep in touch and visit us often!

And then it was time for everyone to get their dancing shoes on for the Share student masquerade disco, masks at the ready, with the wonderful Karina, one of Share's students, DJing for us once again to help us all dance the afternoon away.

With Share Catering, Share's social enterprise, providing a feast of party treats, we had all the ingredients for yet more fun times. But don't take our word for it...check out all the photos on our Facebook page.

Share's Go Anywhere, Do Anything project – 2014 in moving pictures

Share students have gone to many places and done many things in the past few months! We're making things happen, and we think we're making people happy, which is what we set out to do...and we've only just started...

As always, a HUGE thank you to all our social buddies who make Go Anywhere, Do Anything possible and the success that it is, particularly Holly Roberts who put this montage together for us...so enjoy these lovely memories from just a few of our trips during 2014.

Have your say on health and social care

We’re all concerned about our health and we never know when ill health could touch us or a close family member. It could be that we don’t have easy access to the best health care services available, or that the services provided don’t meet our particular needs.

The health and wellbeing of Share's students is particularly important for us at Share, and one of the organisations we work with is Healthwatch Wandsworth. Healthwatch is a national and local organisation designed to ensure that local voices (that’s you!) have the opportunity to influence the delivery and design of local health and social care services.

Healthwatch holds regular public meetings where the latest developments in health and social care are discussed, and where you have the opportunity to have your say about these developments, or how services could be improved.

Become a Healthwatch Wandsworth member and you’ll have regular access to the latest news in health and social care and the opportunity to make a real difference to the health care services provided in Wandsworth. Email enquiries@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk for more information.

Season's greetings from Share

With this, the final Share newsletter of the year, we'd like to wish everyone we work with all the best for the festive season and a prosperous and Happy New Year.

It's been a wonderful year, and we thank each and everyone of you for your continued support and for helping us in our work.

See you in 2015!

Progression pathways for disabled adults

Are you a professional looking for services for your clients? Or perhaps you are looking for vocational or personal development training for yourself? If so, come and visit Share to see what we offer at first hand – meet the staff team and current students, and take a look at our facilities to see whether we can meet your needs.

We have experience in working with adults with learning disabilities, physical/sensory impairments, autism and mental health needs. We provide flexible and targeted training pathways to suit everyone in terms of personal interests and aspirations, whether those are related to personal development or employment.

As well as accredited courses in life and basic skills, digital skills, catering and horticulture, we run short courses in baking, digital skills for life and musicianship.

We operate two traineeship programmes – one in catering and one in horticulture – to support young disabled adults, aged between 16 and 25 years old, to gain skills and qualifications to help them into paid employment or an apprenticeship in catering or horticulture.

We also run a Getting Ready for Work Programme, to teach students about the various aspects of searching for and securing employment. This is a bespoke programme which can be delivered at Share or for groups elsewhere.

To find out more, or to arrange a visit or a taster day for yourself or a client, contact Share's wellbeing coordinator, Keesha Sinclair via email keeshas@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9812.

Ways to get involved with Share

There are many ways to get involved in Share's work, so get in touch to see how you can make a difference in our very special community.

Provide a work experience placement for one of our students. Contact Robert Boyce, Share's head of training, via email robertb@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9815
Use our social enterprises, Share Catering and Share Gardening, which provide catering and gardening services for individuals and businesses. For more information, email catering@sharecommunity.org.uk or gardening@sharecommunity.org.uk
Volunteer your time, expertise and experience. Share your special talent with Share. Contact Leanne Brayne, Share's HR officer, via email leanneb@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9825
Sponsor an event or project. Help us to showcase our work. Contact Kavita Bowry, Share's communications and development coordinator, via email kavitab@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9821
Fundraise as an individual or business. Take up a challenge and raise money for Share. Contact Kavita Bowry, Share's communications and development coordinator, via email kavitab@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9821
Put your business on the Share Community Map. Submit your venue for consideration or contact Kavita Bowry, Share's communications and development coordinator, via email kavitab@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9821
Donate. As a registered charity, we rely on our supporters and partners to help us continue the work we do and develop our links in the community
Remember us in your Will. Contact Annie McDowall, Share's chief executive, via email anniem@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9817

Don’t forget to Visit our website at www.sharecommunity.org.uk, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for regular updates about Share.

And if you haven't already, sign up to receive our regular monthly newsletter to keep abreast of what's happening at Share.

Thank you for supporting Share!

Dates for your diaries

Share Open Day and Carers' Workshop. Thursday 29th January 2015
Register for Share's Open Day now!

Share closing times over the festive period
24th December 2014, 1pm. Share closes for the festive period
2nd January 2015. Share reopens, operating normal business hours