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Summer Fun For SEND Families |
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Boating At Heaton Park – NEW!
Fancy some free boating? Manchester SEND families can have fun on Heaton Park lake every Monday morning in August. Sessions last 25 minutes and can be booked between 10am-12noon. There’s a choice of swans (four-seater pedalos), dragons (two-seater pedalos) and rowing boats (seats four). Booking essential – call 0161 219 2125, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm
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Twinkleboost Explorers – NEW!
There are a few places left on these free Twinkleboost Explorers sessions, organised through the Manchester Parent Carer Forum (MPCF) and booked through Eventbrite:
The Wood School, Didsbury – Friday 7th & Friday 21st August, plus an online session
Philips Park, Prestwich – Tuesday 11th & Tuesday 18th August, plus an online session
Each link allows booking for any of the three time slots for that venue - 10am, 12pm, 2pm, with entry for one child (up to 11 years) and one adult to two weekly sessions, plus one online session. Twinkleboost Explorers are outdoor classes, where you and your child can engage in lots of fun nature activities to develop communication skills and support wellbeing.
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Family Dancing – ENDS SOON!
No booking needed for these free, fun dance sessions for SEND Manchester families at Alexandra Park in Whalley Range. A chance to invent your own dance grooves with your family. Please wear suitable clothing and shoes to move in, and keep 1 metre away from other families. 10.15-11am and 11.30am-12.15pm on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th August. Gather at the flat ground by the Russell Street entrance, Alexandra Park.
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School Play Space - ENDS SOON!
Melland High School’s playing field in Gorton is open to SEND families until Friday 14th August, between 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday. It’s a huge, enclosed space - ideal for energetic children to run around safely. You’d be welcome to take a picnic, just be aware that toilets aren’t available. Booking essential - Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
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Summer Highlights - Don't Miss Out!
Creative Ceramics - Places Available!
Sign up to get free boxes with clay, tools and step by step guidance to create fun pieces of art at home. Make some weasels - for a ceramic army to be exhibited around the country, plus one for you to keep -, and garden monsters. You'll have a couple of weeks to work on your creations before they get collected, put in a kiln and then returned to you again for glazing. Or you can use the clay to make your own creation if you want to! This project for SEND families has been created with Venture Arts and their artists Dominic Bennett (weasels) and Louise Hewitt (garden monsters). Booking essential - call 0161 219 2125, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
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Pedal & Picnic – Places available!
How about a free bike ride with all the family in a local green space of your choice? All you need to do is meet at pre-arranged place, bringing a picnic, and Simply Cycling will do the rest. They’ll bring accessible bikes that all the family will be able to ride or be supported to ride, including family cargo bikes, tag-along trikes and trandems. The 2hr ride will be geared around the needs and abilities of your family, getting you out and about in the fresh air and in local places of interest and beauty. These weekday cycles are available through August. Booking essential – call 0161 219 2125, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
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We've shared these activities before but bookings still being taken:
Community Market Garden
These free 2hr sessions for Manchester SEND families with the Community Market Garden in Platt Fields, includes seed balls and bug hotels, painting plant pots and pebbles, Garden Bingo, and sowing seeds to take home. Sessions are 1-3pm on Thursdays 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th August. Booking essential – call 0161 219 2125, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
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Get Outdoors With Groundwork
Groundwork are running a free 4 week programme with an emotional wellbeing theme in Crumpsall Park, North Manchester. It’s for young people aged 10-14, and would particularly suit those with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Activities take place every Tuesday and Thursday in August from 12-3pm. It includes adventure den building, team building problem solving, tree identification, outdoor open space sports like tennis and skittles, creating a mini-garden to take home, and making hot chocolate with storm kettles. Suitable clothing will be needed as it will be outdoors rain or shine. Participants will get a text message the night before with the type of activity that will be delivered, as this will depend on the weather. Meet at the Visitor Centre, Crumpsall Park, M8 5SA. Healthy snacks and drinks provided. Young people can book on as many sessions as they like. Booking essential - call 0161 219 2125, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
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Weekend Family Cycle
Alexandra Park, Sunday 23rd August, 12.30pm
An easy-paced free SEND family ride of around two hours, with stops. Bring your own bikes and refreshments. Children and young people must be accompanied by an adult. No need to book just turn up! Meet at the main entrance on Princess Road. Next ride: Heaton Park, Sunday 6th September, 12.30pm – Meet at the car park near the children’s play area.
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All Sorts To Do In Manchester
Don’t forget, All Sorts To Do is the go to site for what’s happening for all the city’s children. You can discover dinosaurs and fairies in the city's parks, flex your artistic skills with creative care kits, or just get some fresh air and exercise on a Manchester Green Trail walking route. Most activities are free of charge but you can also find out about paid activities, like horse-riding at Wythenshawe Park and pitch and putt golf at Heaton Park.
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Just in - the Redbank House sensory rooms are now open, offering limited one hour sessions at £10 per child.
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All play areas in our city’s parks opened last Saturday! Please help keep them safe and stay open by following health and safety guidelines: respect social distancing, be prepared with wipes and hand sanitiser, and follow the one-way system. For more information, see here.
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What's On Offer From Libraries |
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Creative Takeaways
Free Creative Wellbeing Packs are available for neurodivergent young people in Manchester aged 13-25. All participants receive a creativity wellbeing pack in the post, one-to-one or small group virtual sessions via FaceTime or WhatsApp, and access to online creative wellbeing activities via YouTube, Facebook or Instagram.
It’s a project by Starling, a charity that uses creativity and the arts to amplify the lived experience of neurodivergent young people. Sign up using this online registration form. If you’d like to see a bit more about Creative Takeaways, see these YouTube videos. You can also find Starling on Instagram - @starlingcio. Contact Katie: starlingyouth@gmail.com, 07535 473930.
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Performing Arts Workshops
The Limelight Academy are running workshops in Eccles this August for children and young adults with additional needs, aged 8 - 25. The first is free (Enter code SUMMER20) and then it’s £8 per workshop. They are very small workshops of six students and two staff, with each student having a 'performance space' so they can benefit from being in a group but without the physical contact. Book here.
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COVID-19 resources about how the Test and Trace system works have recently been put together in the city. It includes information in British Sign Language, easy read, and languages.
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This series of helpful videos for people with learning disabilities around coronavirus has recent additions including ‘I Think I Have Coronavirus’, ‘Wearing A Facemask’ and ‘How Shops Are Different Because Of The Coronavirus’. There is also a playlist for carers of people with learning disabilities, including ‘Talking Together About Coronavirus’ and ‘Supporting The Person You Care For - Anxiety About Coronavirus’.
Here are some resources from the Down’s Syndrome Association: Guidance around planning for your child’s return to school; online training sessions, adapted from their regular offering and covering a range of subjects; weekly check-ins on Zoom, every Thursday at 1pm, for people who have Down’s syndrome, their support, and families.
Healthwatch Manchester is looking for stories about COVID-19 and its impact. They especially want to hear from individuals and communities with protected characteristics, including disabilities.
‘Our Pass’ provides 16-18 year olds with free bus travel in Greater Manchester. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is running a survey to understand how this impacts on young people, however they travel about the area. If completed by 14th August, young people can be entered into a prize draw.
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