SWANS are celebrating
Members and volunteers of the Essex-based charity, Sometimes We All Need Support (SWANS) enjoyed a Champagne reception recently in honour of members who have passed exams in Computing and English.
SWANS was set up in  1994 as a local support group, offering physically disabled adults in the area a safe place to meet and an opportunity to learn new skills and enjoy therapeutic pastimes.
Paul Hardy (second from right) collects his award and is joined for a photocall by Ruth Barber, John Whittingdale and Richard Bolsin. Photograph reproduced by kind permission of Essex Count Newspapers.
Manager and Company Secretary for the group is Julia Dowling. Julia's first experience of SWANS was as a service user when the group was originally set up. Over the years her involvement in the group has grown from user to committee member, to part-time co-ordinator, to her present role as manager - where she oversees a full and well-attended SWANS programme.
Working with fellow volunteers and service users, Julia helps to provide the necessary energy and drive to keep the SWANS centre open, offering a range of courses and support to locals, four days a week. It's not always plain-sailing as many of the SWANS members need to attend hospital regularly and have to work hard in order to get to as many of the weekly course sessions as possible.
With encouragement from Julia and her WEA tutors many members of the group have succeeded in completing courses as diverse as Art and Craft, Creative Writing, Home Brewing and Computing.
Julia works closely with Ruth Barber, Essex Community Programme Manager for the WEA. Together they consult the SWANS members and service users to identify what types of courses are in demand among the group, planning for next term and recruiting tutors accordingly.
As the courses are run by WEA tutors, the arrangement allows Julia more time to focus her energies on getting out and about, to promote SWANS so that more users can benefit from the service.
Their recent celebration was held at the group's Centre in Maldon which has an office, a therapeutic treatment room and two classrooms. The rooms were fairly packed for the event with SWANS members and their families and volunteers joining with WEA staff to wish the successful students well.
The pleasure of handing out certificates and congratulations fell to local MP and SWANS Honorary Member, John Whittingdale, who was joined by WEA General Secretary in raising a glass of champagne to toast the group at large.
During the event Richard said that Julia and Ruth had built a very effective and successful partnership between SWANS and the WEA, and described the project as, "excellent work with outstanding learning taking place."
Julia Dowling summed up the achievements of the students, saying that the SWANS members receiving their Certificates from John had taken between six months and three years to reach the level where they were ready to take exams. For potential new recruits to the centre, she offered some words of encouragement:
"Don't be put off if you've not been in a learning environment for a while. We know what it is like to have to start all over again after suffering from a trauma or being diagnosed with an illness. Disability affects one in four families in Great Britain and if you're one of those people then it's hard to move on. Statutory organisations are not always able to offer training in quite the same way as the voluntary sector.
"Here at SWANS, service users are given the opportunity to be with other physically or sensorially impaired adults and share information. Members are consulted on what activities would benefit them the most and a timetable is devised around those suggestions."
Julia concluded by saying that it's not all hard work however, with subjects like silk painting having been on this month's syllabus along with music appreciation, art and numerous social events!
New SWANS members are welcome from Maldon, Burnham, Chelmsford, Witham and South Woodham Ferrers. The Centre in Maldon is fully wheelchair accessible and provides transport in either volunteers' own cars or the tail lift minibus. To enrol on a course or to find out more about volunteer opportunities you can contact Julia Dowling:
Julia Dowling,
SWANS,
St Cedd's House,
Princes Road, Maldon,
Essex, CM9 5NY
Tel: 01621 841491
Email: julia@swans.org.uk
For further information about the WEA's Community Programme in Essex please contact:
Ruth Barber
WEA Essex Community Programme Manager
Workers' Educational Association
14 Lodge Drive
Hatfield
AL9 5HN
Tel: 01707 269791
Email: rbarber@wea.org.uk
|
