Christmas buffet
It was nice to see so many people, old and new faces, at the Christmas Buffet on 15 December. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Congratulations to Aimee, Nicola and Sabra on receiving their BSL certificates. A special ‘well done’ also goes to Sharon on her fingerspelling skills.
We are still awaiting certificates for Charlotte, Colette, Jacob and Sheela who all passed Level 1. Ryan passed 101 & 102.
Thanks to everyone who brought refreshments and who helped in any way during the evening.
Donations
We have received a donation of £50 from the Yorkshire Building Society, which is Maureen’s own building society. This is the second time they have donated to us. Many thanks to them.
A walking book was donated by Delia, a past member, and was sold for £20. This has been added to funds.
We are delighted to say that the Mayor’s Fund has sent us £300. Again it has saved the day. The money has been allocated to pay three months rent at the Marian Centre, and a cheque was sent to them. An acknowledgement and thank you note has been sent to the Mayor’s office.
Thanks go to JAK Books Ltd for sending us a free copy of Easy Way Guide to Signing.
Relaxation DVD in BSL
The first ever self-help relaxation DVD in British Sign Language has been produced by a group of specialist health care professionals together with Eyegaze Ltd, a company specialising in producing accessible information. The DVD explains the nature of stress, its causes and effects and also includes some innovative relaxation exercises to help the viewer find peace of mind – all in BSL (English subtitles are also available). The DVD, Stress and Relaxation, can be ordered on-line at http://www.eyegaze.tv/health at £24.95.
Deaf BSL Camping Festival
Sign Circle are holding a Deaf BSL Camping Festival on 22-25 May 2009 at Longridge, Preston. For more info, please visit their website.
Coping with heart attacks
The British Heart Foundation have produced a video about heart attacks. There is a signed version, and you can watch it at www.2minutes.org.uk.
Online learner support pack for BSL 101
Signature, formerly CACDP, have announced the launch of their Online Learner Support Pack for BSL 101. This is a free resource for everyone starting to do BSL 101, and is a great way to help learners get off to a good start in learning British Sign Language.
The Online Learner Support Pack lets learners access videos of individual signs and sentences to help them practise between classes. Each of the topics from BSL 101 are covered, which include the manual alphabet, numbers, transport, meeting people, weather, and directions. There is also an example BSL 101 assessment.
To access the BSL 101 Online Learning Support Pack, simply visit their website here. After registering your details, you will have access to hundreds of BSL videos over the web.
Annual General Meeting 2008
We held our AGM on Monday, 15 September.
All Officers were prepared to continue in their roles for another year, and were duly elected. The accounts were presented, and showed the group to be financially healthy.
The 2008 Annual Report has been published.
Many thanks to everyone who attended, and to all those who have supported us throughout the year.
Out and about
Maureen was at Parenting 2000 on 9 October to raise awareness of our group, and leaflets were given out with the deaf fingerspelling alphabet.
On 17 October, Maureen & Mavis attended the CVS AGM & Funding Event at the Southport Conference Centre.
Learning the Highway Code
We have purchased a copy of the new DVD helping BSL users to learn the Highway Code. If any sign language user is interested in learning to drive, we can arrange for you to watch it on our DVD player at the Marian Centre on a Monday evening.