January 2011 newsletter

Information and Awareness Day
PMP is hosting an Information & Awareness Day on 26 March at the Lakeside Leisure Centre in Southport. This free event will run from 11am-4pm. Fairways car parking is just over the road for £1 all day.

The event aims to raise awareness to what our voluntary group has to offer for people of all ages: classes, training, workshops introducing the basics of fingerspelling, lip-reading, and sign language etc. at minimum cost. Also to raise awareness to the services, groups, organisations, training and support that is available for people who have a sensory inpairment and also to support their hearing families and friends.

We want services, teaching and communication skills groups that support people with a sensory impairment to be involved. Even businesses that supply equipment etc. If you know of or run a group or service that could be included in our event please contact Maureen on 01704 546626 or 07960 984306 (text or voice).

Please forward these event details to all your contacts and spread the news. Our Facebook page and website will be updated.

New wall display at JLC
jlpnewNew wall display and new banners set up at Joint Learning Centre, our Friday afternoon venue at 54 Bath Street.

Fire alarm alerter
An important fire alarm product for buildings so deaf people are warned: http://www.deaf-alerter.com

Sign-writing blog
Suzanne, the SignWriting tutor from Holland, who presented our Workshop has started a blog to help others learn. You can find it at http://writebsl.wordpress.com

2010 Dada Festival
Dada Festival takes place in Liverpool 18 November – 3 December.

Mayor’s Charity Fund
Many thanks to the Mayor’s charity fund for the donation of £300 we have just received. This will enable us to continue to provide Communication and Sign language skills at our venues. Members contributions are still only £2 per session if you are working, concessions £1. Refreshments are free.

Learn to Sign Week
babybump2010Maureen Doyle and volunteers from Practice Makes Perfect, recent winners of The Spirit of Merseyside Award, raised awareness for “Learn to Sign Week” at the Baby and Bump event in Southport on 2 October.

Over 200 R.N.I.D. sign language booklets together with Deaf and Deaf/blind fingerspelling cards were given out to the hundreds of mums and dads who attended with their babies. Most of the parents expressed an interest in wanting to learn “baby signing” in order to communicate with their babies before they could speak.

Maureen said “Congratulations and well done Amy and all those who participated to make it such a wonderful day and great success. This was the best attended event organised by a member of the public that we have ever been apart of and I’m sure we will be having an increase in numbers attending our group to learn sign language and other communication skills.”

The event was organised by Amy Thompson to raise funds for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

2010 Annual General Meeting
Our 2010 AGM was held on Monday, 20 September. Click the link to download the 2010 Annual Report.