Chipping Norton Times - Issue 25 - October 2012 (PDF)

OXFORDSHIRE
COUNTY COUNCIL
Free English and maths courses
ACT NOW
ADULTS in Oxfordshire have the chance to brush up their
CVs with free county council-run courses in English and
maths.
These English and maths courses are free and available to
any Oxfordshire resident above the age of 19 and cover all
abilities from beginners to GCSE level.
GCSE English and maths courses start the week beginning
10 Sept so there is still time to grab a place.
The rest of the English and maths programme starts week
beginning 1 October.
Anyone wanting to find out more should ring the
Oxfordshire Skills and Learning Service on
0845 351 0646 (between 09.30-17.00)
The classes will be held across the county at venues in
Oxford, Didcot, Abingdon, Banbury, Carterton and
Bicester.
County Councillor Melinda Tilley, Cabinet member for
Education, said: “This is a great opportunity to brush up
on your skills or perhaps to get a qualification you may
not have achieved earlier on in life. “Taking one of these
courses could help improve your job prospects or help in
the job you are in at the moment. Regardless of your
circumstances it is worth finding out more – it won’t cost
you anything but could prove to be a very valuable call.”
With life today we have an excess of information on
everything. The challenge is to be aware of information
that is needed and how to trace it.
In September we had a presentation by Caroline Maclean,
CAB and County Council Volunteer Manager who
expressed the particular need to help older people to
access information and services to improve the quality of
their life.
If you would like to offer your services or would like to
know more about Community Connect, please contact
Caroline at the CAB.
Community Connect needs a network of volunteers to
assist in making and retaining contact. Please give
Caroline if you can be of assistance via 01608 648099 or e
mail her on communityconnect@wocab.org.uk.
13 Sep 2012
People with dementia
invited to light up their lives
People living with dementia are being invited to light up their
lives by joining a new club which will encourage them to build
friendships and learn new skills.
Lights Up is a free friendly club that will bring people living with
dementia together with their friends, families and carers.
The Club will enable them to share their experiences as well as
take part in a host of arts activities from dancing and making
music to storytelling.
Recent studies have shown engagement with arts brings
benefits to both those with dementia and their loved ones
through sharing activities. It also accesses the creative part of
the brain, which overrides the stresses of memory loss and
restores a sense of personal identity. It will also help reduce
feelings of isolation and seclusion that many people with
dementia suffer as they struggle to communicate with others.
Cllr Richard Langridge, Cabinet Member for Communities, said:
"Living with dementia brings many challenges and this Club aims
to help those affected to cope with the everyday strains and
stresses they face. West Oxfordshire has an ageing population
and current figures suggest over 7,000 people have dementia in
the county. It is important to provide services for them and we
are pleased to be setting up Lights Up, which we believe will not
only offer creative thinking but help to reduce the feeling of
being isolated from society."
West Oxfordshire District Council is working with a host of
organisations to run the six-month pilot project, which will take
place twice a month in Chipping Norton.
The club begins on Tuesday 9 October
at Highlands, 73 Burford Road,
Chipping Norton, OX7 5EE
from 10.45am-12.30pm.
People can turn up on the day - no need to book in advance.
Help with transport is available for people who have no other
means of transport. For more information call: 0845 1204048
If you would like to come along to The Crown & Cushion on
Friday 2nd November for an evening with Philip Mould of BBC's
Antique Roadshow fame, please contact Cicely Maunder on
01608 643680 or Richard Anning on 01608 641151 for tickets at
£12.50 including buffet.
Next month our speaker is Nigel Moor, Chairman of Moreton in
Marsh Branch, discussing Conservatism and working with local
residents and businesses. If you would like to join us at The Blue
Boar and enjoy a friendly chat over a meal and a coffee for £10
per head, call me on 01608 642423 or via e mail on
mikehowes36@gmail.com. Mike Howes.
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