We have a stall at Keynsham Winter Festival, on the evening of Friday 24^th November. We will be selling home-made cakes, biscuits and baked goods and we need donations of items to sell.

If you are able to make some delicious treats to help us, you can drop them off at your club in the week leading up to the event (make sure you store them correctly so they stay fresh!), or you can pop them into the office between 9am and 2pm on the         24^th November.

Label your tubs, tins and tupperware and we will return them to you after the event.

It would be useful (but not essential) if you could let us know by calling the office  0117 986 5659 emailing amanda@keynshammencap.org.uk or texting 07867728642  just so we have an idea of how much to expect on the night.

If baking is not your thing then please donate towards our Tombola Stall. We would like Items including Fancy foodstuffs, Chocolates, Toiletries and unwanted gifts.

All donations greatly received!

We had our annual sponsored walk, cycle, wheelchair push yesterday and once again we had a very well attended event.  60 people turned up to take part in distances of either 5, 10 or 25 miles. Some people arrived with the expectation of doing as much as they can in the amount of time they felt comfortable, a few people managed to go that little bit further than expected, which was great news, a real sense of achievement was gained by everyone, especially Daniel Coll who kept going and achieved the 5 miles.

We welcomed some new cyclists to the day; One of our 18+ members, Stephen Gray attended for the first time and he had not been on his bike this year; and last year he went on very reluctantly. Liz, Stephen’s mum tried to get him involved several times at Warmley Wheelers and he had not wanted to try out any of the bikes. So to cycle 10 miles was a great achievement. “Following the successful ride today I am going to take him out more regularly” said Liz and “On our way home he said ‘Wow nice bike’.”  “It was great to be part of the fund raising today” Liz added.

Huge thanks goes to Kim Cole our Super Saturday leader, her sons Dean and Ben  and her friends and family who are our regular supporters of the event, their enthusiasm stands out and helps to encourage the other participants. 

Barry Hollyman very kindly lent us the use of his PA system which was a welcome relief for our Chair Lisa O’Brien as it meant she didn’t have to shout too loud when it came to the certificate presentation that was held in the garden at the end, especially after pushing her son Jon the full 5 miles in his chair, “The chair alone weighed 3 stone”. Exclaimed Lisa.

We had great attendance from our Trustees Russ Pocock, Kit Kettel and family who took part in the walk and Sue Jeffrey and Andrea Westlake who manned the water station at Bitton.  The staff at Bitton were also very accommodating by allowing us to site a water station; as they had a very busy event taking place themselves.

Fundraiser Amanda Leonard and Keynsham Juniors leader Nicola Hodges ensured everyone could sign in at the start, and received their certificate with the correct achievement, (fingers crossed) and then served the food at the end. The day went smoothly and some fab photos were taken throughout the day, you will find them on our Facebook page. 

It was good to see some of our volunteers taking part and getting involved, they already give up their time to help out at our various clubs but to also attend on a Sunday, raise money, and for some like Niall Tomlins to get on a bike for the first time in a while was just amazing, thank you.

The bird in Hand once again were superb, providing hot refreshments for everyone who took part.

All that’s left to say is thank you to everyone who helped out, took part, and of course who sponsored the participants.

Over the next couple of months as the money comes in we will let you know how much we raised.

So until next time…which is Saturday 11^th November, our annual quiz night, this time at the Scout Hut Keynsham.  Look out for more details coming soon.

Great News! Our nomination to receive funding from the OneFamily foundation has been approved and will go forward to the voting stage.

We need funding for a new project that we want to launch in September; The  Music Man Project.  12 members would benefit from this project when it launches, providing them with a forum to be able to express themselves through the involvement of music.  This is a project we have every confidence in becoming very successful and it presents a platform in which our members can raise their profile within the local community whilst at the same time expanding our facilities accessible to our community.

This is a public vote that is now open and will remain open until 6th September.

Please log on to https://foundation.onefamily.com/projects/music-man-project/  and vote for us to be awarded crucial funding.

The projects with the highest number of votes within our category will be awarded the prize fund.

• Anyone over the age of 18 can vote for our project
• All voters must register to the OneFamily Foundation in order to cast their vote

By clicking on the link https://foundation.onefamily.com/projects/music-man-project/ and voting for us you can help to make a difference and secure much needed funds to set up our Music Man Project.

The Music Man Project gives creative artists a platform to raise awareness about the incredible difference music can make. Emotional well-being, basic skill development, self-discipline, teamwork, co-ordination, communication and social skills are all significantly enhanced through the study of music.

It’s really simple to do and takes just 5 minutes all you have to do is search for our project, Music Man , don’t worry your details are safe then vote away!

• Click on the Sign in to vote button
• Sign up via the green button
• Enter your details
• Check your email for confirmation
• Click on Vote now Button

Please share this message with all your contacts who in turn are our supporters too!!

This Saturday (5^th August) a summer fete was held at the scout hut in Keynsham to raise funds .  This time there was a twist, the event had been arranged solely by the society’s Student Volunteers,  Molly Hale (student volunteer) is a keen fundraiser, and along with her friends and fellow volunteers organised a summer fete to raise money for the Society. They prepared everything themselves, spoke to local businesses for support, organised some great activities and obtained excellent raffle prizes. 

Molly is a volunteer at our Thursday night 18+ Club and the Keynsham Juniors club on Tuesdays she is 16 and has been involved in raising funds for local charities for quite a while, she’s taken part in sponsored runs for Cancer Research, for a local child with additional needs and table top sales for the children’s ward at the RUH, she really is a true inspiration.

She’s just finished her GCSEs and before she completely chilled out for the summer she worked on making the summer fete a huge success.

Molly and her friends demonstrated hard work and dedication with the organising of this fete, we are completely self-funded therefore we do rely heavily on the backing of our supporters whether it’s local businesses, volunteers, staff, and members and their families, the enthusiasm of everyone involved bolsters the fact that what we are doing for the community is supported. 

A massive thank you to Molly, Leah, Jemima, Alysha and all their friends who organised and ran the event. At a time when young people are so frequently demonised for their behaviour, it was fantastic to see so many give their time and energy to raise over £500 for the Society.” – Lisa O’Brien Chair.

It was team effort on the day as not only did the volunteers get involved but society ambassadors Barry Holllyman who was the resident DJ, Suzie Lewis and Paul Southard enjoyed helping out on the Raffle and Tombola Stalls.

Local businesses who supported the day included, Sportscene, The Lounge barbers, Bonzo Lounge, G+D free, 73 degrees bicycle shops, Kodak, Bath ink and toner, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Stone Roses Florist, Pomegranate, Fish bar, Keith’s barbers, Entertainer, Greggs, Blades, Leisure centre and Reflections Hair Salon who all generously donated raffle prizes.

Thank you to everyone who helped on the day and came along to support us, it’s was a really good day. – Molly Hale, Student Volunteer.

“Molly and all our volunteers are a great asset to our society, their enthusiasm, energy and kindness inspire our members both young and old. Without the dedication of our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to offer local people with learning disabilities the same opportunities as their peers”. Lisa O’Brien.  

We have a few more photos on our facebook page, please take a look. 

We will be raising money and just as important; raising awareness of our charity within the community with a tombola stall. It’s the Keynsham Music Festival’s 25th anniversary so it’s sure to pull in the crowds and promises to be an awesome event that we’re really excited to be part of. If you have a spare couple of hours and would like to help us out please get in touch with Amanda or make your way to the Keynsham Memorial Park on Sunday 2nd July, we will be there from 11.30am till 9.00pm. Be great to see you! Of course no tombola is complete without an array of must have prizes so if you have any unwanted gifts, toiletries or food stuff please bring them into the office by Friday 30th June. All donations greatly received.

The Key Centre, Charlton Road, Keynsham.
Thursday 15th June 2017.
6:00pm start.

Please come and join us to hear about all the things we have achieved over the last year, what our plans are going forward and to help us identify areas for development. The meeting is a chance for you to give your feedback about the Society and the activities and opportunities it has provided for members and their families.

As the Society continues to broaden its’ activities, it is really important that all members and their families become involved in shaping its future. Many of our members join as juniors and progress to the other clubs as they get older. We need those members’ families to take an interest so that the Society can go from strength to strength in future years. If you feel that you might be interested in joining the Trustees, why not give it a go! We are keen to recruit new trustees to help us move forward and we would like to hear from anyone that is interested in getting involved. If you would like an informal chat to our Chair or one of our Trustees before you decide then get in touch. Please do consider joining us to help protect the long term future of our Society.

In order to help parents of younger members to attend the meeting, childcare facilities are available at our Keynsham Juniors group meeting at Somerdale Pavilion (BS31 2FW) between 5:45 – 7:15pm, so drop your children off and do come along!
(Please call/email Laura to confirm names/numbers so that we can ensure we have sufficient support staff in place).

 Committee members for the forthcoming year will be elected on the night. If you would like to put your name forward, you can download a nomination form here.

Wellies were an option but we really didn’t need them; after a week of rain the sun shone on the right day.  Bath City Farm were great hosts for our family festival of fun they were very accommodating and nothing was too much trouble.  

We raised just over £500 on the day and everyone who attended enjoyed the fab music that Barry Hollyman played from his disco.  The barbequed to perfection burgers and sausages went down well with a cool refreshing drink.  

We had an overwhelming amount of support from willing volunteers who, without their help and enthusiasm we would not of had such a successful day.  

There was something for everyone at our festival of fun, from face painting, to beat the goalie, the teddy tombola, hook a duck and lucky dip, not forgetting the bouncy castle. 

We welcomed around 100 people to the farm that day and everyone enjoyed a taste of summer in the idyllic setting that the farm has to offer.  

Clown Bert entertained the crowds with his tantalising magic, silly  jokes and awesome balloon making, the kids thought he was ace.  

Once again we were supported by local businesses and had some great raffle prizes that included vouchers for spa days, hairdressers and simply carpets, toys and much more. 

Although our events are important fund raisers for the society that isn’t the only reason we enjoy holding them; it’s also a chance to meet up with friends and have fun.  We hope those that came along had a great time and will spread the word and bring more friends to our next event. Check out our Facebook page for the photos. 

Our members committee have put forward a suggestion for a group of our members to have the opportunity to go to the Special Olympics that are being held in Sheffield in August.  We took some members to the Games in 2013 and they loved it and were really inspired by it. This would be a fantastic opportunity for 12 of our members, who are keen to watch their peers take part in accessible sporting activities.  The Games welcome over 5,000 family members and friends to the stands to cheer on and celebrate the athletes, we would love for our members to be part of the excitement of this fantastic event.  For some this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, a trip like this will encourage our members to think about healthy living and exercise, it is an incredibly important part of the charity activity; educating members on the importance of looking after themselves physically, whilst making it fun and engaging. Therefore we have set up a crowd funding page on two online fundraising providers.  

We would be really grateful if you were able to help make this happen, we have set a target of £750 to enable their travel and accommodation costs to be subsidised, if you would like to donate you can do so  via our JustGiving or Localgiving pages.