Category Archives: disability
Free respite holidays for disabled people and their families
Papworth Trust is offering free respite holidays to disabled people and their families at Kerry Farm in Wales, thanks to a £2 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
Typical respite is where the disabled person goes away while their family stays at home. The Trust’s respite holidays are unique because they offer a chance for the whole family to together have a supported break, without the pressures of everyday life.
Luke and his mum Jane
Papworth Trust ran a pilot for this new service, shown on Channel 4 documentary The Secret Millions. 19-year-old Luke from Peterborough took part in the pilot with his parents Chris and Jane. Luke has Down’s Syndrome and was quite shy at first. Since the respite holiday he has become much more independent, taking part in local amateur dramatics and setting his sights on a role in EastEnders one day.
Luke’s Dad Chris saw some real changes from the respite holiday. He said: “I thought Luke was going to struggle but he just took to everything. He amazed me. I think it proved to us that Luke can do things that we didn’t think he could, and perhaps sometimes we were holding him back slightly. We can now let him go that little bit more.”
Mum Jane said: “It was such a benefit having more quality time together – normally Luke just has respite on his own. It’s really brought the family close together. Anybody that gets the opportunity will have a fantastic time.”
Adrian Bagg, Papworth Trust’s Chief Executive, said: “At Papworth Trust we understand the impact disability can have. It can be hard to have quality, stress free time together as a family. Disabled people and their families can now apply for free respite holidays thanks to the Big Lottery Fund. The pilot shown in The Secret Millions was an amazing experience for the families involved. It is fantastic that Papworth Trust will now be able to offer that farm experience to disabled people of any age, wherever they come from in the UK. We’re renovating a 16th century farmhouse in a beautiful part of Wales and we will be able to start welcoming families from autumn this year.”
Towns and cities that will be hardest hit by government welfare reforms
Welfare reforms ‘will take £19bn A YEAR out of economy and hit poorest hardest’
CONTROVERSIAL new welfare reforms to be implemented by the Government will take almost £19 billion a year out of the UK economy, researchers revealed today.
Researchers assessed the financial impact of changes made by the Conservative-led coalition to housing benefit – including the so-called bedroom tax on public housing tenants who have unused rooms – disability living allowance, child benefit, tax credits, council tax benefit and several other hand-outs.
Professor Steve Fothergill, from Sheffield Hallam’s Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, led the study, which was based on a range of official statistics.
Changes begin for disability benefit
8 April 2013 Last updated at 10:57
Disability Living Allowance replaced by PIP scheme
Major changes to disability benefits for new claimants are being introduced in some areas of the country ahead of a nationwide rollout of the new measures.
It is the start of the replacement of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) by Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the “ridiculous” system under which people were awarded benefit with no further checks must end.
But charity Scope says the changes have been designed just to save money.
That claim has been denied by the government, which says spending will not be reduced, but more help will be given to those who need it most.
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