Bulletin #38 – August 2025
It’s Summer!
The days are bright and the temperatures are soaring!
Bulletin Contents
General Contact Details
VJ Day Celebrations and Donations for VJ Day Celebrations
Reminder: Our Community Hub is Now Open!
Donations and Volunteer Opportunities
Chatty Café
Monthly Wellbeing Walk
Disability Equality North West’s Grand Summer Raffle
Accessible Cycling Sessions Preston City Council/Wheels for All Summer/
Autumn Programme
Public Consultation on Lancashire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Disability Pride
TryTheTrain 2025 (with Community Rail Lancashire and DENW)
Easy Eye Care Eye Tests
Realise – Funded Courses
Gentle Journeys
Places Where Kids Eat Free- Summer Holidays
NHS Accessible Information Standard – Updated
Music in Nature Sessions
Recipe of the Month
Staff Meeting Highlights
Good News Stories from DENW
Please note: Due to the rising costs of postage, and the desire for our bulletin to be as accessible as possible, all future bulletins will be sent by email as a link to view via our website, where the accessible/language features it offers can be utilised. If this is not accessible to you however, please contact Heather@disability-equality.org.uk to request an alternative format.
You have received the link to our bulletin as you are on our membership list. Should you wish to opt out of this, please contact Heather@disability-equality.org.uk
General Contact Details
Lancashire Independent Living Service (LILS)
- Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm
- Telephone: 01772 558863 (option 1)
- Email: lils@disability-equality.org.uk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LancashireIndependentLivingService
General Advice
- Monday to Friday: 9:30am – 3pm for face to face. Till 4pm for telephone and email advice.
- Telephone: 01772 558863 (option 3)
- Text: 07709 710915
- Email: hello@disability-equality.org.uk
Supported Banking
- Monday to Friday: 9am – 4pm
- Telephone: 01772 558863 (option 2)
- Email: supportedbanking@disability-equality.org.uk
- Feedback link and QR Code link:
Please give us your feedback here:
https://surveyhero.com/c/DENW-Feedback
N.B. Supported Banking Service Users:
If you would like to receive a monthly bank statement, please provide your email address to Supported Banking.
- Please ensure you keep up to date with sending your time sheets both to:
supportedbanking@disability-equality.org.uk and anne@disabilitypositive.org
Please send your time sheets at least 3 working days before the wage is due.
Please note payments are made between 9am-4pm Monday to Friday.
- Please ensure your agency / self-employed PA are aware of your account with us and where to send invoices:
supportedbanking@disability-equality.org.uk
Any queries, issues or further information required, please get in touch.
Invoices are paid within 7 days.
Thank you.
VJ Day Celebrations
Join us for our VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) Celebration 2025!
We will be celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the end of WWII.
Thursday 14th August 1pm-3pm
Disability Equality (NW) Ltd. Community Hub
23-25 Sedgwick Street
Preston
PR1 1TP
While Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) marks the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8th May 1945, VJ Day marks the end of the War in the East, which did not end until 15th August 1945, when Japan surrendered. The day was celebrated across the world as ‘Victory over Japan Day’ (VJ Day). 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Visit https://ve-vjday80.gov.uk/ for further reading.
Please note that this event is for members only, due to numbers.
Booking is essential – please contact: communityhub@disabilityequaility.org.uk or call us on 01772 558863 with a message for the Community Hub team. Light refreshments will be provided.
For any questions, or to inform us of any allergies or access needs, please contact us using the details above. We look forward to seeing you!
Donations for VJ Day Celebrations
We would greatly appreciate food donations for our upcoming VJ day celebration on the 14th of August. Please see above for details of the event, or alternatively, visit the event page on our website:
https://disability-equality.org.uk/vj-day-2025/
Reminder: Our Community Hub is Now Open!
Our Community Hub officially opened on the 13th of May! Keep an eye on this space, as we will have lots of exciting events coming up.
Our new address is:
Disability Equality (nw) Ltd
Community Hub
23 Sedgwick St
Preston
PR1 1TP
Phone: 01772 558863
Text: 07709 710195
Our Community Hub is now open Monday to Friday, from 9:30am to 4pm. Please come in and get a drink from our self-serve casual café.
Feel free to call in and have a look at our facilities. Staff from all services will be available if needed.
If you work for a local community-based organisation, and would like to meet with our Community Hub team to discuss use of the space for events benefitting the local community, please feel free to visit the Community Hub. If you would prefer a formal visit, you are welcome to contact us on:
- communityhub@disability-equality.org.uk
- 01772 558863
- or by post at:
Disability Equality (NW) Ltd
Community Hub
23 Sedgwick Street
Preston
PR1 1TP
Donations
As previously mentioned, we are currently busy setting up and re-decorating our new Community Hub to create a welcoming, and accessible space for all. To help us with this, we would greatly appreciate donations of the following items:
- Tea towels
- Books
- Side plates
- PlayStation games, up to PlayStation 3, for the PS3 set up in the Casual Café
We’d like to thank all those who have made donations since we opened our Community Hub. We are very grateful to have received donations of food, refreshments, raffle prizes, new goods to sell on our stalls, handmade gifts, cash donations, flowers for our memorial vase, and a number of practical items to enhance our centre.
If you would like to make a donation, please call in Mon – Fri 9:30am to 4pm – we would really appreciate it.
Please contact us on communityhub@disability-equality.org.uk for further information or queries.
Volunteer Opportunities
We are looking for volunteers to help us in our Community Hub Reception.
Applicants must be disabled or have lived experience of disability.
We are looking for people to volunteer between 9.30am – 4pm, Monday to Friday (either full days or part days i.e. morning or afternoon).
Applicants must be able to work on their own initiative, sometimes without supervision.
Please click on the link for further information or contact:
des@disability-equality.org.uk or
Community hub team on 01772 558863.
Chatty Café:
Join us for our Peer support sessions (Chatty Café) with Guest Speakers.
- Connecting society
- Peers talking
- Supportive environment
All sessions to take place in the Casual Café, at Disability Equality (NW) Ltd. Community Hub 23-25 Sedgwick Street, Preston, PR1 1TP.
Thursday 17th July 2025; 2pm – 3:30pm
Friday 1st August 2025; 2pm – 3:30pm
Monday 18th August 2025; 2pm – 3:30pm
Thursday 11th September 2025; 2pm – 3:30pm
Friday 26th September 2025; 2pm – 3:30pm
Monthly Wellbeing Walk:
Monday Group Walk. Come Join us! Enjoy the fresh air, get active, and make new friends. Activities provided and completely FREE. Suitable for all abilities. 2PM-3:30PM. Monday 18th August 2025. Meeting at Deafway by 1:35pm for a walk around Brockholes Nature Reserve. Contact: gina.campbell@thefoxton.org or call 01772 555925 option 3
Disability Equality North West’s Grand Summer Raffle
Disability Equality North West’s Community Hub First Ever Grand Summer Raffle
£1 per strip
Raffle to be drawn W/C 8th September 2025
Tickets can be purchased from our Community Hub.
Accessible Cycling Sessions Preston City Council/Wheels for All Summer/Autumn Programme:
Wheels for All and Preston City Council Accessible Active Travel Project
Preston City Council have teamed up with National Accessible Cycling charity Wheels for All to bring accessible cycle rides in venues across Preston over the next months.
Wheels for All will provide a range of adapted cycles which will suit pretty much anyone’s needs and enable them to get onto wheels and get active. Everyone who has additional needs including (but not limited to) physical disability, degenerative conditions, social isolation etc. is welcome to join a ride.
Wheels for All will also be there with staff trained to support you to choose the best cycle for your needs, get comfortable on your cycle, and guide you round a short, safe and enjoyable route.
These are the dates and venues planned so far:
Wednesday 23rd July – UCLan sports arena, Cycle track, Wheels for All container
Wednesday 20th August – Ashton Park, Let’s Grow Preston walled garden
Wednesday 10th September – Haslam Park, Children’s play area near park entrance
Wednesday 24th September – venue to be confirmed
Wednesday 8th October – venue to be confirmed
Wednesday 22nd October – venue to be confirmed
Rides on each session will start at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm. There will be 10 places available on each hour.
To book your place just e-mail your name, or group names and which sessions you would like to attend: stuart.lockton@wheelsforall.org.uk
Public Consultation on Lancashire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy
The public consultation on Lancashire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is now live. It will be open for 6 weeks, closing on Sunday 3rd August.
The consultation can be accessed through the Local Nature Recovery Strategy webpage:
The draft strategy, summary version, evidence and technical information document can all be found there, along with a short video.
Disability Pride
Disability Pride was a huge success! Thank you to all who supported, attended, and helped to spread the word for the day! From attendance levels of 2025’s Disability Pride, Disability Equality (North West) are now looking forward to hosting 2026’s Disability Pride in Preston, with dates and timings to follow once confirmed.
Here are some photos from the day:
Photos: Above left -Matt (DENW) In front of stall. Above right- attendees and stalls
Above left – Peter Titterington with Mayor of Preston, Sue Whittham. Above, right- Mel (CEO, DENW) with Cllr. Matthew Brown.
Above left, above right – attendees photographed with ‘Spreading Love, Challenging Hate’ picture frame at the event.
Above left attendees photographed with ‘Spreading Love, Challenging Hate’ picture frame at the event.
Above right – Martin Layton holding ‘Disability Pride Community Hero Award 2025’ award.
TryTheTrain 2025 (with Community Rail Lancashire and DENW)
Here are some photos from our recent TryTheTrain Session, as part of our engagement with building Public Transport travel confidence. The day revolved around a return journey to Grange-over-Sands and a practice-run of transferring trains on the return leg to Preston:
Photos: Top left – Grange-over-Sands Access at station. Top right– group photo.
Bottom left photo – Grange-over-Sands, town centre with group-in-attendance. Bottom right – Transport Access Hybrid Meeting, tech demo.
Easy Eye Care Eye Tests
Every year, you should have an Annual Health Check with your GP (14 plus) and an eye test with your optician.
- You don’t have to be able to read or speak to have an eye test.
- Adults with a learning disability are 10x more likely to have a problem with their eyes and children are 28x more likely.
- The eye test is not just about glasses – it detects eye conditions and general health conditions as well.
This is a specialist eye care service for people with learning disabilities and autistic people of all ages, who are registered with their GP. You’ll get:
- Longer eye tests or multiple appointments, where needed.
- An easy to understand report about your eyes.
- Local opticians who have had extra training.
The assessment is NHS-funded and there is help towards the cost of glasses if you’re eligible.
This service is available in:
- Greater Manchester.
- Cheshire and Merseyside.
- Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Please tell the optician’s practice that you want to book an Easy Eye Care appointment.
5 easy steps to having an eye test:
- Choose your optician from the website www.primaryeyecare.co.uk/ find-a-practice
- When booking the appointment, explain it is for the Easy Eye Care service.
- Ask if you are entitled to a free NHS sight test.
- Fill in SeeAbility’s “About Me and My Eyes” form to give to the optometrist. You can request this from your opticians practice or download it from our website: www.seeability.org/myeyes
- Go along for your eye test.
For easy read information about having an eye test, visit: www.seeability.org/EReyetest
For more information, please call 0808 175 3077 or email: easyec@primaryeyecare.co.uk
SeeAbility is the operating name of The Royal School for the Blind. Registered Charity Number 255913
Realise – Funded Courses
Realise, a training provide, is offering funded courses in Lancashire. Here is what is on offer:
💼 Customer Service – Level 2 (ND)
The Intact Centre, Preston
📅 22nd July – 12th August
🧠 Children & Young People’s Mental Health – Level 2
Preston Community Hub
📅 1st – 15th August
👩🏫 Teaching Assistant – Level 2
Linkbridge, Burnley
📅 6th – 18th August
Employer linked to this.
🛡️ SIA Security Course
Bangor Community Centre, Blackburn
📅 14th Aug – 15th Sept
Fully funded route to gaining your SIA badge.
🛡️ SIA Security Course
Linkbridge, Burnley
📅 27th Aug – 26th Sept
Another great opportunity to get qualified for a career in security.
🧩 SEND – Level 2
Linkbridge, Burnley
📅 26th Aug – 9th Sept
Covers key understanding of Special Educational Needs – great for aspiring TAs or support workers.
Eligibility is over 19 years old from before 31st August 2024, UK Resident for over 3 years and earning below £25,000 per year.
Please contact Adele Wells to book:
+447525903583 (mobile)
www.realisetraining.com (website)
Adele.Wells@realisetraining.com (email)
Gentle Journeys
SERVICES
Whether it’s a routine hospital appointment or a weekend away, our companion drivers will ensure you arrive at your destination safely, comfortably and on time in our accessible vehicles.
Safe Rides with Caring Companions.
Where can we take you?
More than just a wheelchair taxi, our vehicles are wheelchair-accessible and each journey starts in the home, you will feel relaxed and reassured before departing.
- Got a medical appointment? We can support, reassure and take notes for you.
- Let’s go and explore, share new experiences, and reminisce on day trips.
- School trips, school runs and lifts to college. We’ll get them there safely and on time. Never miss a celebration! We’ll escort you to weddings and social events.
- Holiday booked? We’ll get you to your destination feeling comfortable and relaxed. Make new memories and spend time with old friends by booking a group outing.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
You may prefer to stay closer to home, so our friendly teams offer companionship, are compassionate and willing to assist you or your loved ones however they can.
- Buying gifts or groceries. You write the list, and we’ll do the shopping.
- Relax in the comfort of your own home; we’ll carry out light domestic and admin duties.
- Exercise the mind and challenge us to a board game.
- Grab some fresh air on a stroll in your local park.
- Share your love of music or listen to your favourite book.
CONTACT US WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP 01539 724659 david@lakestravelgroup.com
Photo: Image of a Gentle Journeys van.
Places Where Kids Eat Free- Summer Holidays
NHS Accessible Information Standard – Updated
An update from Terri Balon, Area Campaigns Officer North West (excluding Cumbria, and West Midlands), from RNIB:
The NHS Accessible Information Standard has finally been updated, which applies to blind and partially sighted people in England. RNIB cautiously welcomes the updated Standard as a step forward, but more progress is needed to make accessible information a consistent reality across all health and care services. Here’s a brief rundown of what the update means:
Key Improvements:
- NHS services must now regularly check and update patients’ communication needs.
- Health and social care organisations must appoint a senior lead to oversee the Standard’s implementation.
- Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have increased duties, including appointing a board-level lead and ensuring local providers follow the Standard.
- Organisations must complete yearly assessments demonstrating how they are meeting the Standard, using a new self-assessment tool.
Areas that still need improvement are:
- Current NHS and social care IT systems often aren’t adequately set up to record and share communication needs.
- We want mandatory training for staff, co-created with blind and partially sighted people, to improve awareness and skills in providing accessible information.
- Currently, the yearly self-assessments will not be subject to external review by regulators. Without this, we believe tracking progress will be difficult.
RNIB is actively engaging with ICBs and working with a number of NHS services to help them meet the communication needs of blind and partially sighted patients. We’ll keep campaigning until accessible healthcare information is a reality for everyone. Find out more here: rnib.in/AIS2025
Music in Nature Sessions
Do you play an instrument? Or would you like to part of a musical community?
Let’s get together and play some music!
When: Tuesdays weekly from 29th July – Tuesday 19th August.
5:30pm-7:30pm
Meeting point: Outside the Pavilion café
No experience is necessary – the intention is to gather, meet new people, and share a passion for music. There is also no obligation to join in.
Contact: abbie.hampshire@lancashire.gov.uk for more information.
Recipe of the Month:
Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
For the chicken mince taco filling
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks separated, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
- 500g/1lb 2oz chicken mince
- 1 tbsp sweet, smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 12 small soft corn tortillas or crispy taco shells
For the mango salsa
- 1 large mango, peeled, stone removed and cut into small cubes
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
- ½ lime, zest and juice
Method
- To make the taco filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the coriander stalks to the pan and fry for 1 minute before adding the chicken mince. Fry for 5–6 minutes until the mince is browned.
- Sprinkle in the paprika, cumin, cinnamon and chilli flakes (if using), and fry for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the tomato purée, maple syrup (if using), and lime juice and stir through.
- Add the beans to the pan. Add cold water to the empty bean tin until one-third full (about 130ml/4fl oz), and pour into the pan.
- Stir all the ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat to medium–low and gently simmer for 8–10 minutes until the sauce is thick.
- To make the mango salsa, put the mango, chilli, coriander and lime zest and juice in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- To serve, stir the coriander leaves through the chicken mixture and season with salt and pepper. Serve along with the tortillas or taco shells, mango salsa and soured cream for assembling at the table.
If you have a recipe you would like us to add to our next bulletin, please send it in to: communityhub@disability-equality.org.uk
Staff Meeting Highlights
We held a full staff meeting on the 1st July 2025, which was the first meeting in our new Community Hub!
Amongst other discussions, we looked at ten positives about our community i.e. disabled people, and thought it would be great to share them:
- Resilience
- Adaptable/versatile
- Support each other (peer support)/community/interconnected
- Resourceful
- Lived experience and knowledge
- Different perspectives
- Compassion/empathy
- Problem solving
- Willing to co-produce/compromise
- Spending power (Purple Pound)
Good News Stories from DENW
Read on for positive news stories and feedback from users of our services.
Events – Public Transport Confidence:
Several new attendees, and two returning attendees of our TryTheTrain Workshops (in partnership with Community Rail Lancashire), at the hub have had a noticeable increase in confidence using phone and tablet apps to check Rail Timetables, upcoming journeys, and book tickets ahead of travelling. This was evidenced in the group-in-attendance guiding our sessions, independently deciding on a travel destination for our next workshop, and, specific train ticket machine exercises, including paying for advance tickets at a machine.
Lancashire Independent Living Services (LILS):
- “LILS have been fantastic, and really explained the advice on DP’s (direct payments) well. Will be back in touch should we struggle.”
- “I’m very happy with the support from LILS, I feel so much better since starting on direct payments and have turned my life around.”
- “The LILS advice was fantastic and it’s great that there is a service impartial to give advice.”
Information & Advice:
- “Really good advice and signposting done all through the advice appointment.”
- “The advisor was super at his advice to me and my family! Sorted out PIP form and gave really good expert examples throughout our appointment.”
- “The advisor was great, top notch advice and my PIP form fill was handled patiently.”
- “Thank you for all the support with my query.”
Supported Banking:
- “I’m so glad I got someone like you to deal with my account, thank you again.”
- “Staff were very helpful and on the ball.”
- “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your colleagues for your help and support with the arrangements in place in supporting us over the past few months.”
