Our First Stay & Play Session at Mayhem!

A great time was had by all at the very first Stay & Play session at Mayhem Adventure Play in the East Point Pavilion!

The adults got together for a good old natter, while the kids burned off lots of energy on the play equipment and made new friends!











Our November Stay & Play session went really well as well, so why not come along and join the fun next time!

Our next Stay & Play session is on 16th December at Mayhem. It's the last day of term, so why not come along and kick off the Christmas Holidays in style!

Please remember, the maximum age is 12 years, and the maximum height is 1.45 m. There is a suggested donation of £2 per child.

Hope to see you at our next play session!

Stay And Play is BACK!

We are very pleased to announce that starting in October, we will be holding monthly play sessions at Lowestoft's own Mayhem Adventure Play for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and for their siblings!

You may remember that earlier this year, we had some sessions at Adventure Island soft play area, which were very much enjoyed by all who attended; but from October, we will be able to offer places at a monthly play session at Mayhem Adventure Play on Lowestoft sea front!

It's a much more central location, with good bus links (car parking is available in the pay and display car park next to the building), and we will be able to hold our sessions on a Friday afternoon, rather than a Monday evening, which will kick off the weekend in fine style!

So for a suggested donation of just £2 per child, we will be able to welcome children aged 12 years and under, with a maximum height of 1.45 metres, for what will surely be a very fun play session!

The sessions will run from 4 pm to 5 pm, and will be held between October and March. During the Summer months, there are lots of outdoor activities going on, and so indoor soft play is less likely to be needed; and also during the Summer, Mayhem are sometimes required to shut at short notice due to high temperatures within the building. So, in order to avoid having the sessions cancelled with little time to notify those who would like to attend, we have decided to run the sessions between October and March, when the weather is cooler.

And so our first play session at Mayhem will take place on 21st October, between 4 pm and 5 pm!

We hope to see you there for an hour of fun and frolics!

Our First South-Side Drop-In Group!

Tuesday 20th September found our Treasurer Amber, our PR Officer Rachel, and our Media Secretary Rebecca at this lovely place for the afternoon ...



We were there at the Whitton Life Cafe, on Whitton Green, from midday to 2:00 pm, talking to local parents and carers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, making new friends and lending a listening ear. We talked about education, behaviour, parenting, and swapped experiences and tips with each other.



As you can see, we were lovely and comfy, curled up on our sofas, in the lovely, bright, airy room, chatting away the hours, sipping hot drinks and munching on biscuits.



The drop in dates are listed on the side of the page, for both our North and South Lowestoft drop in support group sessions, as well as being in each edition of our branch newsletter, and on our Facebook page; so, next time, if you're in the area and you care for someone with an ASD, why don't you drop in and join us!

We'd love to see you there!

Our Picnic In The Park (aka Our August Drop In Support Group)

For the first time ever, we decided this year to have a drop in support group session in August! Parents need support during the holidays too!

But as we'd all have our children with us, we decided to meet up at Sparrows Nest Park, where the kids could make friends and play, while we parents curled up on our picnic rugs and chatted.

The weather was beautiful, and we all had a great time together ...






Louise from Activities Unlimited joined us for the afternoon















We shared a lovely afternoon together at the park in the sun!

Next month, we'll be back to our standard drop in location in North Lowestoft, The Ark Childrens Centre, on 13th September; and we'll be opening up our new support group in South Lowestoft at the Whitton Life Centre on 20th September. Hope to see you there!

A Brand New Support Group is Opening Up!

The Lowestoft & North Suffolk Branch is delighted to announce that we will be opening up a brand new drop in support group next month, in South Lowestoft!

The group will be held at the Whitton Life Cafe, and will be held on the third Tuesday of the month, starting on 20th September. The drop in session will run from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm, and is open to everyone who is caring for someone with an ASD.

We hope that this group will complement our exisiting group at The Ark Childrens Centre in North Lowestoft, providing a more convenient location for those parents living on the other side of the bridge, and enabling us to both reach and support more local families affected by ASDs.

So, if you need someone to talk to, or want to make new friends who are going through similar experiences, come along to our brand new support group!

Where? Whitton Life Cafe, Whitton Estate, Lowestoft
When? 3rd Tuesday of every month, starting on 20th September
What time? 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm

We hope to see you there!

Whitton Life Centre
4 The Green
Lowestoft
NR33 9AZ

01502 562444

Our Very 1st 'Stay & Play' Session!

Our first 'Stay & Play' session at Pirate Pete's Adventure Island was a great success!


The venue

We had 15 lovely children, who came along to have some serious fun on the soft play equipment ...


This little man decided on a snack before playing


While this little man went straight off to play!

Lots and lots of fun was had by all ...







While the Mums had a chance to curl up with a cuppa and watch their children having fun ...



Adventure Island gave free drinks to all the children ...





And Mums and children alike had lots of fun together ...





And while the children were busy jumping ...





... the Dads had a chance to relax with a book ...



There was lots of slip-slidin' fun ...





And lots of happy faces!



So why not come along and join us next time? It's a snip at just £1 suggested donation per child, for over an hour of fun!

{Details of upcoming Stay & Play sessions will be coming soon on the sidebar, and will be publicised on the Facebook page as well}

Great New Activity Coming Up! {UPDATED!}

PLEASE NOTE: The Stay and Play Session is now on Friday 11th March!

We are very excited to share a brand new activity with you!

*What is it? A Stay and Play Session!
*Where is it? At Pirate Pete's Adventure Island Play Park
*When is it? Friday 11th March 2011, between 6.30 pm and 7.45 pm
*How much is it? A suggested donation of £1 per child

It will be open to all local children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their siblings, and we'd love to see you there!!!

We will have the place to ourselves, so why not come along and watch your children have a great time together! Children with ASDs will be able to play without the sensory overload which a visit to Pirate Pete's can bring during normal opening hours, and children who have a sibling with an ASD will be able to meet up, make friends and share their experiences with others. And we parents can chill out with a cuppa and make new friends too!

Hope to see you there, 6.30 pm on the 11th March!