Welcome to the first Silver Dreams Newsletter! - written by and for Shine members in the 50 plus age group.

1. Silver Dreams News
January 2013 Registered Charity No. 249338
Welcome to the first Silver Dreams Newsletter! - written by and for
Shine members in the 50 plus age group
New Tele-friendship Groups... could include participating in a craft activity to
are you interested in having contact with other raise funds, taking photos for a range of different
Shine members of a similar age? Do you find purposes, suggesting places and products that
it difficult to get out or to travel to events? If have been useful, writing letters to new parents,
so, why not find out more about joining one of writing about your experiences on a particular
our new telephone groups and talking to others subject, carrying out small fundraising actions or
from the comfort of your own home? For more contributing to a telephone befriending or online
information contact Angie – see below. support group. Anything in fact that will benefit
others and is manageable at home with minimal
In Touch Over 50 Facebook supervision. Interested? For more information
contact Angie.
Group... for those who have internet access
why not join our lively Group on Facebook for
information, tips, support, and discussion? This Would you like to try the
is a closed group and members’ posts are only internet? Contact Angie for details.
seen by each other.
Want to do some good from The Dream Team gets going!
We are pleased to announce that we have
home? Even in your pyjamas? recruited 10 volunteer members of Shine to help
We will shortly be launching our run the Silver Dreams Project. Between them
microvolunteering opportunities and offering they have skills in charity governance, events
small, “bite-sized” activities that you can do to management, public speaking, social
help others and the Silver Dreams Project. This Continued on page 2
Congratulations to Denise
Davies who wins £50 worth
of M&S Vouchers. Everyone
who contacted us about
Silver Dreams by telephone,
email, website, or post
was entered into the Silver
Dreams Prize Draw.
“Thank you. This has made
up for the horrible Christmas
we had, spent in bed with the
Noro virus!”- Denise
Tel: 01308 426372
Email: angie.coster@shinecharity.org.uk
www.shinesilverdreams.wordpress.com

2. Continued from page 1
work, campaigning, website and social media Top Tip on Welfare
development, fundraising, training, telephony,
creative writing and crafting – to name but a Benefit Changes
few. All have experience of living with spina Lynne Young – Support and Development Worker
bifida and/or hydrocephalus and are in the 50
plus age group. They will be working with the Try a free online self-assessment for
Project Coordinator and Shine staff to deliver Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
the Project’s activities over the next year. before you are reassessed if you are on
Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement
Allowance or Income Support paid on the
If you would like something included in this grounds of incapacity. To start the free
Newsletter please tell us. assessment go to: www.benefitsandwork.
Angie Coster co.uk/employment-and-support-
Silver Dreams Project Coordinator allowance/start-the-esa-test
Tel: 01308 426372
Email: angie.coster@shinecharity.org.uk If you do not get 15 points in this test
Web: shinesilverdreams.wordpress.com start seeking advice now from your local
Citizens Advice Bureau, Disability or
We need a volunteer Editor for this Newsletter! Carers organisation or Shine Support and
If you are interested please let us know Development Worker.
How I got my local department store to
put in an accessible toilet
by Martin Fenney should have one that was accessible for
disabled customers. She agreed, and several
Not so long ago my carer and I were in my months later, having filled in a suggestion form,
local BHS department store in the city centre. we returned to find a really good accessible
I needed to pay a visit to the loo and asked toilet installed near the café, which they said
a staff member to direct us to an accessible was thanks to me. It is one of the best in our
customer toilet. city centre, and particularly good for people
with a visual impairment, as I have, with
She said there wasn’t one and instead different colours used for the cistern, toilet and
escorted me to the male staff toilets. I wash basin. There is also plenty of room for a
suggested that for a store of this size they wheelchair. So sometimes people do listen!
My ACE is ace! me go about 6 months before getting another
infection. However, after having the ACE
By Christine Helliwell operation I am going over 5 years without
getting a bladder infection.
A few years ago I had the ACE operation
which has changed my life very much for For everything to work well I have to stay on
the better. This involved putting a hole in my a high fibre diet, drink plenty, and keep off the
belly button with a tube into the bowel. The cheese and eggs. To keep healthy, and for the
tube is used to put fluid in, like a high bowel ACE procedure to only take only 30 minutes
wash out. Before I had the operation I was from beginning to end, I have to do it every
getting bladder infections every 6 weeks. I other day and blow lots of pretend bubbles! I
was put on a rotation of 3 different antibiotics am now free from pain, dry all day, and much
which I changed every month. This helped healthier.
Email: angie.coster@shinecharity.org.uk www.shinesilverdreams.wordpress.com

3. OWZAAT an audience, usually of family and friends. The
play we put on in July is just our group and is a
by Nick Woodward comedy with a serious message. The play we
did last year had very little oral communication
My drama group in Aldershot North East so we had to practice our non-speaking
Hampshire is something that I enjoy and which communication skills – using body language and
has really helped improve my confidence. acting without saying anything.
OWZAAT stands for Older, Wiser, Zanier, Adult, In December each year we put on a play with
Acting Troupe. It is a group for people aged 18 a younger group aged 7 to 19. The theme is
to 80 and we meet every Tuesday night in a local usually fairy tales or Christmas, with some
community centre. Participants sign up on a pantomime and comedy thrown in for good
termly basis and many have been with the group measure.
a long time. I have been with the group for over
three years. Most of what we do is improvised The benefits of being in this drama group for
and we make it up as we go along – similar to me include improved self confidence, thinking
the series “Whose Line is it Anyway?” We have on my feet, working within a group, and helping
done one scripted play, but I found it quite others of mixed abilities and ages. It is also
difficult to learn all the lines. great for socialising and we quite often meet up
at each others’ houses. I would recommend this
The Group is led by a wonderful teacher called if there is anything similar in your local area –
Bekki and we put on two plays a year in front of check out local adult learning courses.
Realising Your Dreams
by John Richards, Shine Support and Development Worker
It’s alright, it’s ok, doesn’t really matter if you’re old and grey
It’s alright, I say, it’s ok, listen to what I say
It’s alright, doing fine, doesn’t really matter if the sun don’t shine
It’s alright, I say it’s ok, you’re getting to the end of the day.
We over 50s can surely relate to this song and eating out (probably a factor in my being
by Dennis Waterman at the beginning of overweight!)
the TV programme about a group of older
police officers. I have the same feeling about Many people enjoy more adventurous
having spina bifida and NPH when it comes activities. Some people have mobility
to believing that I can still enjoy life and, more or cognitive issues and may need
importantly, contribute to the lives of people encouragement to overcome these difficulties
around me, many of whom are half my age. particularly by learning of sources of support,
advice, and the friendship which comes from
With the new Silver Dreams project Shine is shared hobbies.
now putting a greater emphasis on the health
factors that may befall us oldies with SB and/ The Silver Dreams Project aims to encourage
or H, and looking at how they might affect members to share ideas and opportunities
the interests and hobbies, not to mention for their leisure time, pursued independently
lifestyles, we might seek, despite having these of their families and/or the people with whom
“old friends”. they live, thus enriching the relationship when
coming back together, as both parties have
Personally, I am married with a son, am something new to talk about. Therefore, let’s
a Christian and lead Milton Keynes Torch not only embrace 2013, but also resolve to
Fellowship Group for visually impaired take advantage of the benefits of this new
Christians. I am also passionate about project.
cricket. I enjoy visits to the theatre, music,

4. Top Health Tip from Gill Yaz -
Health Development Manager
Make sure you keep your Vitamin
D levels up during the dark winter
months. Vitamin D is essential for
keeping bones strong and may help to
prevent depression and heart disease.
It is mostly made by the skin when the
sun shines on it, and between October
and April, the sun isn’t strong enough
in the UK to produce this effect.
Top up your intake with oily fish and
fortified foods such as dairy products
and cereals, and when Spring finally
arrives, try to get out in the sun for half
an hour a day. Avoid strong midday
sun and getting burnt, and, if you get
the chance, ask your GP to check your
Vitamin D levels.
gill.yaz@shinecharity.org.uk
In the next newsletter…
l Surviving social occasions with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
l To use or not to use a wheelchair
l Loving my ipad …and more!
To get involved or to find out
more about the
Silver Dreams Project contact
Angie Coster, Project Coordinator
on T: 01308 426372
E: angie.coster@shinecharity.org.uk
www.shinesilverdreams.wordpress.com