Page 19 - link magazine

AT YOUR LIBRARY 19
Volunteers needed for a safari SWINDON'S
Libraries across Swindon are launching a summer holiday Reading M&E oter
Safari Game to run from 20 July until 4 September.
Water Coolers & Natural
Help is desperately needed from Robert Cotterill reports that Mineral Water
adults who can spare a few hours Swindon Library Service recom- C AR BOOT SALE
a week to listen to children, aged mendations for this year's • Convenient & Easily Installed
three to 16, read and talk about the Carnegie Award for the best book Every Sunday 7am - 1 pm • No mess, No waiting
books. Details of the reading will are Michael Colman's Tag and Why pay more?
be recorded and the children and David Almond's Skellig. £7 any size pitch, any vehicle • Refills within 24 hrs L _ yr
volunteers will be invited to an The recommendations for the (01793) 854085
end of project presentation in Sep- Greenaway Award for the out- Plus £2 off with this advert
tember. standing illustrated book was (only 1 leaflet per visit) UNIT 22/23,
EVERYBODY WELCOME
If you can help in any way at Colin Thompson's The Paradise TEMPLARS WAY IND.
West Swindon, Central, Wrough- Garden and Anthony Browne's Situated close to West Swindon, MARLBOROUGH RD,
behind Office World, Comet
ton, Park and possibly other li- Voices in the Park. off Great Western Way. WOOTTON BASSETT
braries, call Robert Cotterill on The winners will be announced
463238 or 465555 or speak to by the National Youth Library Enquiries: (01793) 523134_ PJA
Rebecca Bolton on 464490. group in June.

Downing Street date for carer
After speaking out boldly about the plight of carers, Carole Rose,
from Westlea, was invited to Downing Street on 29 April for a Agencies
personal meeting with Treasury Minister Alistair Darling and
Swindon South MP Julia Drown. LANDLORDS
Carole found herself in the me- pite and backup services. The wel- Do you have a property to let?
dia spotlight earlier in the month fare reforms are a contradiction
when she spoke out at a national and, if the Gateway Interviews go We offer the most complete and only
lobby of Parliament called to high- ahead, I feel that this government guaranteed management service in the region.
light fears about the effects of wel- doesn't trust me and that this gov-
fare benefit changes. ernment doesn't value the job I We have tenants waiting for
Government reforms mean that do." quality residential properties
she, and millions of others like her, As she prepared her severely For further information or advice, call 01793 431725
will be forced to prove whether disabled daughter, Elena, 21, for
they should be looking for work or the journey to Westminster, Carole www.swindonlink.com
remain eligible for benefits. Car- was filmed for TV and her story
ers, the disabled, the sick, widows was also covered by BBC Wiltshire
and those on low incomes will all Sound and The Guardian. The
be affected. glare of publicity followed two
very difficult weeks during which
Elena had been ill with a virus.
It's at times like these that
Carole's resources are stretched to
breaking point. Unable to express
what is troubling her, Elena, whose
difficulties include cerebral palsy
and epilepsy, can become dis-
tressed. She will bang her head
against walls, spit out food and
drink, and have difficulty balanc-
ing. Any parent will remember
how distressing such behaviour is
in a small child. Elena is a fully-
grown young woman.
That Carole went ahead with
her speech despite this, is testa-
ment to how strongly she feels. "It EFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING
was something I wanted to do per-
sonally," she said.
Carole and Elena from last October's BUSINESS NUMERACY
She is glad that she can now get
Link when we reported their pleasure
back to her everyday routine of
at seeing Glen Cambell at the Wilt-
caring, though she feels the expe-
shire Festival
rience has taken a lot out of her.
Carole acted as spokesperson But that's often how life is for carers.
not just for Mencap, of which she Hopefully, Carole's return to
is a member, but for a coalition of Westminster will have been less
500 disability organisations nation- draining. She will not be taking
ally including MIND, Age Con- Elena this time, nor will she be on
cern, the RNIB and SCOPE. public display. Although she is
Reading a prepared statement, uncertain what the meeting will
she said, "a few weeks ago, the bring, she expects reassurances.
government claimed that carers What is certain is that she will not
were saving the country millions mince words about the realities of
of pounds and that we needed res- life for Britain's 6.8 million carers.