I’m very conscious that this will be an anxious time for many as the weather starts to get colder and fuel bills rise. Not only that, but the increasing pressures come against a backdrop where we know that many disabled people were already struggling with the cost of living.

At Inclusion Barnet, we continue to engage with relevant campaigning groups and really urge you to come to our next meeting to add your voice to the push for change.

Over the August bank holiday, I wrote the first draft of a letter to be sent on the 6^th September to our next Prime Minister, from the Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG), urging them to take urgent steps to uprate benefits.

We’re delighted that Julia Modern of the DPCG will be at our cost of living meeting for members (details below) and encourage you to add your voices to the campaign for positive change. 

Caroline Collier
Chief Executive Officer

Save the date! Members' Meeting - Cost of Living Crisis

Whether you’re already a member of Inclusion Barnet, or curious about what we’re doing to support disabled people in Barnet through the Cost of Living Crisis, save the date to come and join us to chat and pick up some useful information.

• Save the date! 27th September 2022
• Inclusion Barnet Offices
• 2pm to 3.30pm
• Free sandwich lunch and refreshments
• Booking required (details to follow next week)

We will have a guest speaker, from Inclusion London who will be sharing information and resources about how to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. They’ll be time to chat and meet other members from our community and share your views and concerns.

If you are still wondering why this matters, our CEO attends many local and national forums, including the Disability Poverty Campaign Group and is on the steering committee of the Disability Benefits Consortium, so all the feedback we hear about through events like this, helps us to make sure that disabled people in Barnet are represented where it counts.

Detailed accessibility information for our office is on our website accessibility page. If you can’t attend in person, we now have new equipment to help you join via Zoom.

Look out for our confirmation email and booking details next week.

Come and meet us!

Eve and Sarah from our engagement and user voice teams will be at Age UK Barnet's Social Prescribing Community Event to chat with local residents.

Wed 7th September – 10am to 1pm

Do drop by and say hello at our stall. There will be lots of other community services there, so it is a great opportunity to find out what other free support services and activities are available in your area.

Accessibility: the venue is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. 

Join our membership

Becoming a member of Inclusion Barnet helps us represent your views and opinions to local decision makers. 

Our FREE membership allows you to get involved with campaigns, surveys and discussions that impact disabled people in Barnet.

Read more below and sign up over on our website.

Members survey feedback

We would like to say a huge thank you to all our members who took time to respond to our recent survey. Your feedback has been very useful in helping us to decide how to best use our resources to keep in touch with you and create opportunities to hear your views.

We will be looking at this in more detail over the coming weeks. In the meantime, a couple of obvious things you mentioned that we are going to start doing straight away:

• Holding our next members meeting at our offices, which you said was better for public transport.
• Sending printable copies of our monthly newsletter to local libraries.
• Posting our newsletter to individuals who are unable to get online.
• Make more of our meetings hybrid, where people can join online or in person.
• Adding links in this newsletter about some of our other newsletters

We always welcome feedback and suggestions, so do please send us an email, phone or text at any time.

The raffle winner will be announced in the next issue as we've not heard beck from them yet to give permission to print their name. 

Colindale visit

Last week we dropped into the Colindale Communities Trust Centre to meet some of the lovely residents before they started their bingo game! We talked to them about what we do and how they can help support equal rights for disabled people in Barnet by joining our free membership. We were delighted that quite a few people from the group signed up as new members.

With our new communications and engagement officer, Sarah Chaffey, now on board, we have started to get back out and about in the community to meet more of you.  If you run or belong to a community group in Barnet and would like us to drop by for an informal visit, or give a presentation, please do get in touch with us.
 

Kate Toon (she/her)
Touchpoint Service Manager

1.   How long have you worked at Inclusion Barnet? 

I have had the pleasure of working at Inclusion Barnet for nearly two and a half years. I was initially employed for a year and a half in 2020, but I have stayed on as we were successful in getting both our Peer Support and Benefits Advice Service continuation funding.  Which I was super thrilled about.

2.   What is the main thing you are working on right now? 

There are always many things going on at Touchpoint as we are a very busy service, but two things I am currently working on are, recruitment and collating data for our reports which will feedback to our funders on how things are getting on.   

3. How does having lived experience impact your role? 

Having my own lived experience, I know how hard it can be to manage day to day tasks. When you then throw into the mix all the recent pressures of Covid and cost of living crisis, it’s been even tougher. Sometimes it can feel like a maze trying to find your way to the right services, and then to get to see the right people can be even more challenging and tiring. I am very lucky that my role allows me to be a part of a team that can help to reduce some of these pressures for people. Hearing back from staff and customers when we have been successful in getting our customers what they need makes my day. Knowing we are making a positive difference is why I stay motivated.

4. The best thing about working at Inclusion Barnet? 

Staff can be their true selves at work, not having to mask or hide disability in the workplace but harnessing their individuality, skills and strengths. It’s refreshing and a joy to be a part of.  

5. Favourite way to spend time when you’re not working? 

I love to paint, I find it is a great escape. Before I know it, hours have gone by.

If you run, or know of any, local accessible activities or events in Barnet and the surrounding areas please tell us about them! We’d love to include things that have either been designed with disabled people mind or includes specific accessibility info and is free or heavily subsidised: info@inclusionbarnet.org.uk, 

Other IB newsletters

Did you know that you can sign up to a number of other newsletters that we produce? We run several community services in Barnet, including Healthwatch Barnet and Community Organisation Support. We also produce a weekly mental health newsletter that is packed full of useful links and information to help you find out about free local and online services and activities to help you manage your mental health. Use the buttons below to sign up to each of these newsletters.

Sports fans - accessibility survey

Disabled sports fans – please share your experience of attending live sport by taking the survey set up by the charity Level Playing Field. It will only take a few minutes and the results will help to improve accessibility at stadiums across the country

Level Playing Field is a registered charity in England and Wales, and acts as a campaigning, advising and promoting a positive, inclusive experience for disabled sports fans.