Christmas Community Day - Leigh-on-Sea

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Leigh On Sea News: Christmas Community Day – SOUTHEND Showstoppers Christmas Community Day at Highlands Methodist Church, which took place on Thursday 19th December, was jam packed with fun and special guests.

Christmas Community Day - SOUTHEND Showstoppers Christmas Community Day at Highlands Methodist Church, which took place on Thursday 19th December, was jam packed with fun and special guests.

SOUTHEND Showstoppers Christmas Community Day at Highlands Methodist Church, which took place on Thursday 19th December, was jam packed with fun and special guests.

Guests included Father and Mrs Christmas, Snow White and Elsa from Princess Party Wishes, Southend United Footballers, Oli Coker and Jack Bridge as well as the Mayoress of Castle Point, Lynsey McCarthy-Calvert.

As well as fabulous Christmas music and dancing, games, visits to Father Christmas and Mrs Christmas’s stunning grotto for all special Showstoppers and their friends, there was some wonderful news from Blade Education.

Blade Education announced that they’ve been given a Christmas gift thatwill mean Making Care Fair 2025, Making Care Fair 2026 and Making Care Fair 2027 will be busy working in Southend, Rochford, Castle Point, Rayleigh and Canvey Island for the next 3 years, thanks to the Essex Community Foundation and the Four Acre Trust.

Blade Education will now be able to continue to help Southend Mencap and Showstoppers raise awareness of the issues facing this community of adults with learning disabilities (LD), supporting the work of local groups and service providers and engaging with those who make the decisions that affect the lives of adults with LD and their families.

A spokesperson said: “Also huge thanks to the Mayoress of Castle Point, Lynsey McCarthy-Calvert who came to celebrate this great news with us!

“For anyone who doesn’t know Making Care Fair – www.makingcarefair.org) is a local campaign, led by adults with LD, Southend Mencap and Blade Education.

“Making Care Fair has been previously funded by the National Lottery, Essex Community Foundation and ROSCA Trust to raise the profile of adults with Learning Disabilities in Southend and SE Essex.

“2024 has been a busy year with the first ever Special Education Needs and Learning Disability General Election Hustings, Dentistry campaigns, coffee mornings and Advocate Networks being set up.”

For more information about this funding please email Alastair or Beth at: [email protected] or call: 01702 533191 or join the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makingcarefair.

Picture by Luka Lacey

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