FibroSupport - Wales

Reminder........

🌟 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝? 🌟

The Rhondda Cynon Taf Carers Support Project are offering fantastic activities and opportunities. You can apply for one activity from each grant:
👉 Short Breaks Grant
👉 Multiply Grant

From cooking classes to stress management sessions and days out, there’s something for everyone! 🍳🧖‍♂️

How to apply?

1. Email [email protected] & browse the range of opportunities. Remember, all applicants may apply for one Short Break Grant and one Multiply Grant.

2. Make an application by e-mailing [email protected]. Applications close on August 30.

3. Make sure you are signed up with the RCT Carers Support Project!

𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵.

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From the 19th August, our team will be taking their annual 2 week summer break.

The team will then return on the 2nd of September.

During this time, if you need any additional support, you can contact your local CAB office.

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From now until the 13th August 2024, PayPal will kindly add £5 to eligible first-time charity donations!

If you'd like to choose to donate to FibroSupport - Wales, you can do so via:
https://www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/charity/4285345

We know that these are tough times financially so if you're not in a position to donate, please don't worry! There are lots of ways you can support us, including sharing our posts and inviting your friends to follow us.

Thank you, everyone!

*T&Cs apply. First time UK donors only. Offer ends 13 August 2024.

More information and T&Cs can be found on PayPal's website, here: https://www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/hub

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Due to intel information we have had to suspend our exceptional support scheme 'Emergency Supermarket Food Voucher' to protect charitable funds from any misuse of the scheme.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We still will be offering food bank referrals for those who need any urgent support for food.

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We will be closed today (7/8) and tomorrow (8/8) and back open on Friday (9/8).

Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

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We are currently waiting to be approved for the BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme which is a grant delivered by Family Fund Business Services (FFBS).

It aims to provide grant items that meet a child or young person’s most basic needs or are critical to their wellbeing.

This is another step in which FibroSupport - Wales is leading the way in supporting the families that we support.

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🔥 FREE CRUMPETS AT MORRISONS 🔥 ‘Ask for Ellen’ is BACK at Morrisons’ café

Simply 'Ask for Ellen' and receive a portion of two standard crumpets with a choice of butter and jam, marmalade, honey, banana, chocolate spread, or maple-flavoured syrup as a topping for free – no questions asked.

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We have our first ever FibroSupport - Wales prize winner who has won themselves £50.

We hope that they enjoy their little extra bit of cash to end the weekend.

The winner has been announced via our private community group FibroSupport- Wales (Support Group)

Do you want to join the next draw then why not join our community today and in turn you are supporting our charity 💜💪

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Pension Credit exists to help the poorest pensioners - but you need to claim.

Check online to find out if you, a relative or a friend could be eligible for the additional support that Pension Credit provides: https://ow.ly/NFrR50SQ5iH

The Government will work with external partners and local authorities to boost the uptake of Pension Credit and to target additional support to those who need it most.

The Pension Credit calculator can help you to find out if someone is eligible to apply: https://ow.ly/SsGX50SQ5iG

We strongly oppose the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment because it means as many as 2 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it and will be in serious trouble as a result.

Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment, with no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong policy choice, and one that will potentially jeopardise the health as well as the finances of millions of older people this winter – the last thing either they or the NHS needs.

FibroSupport - Wales Team

We will soon be announcing our first £50 duck race winner which members have entered for as little as £2.

If you want to be part of the next prize draw then why not join our support group, via the link below 👇

FibroSupport- Wales (Support Group)

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》Nimbus Access card《

Many places recognize this card as the go-to "proof" of disability (Merlin Theme parks use it to confirm eligibility for their RAP).

Access card use a symbol system on the physical card to show what you need help with, there are symbols for standing/queueing, level access (for wheelchair users), distance, urgent toilet needs, assistance dog, essential companion, visual impairment, audible impairment, miscellaneous (everything else).

You send in all your documents and evidence and they assess what you need help with and put the appropriate symbol on the card along with your photo. For instance, if you have the +1 symbol, you would get a free carer ticket, and if you had the queueing symbol, you should be allowed to skip a queue or have a greatly reduced wait. An example of this is Primark, which are great for opening a disabled till (one set lower designed for wheelchair users) if you show your card with the queue symbol.

Most shops will also allow you to use staff toilets if they recognise the card and you have a toilet symbol.

http://accesscard.online

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》CEA card (cinema)《

This card entitles the user to a free carer ticket at most cinemas in the UK.

https://www.ceacard.co.uk

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》Hynt card (theatre)《
This card entitles the user to a free carer ticket at most theatres in Wales (Eligibility applies)

https://www.hynt.co.uk

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Due to the beautiful weather we have closed 40 minutes earlier today to enjoy the weather.

We hope that all of our warriors enjoy the weather this week.

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Shopping habits tell a story - Paying only in cash, counting pennies, or seeking permission for every purchase can be red flags. Watch for these signs in your loved ones—it could be economic abuse.

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DWP phone lines:

The latest National Audit Office (NAO) found that DWP's "limited transparency about service standards" makes it more likely people will call for an update.

Across eight benefits checked by DWP, it was estimated 31.6 million minutes of phone calls were avoidable - around 43% of time spent on the phone - during the 2022/23 period.

Also, when it comes to answering phone calls faster, DWP replied that it was planning to make more use of text messages to update people, however, it noted that providing up-to-date information is complex so there were delays.

Earlier this year it was announced that they were looking at using AI assistance on the telephone
helplines in a bid to cut call wait times.

Your thoughts?

Have you waited more than 20 minutes to get through to DWP?

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Please vote for FibroSupport - Wales 🫶💪

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Just one more day to enter the charity or individual of your choice in the very first Benefact Group Charity Heroes Awards. Entries close at midnight on 26 July.

Categories range from Best Local Community Initiative, Charity Leader and Climate Action Project to Volunteer of the Year and more. All you need to do is tell us who your charity hero is and why you think they deserve to win. The winner will receive a donation of £5,000 to their charity. Runners up will receive a donation of £1,000 to their charities.

Don't miss out, go online to enter now: https://brnw.ch/21wLu6p

》RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY《

We have been contacted by a student of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to see if any of our followers can help with the following research.

If you are interested in this research study please click the following link:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!ArIhyD3FuLdxhocOiAAX2r9jOCU0GA?e=teWmVA

Alternatively you can email Aleysha:
[email protected]

* This research opportunity is not associated with FibroSupport-Wales *

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Here is the video done by one of our supporter's (Lee Turner) featuring some of our members towards the end of the video.

A brilliant song and video made even better with our beautiful warriors featured in it 💜🥰

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Fibro Warrior A song taken from my album, AI, to promote awareness of fibromyalgia

Our team are always absolutely buzzing at HQ each time we support each individual client.

Today we have had a client granted an Individual Assistance Payment (Household Item) via the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF)

It made our team's day even better when we done a courtesy call to the client and the client thought that they had been declined this grant so giving the client the good news was amazing feeling for the team, just knowing the relief and how much this item will help this client .



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Support may be available from Dwr Cymru, depending on individual circumstances.

Check out the poster below for further details.

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Take part in the consultation to look at turning PIP into vouchers and changing it.

It closes on 22nd and we urge our followers to register why you disagree or agree with the green paper.

This may urge the new government to change it or withdraw the idea.

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Fill | Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper Consultation response form

We are proud of one of our supporter's Lee Turner who has written a song about living with Fibromyalgia and then used AI technology for the music.

Give it a listen on Spotify or Amazon Music 🫶💪

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0OBiYOx9qOleXsYWSYs8R6?si=QpgZD0s7QACzsMrgxX5wSA

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》 Your Support Matters 《

We can now accept donations via telephone.

Thanks to the kindness of people like you, the FibroSupport-Wales team are able to support people living with Fibromyalgia.

You are a crucial member of our team.

Thank you.

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🌟 Short Breaks Available for Unpaid Carers! 🌟

The Short Breaks Scheme Wales are offering personalised and flexible short breaks for unpaid carers across Wales. The Short Breaks Scheme is funded by the Welsh Government, coordinated by Carers Trust Wales and works with 32 organisations who provide these breaks.

The breaks have been carefully curated to provide individuals with additional caring responsibilities with a much needed opportunity to enjoy some time for themselves and take a break from their daily routine. Since being launched in 2022, the Scheme has provided over 11,000 unpaid carers across Wales with much needed respite through short breaks.

There are many types of short breaks to choose from, including:
🤍 Overnight breaks and weekends away
🤍 Cinema or meal out
🤍 Organised group trips
🤍 Yoga or gym sessions
🤍 Microgrants
🤍 and many more!

Check your eligibility and view the full range of breaks on offer here 👇
https://orlo.uk/W2ATX

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MORRISONS CAFES OFFERING FREE KELLOGG’S CEREAL WITH MILK AND A PIECE OF FRUIT EVERY DAY UNTIL AUGUST 4TH 2024 - NO OTHER PURCHASE REQUIRED

This is available in every one of their 398 cafés, one per customer, per day. You can choose a bowl of Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies or Coco Pops, with a choice of dairy and non-dairy milk. You can also pick up a banana, apple, pear or orange.

Just ask for a ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ at the till.

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Our team new t-shirts have arrived at HQ today 😍

Looking smart and presentable but still comfortable is an important part of our teams uniform.

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🌟 Short Breaks Available for Unpaid Carers! 🌟

The Short Breaks Scheme Wales are offering personalised and flexible short breaks for unpaid carers across Wales. The Short Breaks Scheme is funded by the Welsh Government, coordinated by Carers Trust Wales and works with 32 organisations who provide these breaks.

The breaks have been carefully curated to provide individuals with additional caring responsibilities with a much needed opportunity to enjoy some time for themselves and take a break from their daily routine. Since being launched in 2022, the Scheme has provided over 11,000 unpaid carers across Wales with much needed respite through short breaks.

There are many types of short breaks to choose from, including:
🤍 Overnight breaks and weekends away
🤍 Cinema or meal out
🤍 Organised group trips
🤍 Yoga or gym sessions
🤍 Microgrants
🤍 and many more!

Check your eligibility and view the full range of breaks on offer here 👇
https://www.shortbreaksscheme.wales/

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Short Breaks Scheme The Short Breaks Scheme supports unpaid carers living in Wales to access personalised, flexible and creative short breaks. It is funded by Welsh Government and coordinated by Carers Trust Wales.