Newsletter (PDF, 267KB) - Falkirk Council

Welcome to the
FVSC newsletter.
This newsletter is also on the FVSC
website but if you don’t have a
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send your newsletters by email
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be signed in BSL, then please let
us know and we will see what we
can do.
NEWSLETTER
Summer 2012
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Contents
Staff News
Centre News
• Volunteer Awards
• Olympic 2012 Torch Bearers
• Gardening
• Café
Fundraising & Donations
• Fundraising Target & Donations
• The 5k Big Fun Run
• Quiz Night
• Winter Fayre
• Future Fundraising Events
Services
Amendment in our Spring Edition
Newsletter: Please note under the
heading Surgery, the new hospital
should read Forth Valley Royal
Hospital. Our apologies to all readers
for the error.
• RNIB
Service Users News
• Loop system Update
• Elton John Concert
• Ladies Group
Sensory Centre Letters
• Letter of Thanks
• Now that I have Recovered
• Café
• Audio Performances
Healthy Lifestyle
• Healthy Living Group at the
Sensory Centre
• Easy Healthy Living by Braveheart
Holiday to Australia & New
Zealand, Part 2 by Jim McLean
Sensory Centre Contact Details

Staff News
This quarter has been a very busy
period at the centre with a number of
staff changes.
Falkirk Council
• Sheila Gardener and Shauna
Shand start as job share Senior on
3rd September.
• Helen Watt starts as part-time
Social Worker on 10th September.
Good luck to them all.
Stirling Council
• Emma MacKay starts as Rehab
Worker on 1st October.
NHS Ophthalmology
• Hazel Muldoon is now on Maternity
leave.
• Geraldine Lawrence has been
covering Maternity leave.
Company Staff
• Gina Morrow left the Centre at the
end of May. Maureen Santosh is
now covering as Centre Coordinator
on a temporary position.
• Lorraine Howes-Wright has
reduced her hours. We have
recruited to the hours. More
information soon.
• Ingrid Fitzsimons left us on 31st
August to take up a full time post
with NDCS. We will miss her and
wish her well in her new venture.
Job Advert
We will shortly be recruiting for
Casual Caretaker to cover holidays,
evenings and weekends.
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We have advertised for a part-time
Development Worker to replace
Ingrid. Interviews will be held on 11th
and 12th September.
______________________________
Centre News
Volunteer Awards
The Sensory Centre Volunteer
Programme was nominated for 3
awards at the CVS Falkirk annual
awards 2012. Although we didn’t win
this year we have received
certificates for nomination in Youth
Volunteer Engaging Organisation of
2012, Volunteer Engaging
Organisation of 2012 and
Outstanding Achievement in Health
and Wellbeing 2012 (specifically for
the My Guide project).
We had the biggest group
attendance on the stage on the night
and all volunteers that attended
received a certificate to acknowledge
their volunteering with the Centre.
• Michael Egan won the runner up
award for Young volunteer of 2012
at the Falkirk awards.
• Colin Howie was shortlisted for
Volunteer of 2012.
• Andy Oliver was also shortlisted for
Young Volunteer of 2012 for the
second year running.
• David Black, Lawson Eades, John
Ormsby, Phyllis Burden and Katy
Eades all received 5 year service
medals.
One of our dedicated Volunteers and
active Service User of the Centre,

Christine Moroney, received her 30
years service medal for her volunteer
work with Talking Newspapers, also
wining the prestigious Provosts
Lifetime Achievement Award, which
was the huge award of the night,
during which her volunteer work with
the Centre and Shop mobility was
also reflected on.
Sensory Centre Volunteer Awards
Ceremony - 14th June 2012
We held our in-house volunteers
awards on the 14th of June. All our
volunteer’s were recognised and
presented with certificates and some
additional trophy awards, by our very
own Olympic torch bearer (and
volunteer) Christine Moroney.
Volunteers and their guests enjoyed
a buffet lunch and the chance to chat
to each other as well as meeting staff
and board members.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre would
like to take this opportunity to thank
all of our hard working, dedicated
and enthusiastic volunteers. Without
the support of our volunteer team
many of our services could not
continue.
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A list of our Trophy Winners 2012
My Guide Volunteer of 2012
Edwina Mair
Café Volunteer of 2012
Gillian Orr
Activity Group Supporter of 2012
Ysanne Stewart
Volunteer Driver of 2012
Robin Clark
Volunteer Commitment Awards 2012
Colin Howie & John Ormsby
Administration Volunteer of 2012
Jemma Fletcher
Volunteer Achiever of 2012
Michael Egan
Young Volunteer of 2012
Andrew Oliver
Overall Volunteer of 2012
John Preston

Olympics 2012 Torch Bearers
An Interview with Christine Moroney
A Day to Remember
A few years ago I attempted to learn
Braille. It seemed a good idea at the
time but, I had not taken into
consideration my lack of patience. I
did, almost certainly, test the
patience of my admirable teacher. I
think it was fair to say that we were
both relieved when I finally packed it
in. Countless Braille users have
however been successfully taught
the secrets of the dots by that
remarkable teacher, Christine
Moroney.
Christine lost her sight at the age of
five years when she contracted
meningitis. After a long spell in
hospital Christine attended St
Vincent’s school in Glasgow as a
boarder, coming home to Falkirk only
at weekends. ‘A daunting prospect
for a seven year old girl’. Her
education continued like this through
primary and secondary stages. She
did receive a good all round
education coupled with the many
skills required for life in general. The
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years at St Vincent’s instilled in
Christine the independent spirit and
the strength of self reliance that has
remained with her throughout her life.
Talking Newspapers, which brings us
the audio version of the Falkirk
Herald every week began in 1982
and Christine, married by this time
with a five year old daughter, was
very much involved in its inception.
At first, from their studio at the old
RSNH at Larbert, Talking Newspaper
tapes were sent to thirty recipients
per month. Today the Talking
Newspaper has two hundred
recipients per week and is available
on CD as well as tape. This is an
invaluable, free of charge service for
all visually impaired people enabling
them to keep in touch with local news
and events. Talking Newspaper is a
charity, relying on public donations
and a wear and tear grant from
Falkirk Council. The readers are
volunteers.
Talking Newspapers is only one of
many projects Christine is involved
with that benefit the whole
community and when the idea of
having a sensory centre in Falkirk
was raised Christine was invited to
join the steering group. She became
and still is heavily involved with all
aspects of the centre and is part of
the operational management group
and a very active board member.
She can also often be seen
conducting parties of visitors around
the building and with her extensive
knowledge is a very informative and
highly qualified guide.

This tireless lady celebrates a special
Birthday this year and what better
way to mark it than to discover she
had been nominated to carry the
Olympic torch as it passed through
our area.
To this modest, yet very special lady,
her nomination came as a complete
surprise and she felt highly
honoured, on behalf of her family and
friends, to be one of the eight
thousand torch bearers making this
Olympic year so special.
Christine’s memories of the
preparations leading up to the day
will live with her and all who know
her, forever. A very special occasion
and in Christine’s words, “Almost as
special as her wedding day.”
On the day Christine carried the torch
for a stretch through Cumbernauld.
She received the flame from the
bearer who was accompanied by a
lady from Russia. As the flame
passed from one torch to the other, a
process known as the Olympic kiss,
the lady from Russia kissed
Christine’s cheek. A lovely and truly
international gesture of friendship.
Christine was accompanied on her
run with the torch by her daughter.
Among the six thousand people lining
the path of the route were many of
Christine’s friends and family,
including her son and her
granddaughter. Friends and
colleague from the many
organisations she is involved with
including many from the Sensory
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Centre cheered Christine on. Even
her friend in Perth, Western Australia,
watched her; live on the internet as
Christine ran into history.
Christine was overwhelmed and
uplifted by everyone’s support and
she was proud, on their behalf, to be
part of the Olympic experience. A
uniquely British experience. London
is the only city ever to host the
Olympic Games three times. To
mark that fact the torch has been
fashioned with three sides to it.
Since the day Christine proudly
carried the torch through cheering
crowds she has visited local schools
and organisation where she has
spoken about her experience and
given many people the chance to see
and hold the torch.
All the eight thousand torch bearers
will hold special memories of their
experience. One particularly moment
of that special day came for Christine
as she waited for the “Olympic Kiss”.
A small blind school boy approached
her, accompanied by his schools
teacher. Christine asked him if he
would like to feel the torch. As his
small hands traced the special object
Christine described the detail of it to
him. The little boy was thrilled and
thanked Christine. As his teacher
guided him back into the crowd
Christine felt the poignancy of the
moment.
“A day to remember, for many”.
Christine Moroney

Lighting a Fire by Stephen Joyce
The iconic symbol of the modern day
Olympic Games is surely the mighty
cauldron of fire that burns over the
Olympic Stadium.
A small flickering flame, kindled into
life by the rays of the sun on the
slopes of Mount Olympus in Greece,
will reach its full potential as the
words “Let the games commence”
ring out around the stadium.
This year, 2012, our country’s capital
will host this spectacle of sport.
London’s Olympic Stadium will bare
witness to triumph and passion as
the world’s greatest sports men and
women compete to be the best and,
inspired by that small flame, reach
their full potential.
This flickering spark of inspiration
has been carried, proudly and
carefully around Great Britain by
eight thousand torch bearers.
Through them we have all had a
chance to experience the spirit of the
Olympics. One such torch bearer is
Stephen Joyce.
Stephen is a board member of Forth
Valley Sensory Centre and
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represents Deafblind Users. He
works as a training manager at
Deafblind Scotland based at Lenzie.
Stephen was nominated to carry the
torch by colleagues at Deafblind
Scotland in recognition of his work
with that organisation and his
valuable contribution to the Deafblind
Community.
Stephen told us of how immensely
honoured and privileged he felt upon
being nominated as a torch bearer.
He was to carry the precious flame
for four hundred metres through the
village of Skinflats and as the day
grew closer so did his excitement.
When the time came for him to hold
the torch - in his words “Wow! I felt
so proud, so honoured that it was for
the Olympics 2012 and I was part of
that”. The route which Stephen
carried the torch was crowded with
people, many from the deaf, blind
and deafblind community. He felt
that it was important for all to see that
he, as a deaf, partially sighted sign
language user was part of the
Olympics. Again in his words “I
wanted people to know that we can
do this and we can come together”
Stephen’s memory of that day will
live with him forever. He and his
family will never forget the part he
played in London 2012 and neither
will the deaf and deafblind
community. Let us all keep that
flame burning.
My thanks to Barbara Stalker and
Mark Sherwin for their contributions
towards this article.
P.D. Burden

Gardening
Falkirk Council Community pay back
scheme has been helping us to tidy
the Sensory Garden. When this is
completed, we have agreed to hold a
“Bring a Plant to Work Day”.
Service Users and staff can bring a
plant to work and either plant it
themselves or we can get further
help from the Community service to
plant small shrubs and perennial
plants. This should help to keep the
weeds down and hopefully see some
improvements once the plants
mature next year.
Café
The Café has been re-painted and
the Vending Machine returned to
Freshvend. The new Matthew Algie
coffee machine is up and running
providing a selection of different
specialty coffees. The re-branding of
the Café took place around the 24th
August 2012, this includes the Café
Tiki world map which has been
placed on one wall providing the
opportunity to educate users on
coffee provenance and raise
awareness externally.
Improvements to the café will
continue with the addition of soft
seats or buckets chairs.
Café Staff
It is now confirmed that 4 new
Community job fund posts has been
allocated to work across the Café’s.
The jobs will go live at Falkirk Job
centre this week. These posts are
funded by Community Jobs Scotland
and are temporary, 25 hours each
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week and are open to people aged
16- 19 years. To check eligibility all
enquiries should be made to
Jobcentre Plus or Skills Development
Scotland.
Once these posts are in place, the
Café will be able to extend its
opening hours and increase the
service to our users.
Feedback & Suggestions
Please provide feedback and
suggestions on your Café to the staff
so that the Centre and Café staff can
make things better for you.
______________________________
Fundraising & Donations
£10000
£2280
£0
Following the fundraising target set
for 2012, the community fundraising
events so far has raised a total of
£2280.
Fundraising Target
Ladies Day raised 690
Can Collection 261
Falkirk Charities Day 135
The Big Fun Run 394
Plus previous balance 800
Total £2280

Donations Received
It is always a pleasure to receive
donations from our community and
supporters and we thank all those
involved for their hard work and
generosity.
Special thanks go to the following:
Clothworkers Foundation
Co-op Membership Community Fund
Appletree Trust
Falkirk Council
ASDA
George Cross
The 5 K Big Fun Run
We would like to thank the runners
and walkers that participated in the
BIG fun run at Bellahouston Park on
Saturday 14th July 2012.
Although it was hard work everyone
had a good
time and the
sun even
came out for a
wee while!
A grand total
of £394 was
raised
towards
centre funds.
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Thanks to those of you who
sponsored and supported our runners.
Quiz Night
The Sensory Centre Quiz Night took
place on Tuesday 11th September
2012.
A great night was had by all. More
information in the next edition of the
Newsletter.
Winter Fayre
The next winter Fayre will take place
on 24th November 2012. The Winter
Fayre has now become a major
event in the Centre Fundraising
Calendar.
We welcome good quality gifts and
bric-a-brac, home baking, crafts,
bottles. Unfortunately we cannot
accept clothes.
Future Fundraising Events
Suggestions to hold a ‘Burns
Supper Night’ in February 2013
have been welcomed. We need your
ideas and suggestions for other
fundraising events throughout the
year to increase our fundraising
targets.
Send your suggestions in to the
Fundraising group or speak to a
member of staff.
Other Fundraising
We need to start looking at major
fundraising for the following:
• Development Worker Post
• Volunteer Co-ordinator Post
• Minibus Replacement

Services
RNIB
Medical Device Alert
Ref: MDA/2012/052 Issued: 02
August 2012 at 15:00
Home use blood glucose monitoring
system for visually impaired patients.
Clever Chek TD4232 talking blood
glucose meter and test strips.
Distributed in the UK by BBI
Healthcare
If anyone has or is using this model
and are having problems, please
return the meters and test strips to
BBI Healthcare or to RNIB at the
Sensory Centre. You could also
update this to the Super Chek 2
meter which gives audible reading
and error warning if the amount of
blood is not sufficient on the test
strip.
For more information, please contact
RNIB at Forth Valley Sensory Centre.
New RNIB Product August 2012
coming soon
New Catalogues will be available
from September
• Cordless Landline Telephone,
PowerTel 710
• AmbuTech deafblind symbol canes
• New shared reading book titles
• Six fun new titles - sure to engage
younger readers! Unless otherwise
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stated all include contracted (grade
2) braille and all are zero rated VAT
• DAISY audio book – made to order
August releases
• 20 new titles launching every
month in our DAISY audio books
– made to order the list is
expanding. All zero rated VAT.
The latest Catalogue of Daisy
Audio books to buy and keep are
available from the RNIB shop in
the Sensory Centre.
______________________________
Service Users News
Loop System Update
As you are aware there has been an
ongoing problem with the Loop
systems in the building.
Following several discussions and
meetings we have agreed to fix Hall
3 by replacing the ceiling microphone
to a better quality, relocate the loop
wiring to under the metal grid ceiling
and replace the loop amplifier with a
better quality.
The work has been done and we
have requested the help of our
Service Users to check the sound
quality to establish if this is better
before we look at doing the same to
Hall 1.

Elton John Concert
On Sunday, 10th June 2012, a group
of 25 service users and volunteers
from the Sensory Centre enjoyed a
lovely evening courtesy of Falkirk
Football Club. We were invited to
enjoy a rare event, Elton John in
concert live at Falkirk Stadium.
We met outside the ground at
4.30pm, posed for photographs,
before entering to take our seats in
the main stand. Thirteen year old
Talia Storm, from Stirling, treated the
crowds to a wonderful opening
performance before Sir Elton came
on stage around 7pm, to cheers from
the crowd. He played the piano and
sang for over 2 hours – and the
stadium was rocking. Here are a few
comments from people who
attended:
“Having been to the Elton John
concert, courtesy of the Falkirk
Football Club and the Sensory
Centre, it took me back to my youth!
This was my first live concert and I
am now 60 years of age! Not only
that, but my grand-daughter, Brenda,
was with me, another generation and
we both enjoyed it together. Also,
this was the first time Brenda had
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been to a live concert. We were still
singing the following day! Thank you
to all involved who made this
possible, it was a real treat.”
Nan McLaughlin
“I was asked if I would like to go to
the Elton John concert at the Falkirk
Stadium. I was taken aback at this
(at the last minute on a Friday
afternoon) it was an experience that I
will never forget. One of the
volunteers made it even more
enjoyable by keeping me supplied
with hot drinks. I mostly enjoyed it
when he sang ‘I’m still standing’ and
‘Candle in the Wind’.
F. Gordon
The Concert was very good the
supporting acts were excellent
especially the 2Cellos - their sound
effects were great. I really enjoyed
my day. Dancing with Alison Gall was
enlightening!! A very well organised
event and well worth going to.
Harry Bell
A great night was had by all – a big
thanks to Falkirk Football Club and to
the volunteers who made this
possible.
Mhari Thom

Ladies Group
Forth Valley Sensory Centre’s Ladies
Group took a trip on the steam train
at Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway in
August. The group meets on the
second Wednesday of every month
for activities, outings and talks and is
open to all women with a sensory
impairment in the Forth Valley Area.
If you would like to find out more
about the group, please phone or text
reception on 01324 590 888.
______________________________
Sensory Centre Letters
Letter of Thanks
I am writing to you today to convey
my thanks for the awareness training
that the Sensory Centre ran on 21st
Jun 2012. It was a hugely worthwhile
days training in which I learned a
great deal regarding both the hearing
and visually impaired communities.
Through my police career I have
worked with diverse communities but
I have never had reason or
opportunity to be involved with the
Sensory Centre, but I can definitely
say that it is a fabulous establishment
and one that I look forward to being
involved with in the future.
I would say that one of the highlights
of the day was the lady who
conveyed her life and how being
diagnosed deaf at the age of 3 has
affected her life. A more confident
lady I don’t think I will ever have the
pleasure of meeting. A true
inspiration to others.
The commitment and knowledge that
the staff at the centre show is first
class and I look forward to a very
close working relationship with you,
your staff and the service users that
you provide such a worthwhile
service for.
Once again, thank you for allowing
me to take part in such a worthwhile
training day and I would be obliged if
you could let me know of any further
training courses that would be
appropriate for me to attend.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Parsons, Equality & Diversity
Police Headquarters, Stirling
Now that I have recovered
"Now that I have recovered from the
terror of Thursday, I think I can say
that although the attendance was
'reasonable' (30+), everything else
was everything I had hoped for.
There were a lot of first-timers, a
higher than usual proportion of visual
impaired folks among them and
plenty audience participation.
The Sensory Centre Trainers (two
warm, intelligent, attractive young
women - Margaret Stevenson and
Katrina Campbell) were excellent and
they gave us very practical insight
into the other more emotional losses
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which go along with sight loss - like the
exclusion of not knowing what a
speaker means by 'this', 'here', 'there',
'next'; having no idea when you can
speak or are expected to speak; or
how what you say is going down.
Then they gave us basic instruction
in sighted guiding and a chance to try
it out. They were only able to touch
on different kinds of sight loss, but
with the very sensible advice, "Ask
the person what they can see."
They were great ambassadors for
FVSC and they could have done
much more, but we needed to move
on with the rest of the programme.
Sincerely,
Donald Black
The Rock Community Project is a
charitable company limited by
guarantee and registered in
Scotland, Registered Address: The
Rock Centre, First Floor, 61-63
Murray Place, Stirling, FK8 1AP,
Company Number SC328036,
Scottish Charity Number SC034069,
www.rockcommunityproject.org.uk,
admin@rockcommunityproject.org.uk
Dear Editor
Further to my letter in the last
Newsletter, I thought I must write to
say how much I have enjoyed the
coffee now available in the Centre
Café. So far I have tried the Latte,
Cappuccino and the Hot Chocolate,
all of which is very delicious. There
is also a selection of teas available
and of course a good range of tasty
food, cakes and sandwiches.
Give it a try if you haven’t already
done so, I am sure you will not be
disappointed.
Regards
Lawson Eades
Dear Editor
I am an audio describer responsible
for assisting with co-ordinating audio
described performances for the Kings
Theatre and Theatre Royal in
Glasgow. I am currently trying to
raise awareness and publicise the
audio description service in Glasgow
and would therefore be grateful if you
could share the following information
with colleagues and people that you
work with, who may be interested in
accessing audio described
performances.
The following upcoming performances
will be audio described:
Agatha Christie's the Mousetrap -
September 20th - Theatre Royal
I Dreamed A Dream (The Susan
Boyle Musical) - October 9th - The
Kings Theatre
One Man Two Guvnors - November
17th - Theatre Royal
Information on booking is available
via the Kings/Theatre Royal
www.atgtickets.com/venues/kingstheatre/
I hope you will find this information
useful, and if you wish, I will send
through details of any other
upcoming audio described
performances as they come up.
Thanks
Kat Wilson
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Healthy Lifestyle
Healthy Living Group at the
Sensory Centre
If you’re looking for a fun way to keep
active and healthy, why not try our
new Healthy Living Group at the
Sensory Centre?
The group is open to all adults with a
sensory impairment.
Each month the group tries different
activities such as walking or line
dancing. All activities are free or lowcost.
The Healthy Living Group meets on
the first Wednesday of each month at
10.30am – 12.30pm at the Sensory
Centre.
Sighted guides, communication
support and transport are available
on request.
To attend the group please contact
reception by telephone or text on
01324 590 888
email: sensory@falkirk.gov.uk
Healthy Living Group
Timetable 2012
3 October
Line dancing with Kathy Forrest
7 November
Line dancing with Kathy Forrest
5 December
Healthy Xmas recipes with
Wendy Handley
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Easy Healthy Living by Braveheart
The good news is that making just a
few small changes to your daily
routine can start to have a positive
effect on your health, looks and also
the way you feel.
Think about your food – is it nutritious
and a good source of energy or could
you improve your choices? As with
most things in life, it’s about getting
the balance right. Knowing more
about the nutritional benefits of
different foods and snacks will help
you make better choices.
“Guideline Daily Amounts” or GDA’s
have been developed by nutritionists
to give guidance on what and how
much to eat of each of the key
nutrients you will see on the back of
most food packaging.
The amounts don’t need to be stuck
to every day, but should balance out
over a typical week.
Think about your level of physical
activity. Staying active has physical,
stress relieving, social and mental
benefits, but you don’t have to leap out
of bed one morning and start running.
Adopt a gradual approach. Consider
what you do already and make a
realistic plan of how you can include
more physical activities in to your
daily life.

Walking is the perfect choice, but
many people find that exercising on
your own requires a lot of selfdiscipline.
Why not make it easy and
fun for yourself by joining other
people in your community on the
short, led walks available in your
local area?
Sounds easy? It is! Simple changes
such as these are what really matter
when you want to be healthy. It’s
simply thinking of better ways to do
things in your life that will improve
your health.
Give it a go and you’ll soon discover
a big difference in the way you look
and feel – easy!
For more information on Braveheart
free walks phone 01324 673 703 or
email adam.donaldson@nhs.net
Free walks in Falkirk
There are lots of walks going on in
the Falkirk area. Step Forth and the
Helix project have popular walks
which are open to everyone. Just
turn up at one of the walks and you
will be made welcome by the
qualified walk leader. Please wear
suitable footwear and come dressed
for the weather.
Monday morning: Step Forth
Health Walk
Meet at Beancross Restaurant car
park and walk around some of the
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new Helix paths.
Start time: 10am
Walking time: Between 40 minutes
and 1 hour.
No need to book, just turn up.
Contact: Barbara McConnell on
01324 504 556 or
email Barbara.mcconnell@
falkirkcommunitytrust.org
Wednesday evening: Helix
Summer Walks
Leaving from Laurieston Square and
walk along Helix paths.
Start time: 7pm
Walks will be 3 or 5 miles, depending
on your preference.
No need to book, just turn up.
Contact: Grace McDonald on
01324 590 718 or email
grace.macdonald@falkirk.gov.uk
Thursday evening: Braveheart
Health Walk
Meet at the picnic benches opposite
the 5-a-side football pitches at the
Falkirk Stadium.
Start time: 7pm
Walks last around 1 hour.
No need to book, just turn up.
Contact: Adam Donaldson on
01324 673 703 or
email adam.donaldson@nhs.net

Holiday to Australia and
New Zealand – Part 2
By Jim McLean
Taxi from the hotel to the airport and
an Indian fella driving it, from the
Punjab actually but no time to swap
recipes though.
Arrived at airport in a thunderstorm
jings it can batter down here, great
flashes of lightening tae which
delayed us for 30 minutes. Nice wee
flight of 3 hours and we're fed,
tortellini for me. Park Royal hotel at
Melo airport is plush, very nice
indeed and pretty sure we paid same
amount for this as thone bleedin
British seaside guesthouse
equivalent in Perth, Sullivans Hotel.
Doon for dinner Mary took yin bite of
her lamb dinner and next thing my
pea risotto was swapped, that was
really tasty she said, bleedin cheek.
Eh guess what we washed it down
with? Although we did ask for merlot
but they'd nane. Big stinkin' pint of
Boags Blond beer on top of all that.
Ba Ba's but we're both quite bad wi'
jet lag still so it's 3am as i'm typing
this, Mary's jist fell ower and gently
snorin' away, yet anither pattern
gettin' set nae doubt.
In the morning, got hired car and had
to say to Avis fella at leaving gate
about various bumps, no problem
says he in english accent. I says your
no a local, fella, I come from
Yorkshire says he, oh says Mary
pointing at me, he can speak
Yorkshire, HOW MUCH I says and
he laughed, thank gawd and he gave
us directions to Bendigo the first stop
today.
Mary done really well driving the
automatic car we got away from the
airport and onto the right road, weel
done that lass.
Had me first but by no means me last
pie, in a Bendigo bakery, steak,
sausage and ingin. Got stocked up
wi' water and on our way to Echuca
our destination today, found digs, the
Pevensey motor lodge, or to be
precise Mary saw digs as I was
looking on the wrang side of the
road, no surprise there.
Mary here,
Now the middle of the night and I can
assure you that I am not the one
snoring - his worship however is
driving them home. I have never had
jet lag as bad as this. Hire car is
great but omg!!! Driving an automatic
is murder not only do you need your
left leg tied down but your left arm as
well. Apparently it has cruise control
but I am sh!!!ty feart to try it.
Echuca is nice had trip on the Murray
river on a paddle steamer the captain
pointed out a steamer which was
used in the tv series "All the rivers
run years ago". I remember watching
it but for the life of me can't
remember what it was about.
- 15 -

Can't get over the price of alcohol
here 15 - yes 15 dollars - for a half of
lager and a half of cider and 2 bags
of crisps. Jim is beside himself at the
price of drink but it's not stopping him
consuming the stuff.
Nice touch however was in an Irish
bar and asked if they did magners
cider she said no but offered me a
sample of their equivalent, never had
a free sample of drink before,
perhaps I should try this in other bars
and see how much free drink I get.
Contact Details for Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Redbrae Road
Camelon
Falkirk
FK1 4DD
Tel/Text 01324 590888
Fax 01324 590889
Email sensory@falkirk.gov.uk
Registration Number: SC247416
Charity Recognition Number: SC034267
If you would like to put some news or say something in the next newsletter
then we would love to hear from you. Please send an email to
sensory@falkirk.gov.uk
- 16 -
Going to try and sleep now as this
driving after only 2-3 hours sleep ain't
a clever idea.
Cruise on the Murray river was ok as
I saw lots a cockatoos which you
don't see going Doon the water but
on a boiling day we're sat 10 feet
away from the red hot engine.
Wandered along the main street and
then had lovely scran in cafe washed
down with .... well we are on holiday.
Echuca is a lovely place.