Latest news from the Shine Northern Ireland Team!

1. NI Newsletter
Registered Charity No. 249338 Summer 2014
Energetic Family
weekend at Share
Centre Lisnaskae,
Co. Fermanagh
Ten families from throughout
Northern Ireland, with a child
or young adult who have spina
bifida and/or hydrocephalus
and are between the ages
of 10 and 16 years old, were
given an opportunity to take
part in a family weekend in Co.
Fermanagh – a ‘Time to Shine’!
On the evening
of Friday
4th April, all
families booked into the Share
Centre. Chalets were allocated
and everyone settled in. The
activities started after breakfast
on Saturday morning with a
choice of canoeing on the
lake or circus skills and wall
climbing. After lunchtime, these
activities were reversed so
everyone had the opportunity
to take part in all three. The
swimming pool was available
throughout the free time for
those who wished to use it.
On Sunday morning,
the families, all
dressed up in
combat gear and
armed with ‘guns’
and hard hats, were
split into two teams
for a ‘shoot out’
t throughout the
campus!
Archery was also on offer
with bows provided according
to the ability and strength of
the user.
The Share Centre staff were
very competent and took on
many roles during the course
of the weekend. Everyone
was encouraged to participate
in all the activities and new
friendships were developed
among those who took part.
On evaluation of the weekend,
everyone reported having a
good time and requests made
for further Family weekends.
Shine NI
PO Box 132, Cushendall BT44 0WA
E: northern.ireland@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 01733 555988 W: shinecharity.org.uk
Requests (were)
made for further
Family weekends.
Shine families at the Share
outdoor activity centre
Having
a go at
canoeing
Ready to
take the plunge
at the Share
Centre

2. My visit to NI
Doing the Larne race gave me
the chance to visit Northern
Ireland and see for myself
some of Shine’s great work
at first hand. So that’s why
on a Thursday evening in
March, I was an avid student
at Shine’s Belfast craft
evening, learning how to make
earrings and a necklace out
of beads. Alongside me were
a group of adults with spina
bifida, who find these classes
invaluable opportunities to
meet other people and to
do activities they want to do.
This builds confidence and
provides relaxed opportunities
to communicate about
specific issues which the
adults encounter. There were
significant differences within the
group’s craft making ability, but
everyone helped each other.
Great opportunity
This formative experience
was followed by a visit to
Derry/Londonderry to see
a support group for young
children with spina bifida
and hydrocephalus and their
parents, led by Shine’s health
adviser, Marie McGonnell,
and support worker Sandra
Campbell. At one level, this
event looked like any similar
mother and toddler group with
plenty of music, dancing, and
generally rowdiness.
On another level these
groups offer an opportunity
for parents to network,
share experiences,
and talk informally
about the many
challenges they
face in bringing up
disabled children.
Finally, to the bowling
alley to meet up for
a drink or two with a group of
young adults for whom the
day-to-day issues are about
health, transport, and the
world of work. They had plenty
of questions for me, not least
why I was running the Larne
Half Marathon and not the
Derry full marathon, and would
I fundraise for a health centre
there next year?!
Frontline work
Three short encounters
with Shine’s frontline work:
advising, helping, and just
being there when it matters.
Many thanks to Shine’s
Director in Northern Ireland,
Cathy McKillop, for being
such a kind host and for the
wonderful work her team do.
by Richard Astle, Shine Chairman
...these groups offer an opportunity for parents
to...talk informally about the many challenges they
face in bringing up disabled children.
Richard learns
to ‘craft’ with a
Shine member
Richard at the Larne half marathon with Cathy Mckillop, Shine NI Director
(left), and Pamela Dickey, Shine Project Worker (right)
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3. Shine Board seeks
new NI member
Carers and Disability
Forum Meeting
I chair my work’s Carers and
Disability Forum and was
delighted to welcome guest
speaker, McGonnell, Health
Adviser Shine NI, to our
meeting. Marie presented
on ‘Living with an Ostomy’
and outlined the reasons
why people need an ostomy
operation. She talked about
the many difficulties people
face post-surgery such as
coming to terms with having
such major surgery or finding
suitable medical products, and
she outlined the importance of
maintaining a healthy diet and
participating in exercise. She
ended on a positive
note saying there was
no reason why anyone
with an ostomy could
not take part in sports.
Understanding
your needs
Members affected by this
issue were able to share their
experiences, and while this
can be a difficult subject to
talk about, we reiterated the
importance of telling your
office manager if you have an
ostomy, so they can gain some
understanding of your needs.
I know I can speak for the rest
of the forum when I say that
the presentation was very
informative. On a personal
level, I learned a lot as things
have certainly changed since I
had my own urostomy surgery
45 years ago. On behalf of the
forum, I would like to thank
Marie for attending our meeting.
by Karen Tilson
Congratulations to Pamela
Dickey, Shine Project Worker
Pamela is expecting a baby in June and we wish her our
congratulations. She went on maternity leave in May, so please
contact Cathy McKillop, Shine NI Director, on M: 07762 574861 or
E: cathy.mckillop@shinecharity.org.uk if you require support.
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The Shine Board has a place reserved for an NI member. Our current member, Michael McKernan,
is standing down. The Board meets four times a year in Peterborough. More detail is
available in Together magazine, Issue 13, page 6.
Anyone interested in standing for this position can talk to
Cathy McKillop on M: 07762 574861 or E: cathy.mckillop@shinecharity.org.uk.
It is really important that we have Northern Ireland representation on the Board.
All smiles
around the table!

4. Fundraising update
Thank you to Helen Shanks for raising £2,745 for
Shine. Helen held two coffee events in her home
– one for mums and friends of Loanends Primary
School, and the other for family and friends. Helen
provided all the goodies, and made jam, chutney,
and craft which were also sold on the day.
Foyle & District Roundtable have selected
Shine as their charity of the year. The
first event was a formal evening in
Beechhill Hotel. The event was
attended by a number of our
members, and Seananin
McCallion was the “Belle of the
Ball”. Seananin arrived in a stretch
limo and really enjoyed getting
dressed up. We will let you know
the total amount raised later.
Top: Shine members
enjoy the roundtable
festivities.
Bottom left: The
Foyle Roundtable
fundraising ball
Bottom right: Helen’s
fundraising helpers
with their goodies
If you haven’t already joined us on facebook, ‘like’ us today at www.facebook.com/shineUKcharity
Contact details for Shine NI
Postal Address: Shine Northern Ireland,
PO Box 132, Cushendall BT44 OWA
First Contact T: 01733 555988
Cathy McKillop, NI Director Shine
E: cathy.mckillop@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 07762 574861
Marie McGonnell, Health Adviser
E: marie.mcgonnell@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 07789 616420
Catherine McCurry, Education Adviser
E: catherine.mccurry@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 028 9083 0382
Sandra Campbell
E: sandra.campbell@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 028 7135 9900/07789 616451
Irene Kean
E: irene.kean@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 028 9042 3067/07525 965434
Dolores Black
E: dolores.black@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 028 9081 4116 /07816 966866
Janet Davidson
E: janet.davidson@shinecharity.org.uk
T: 028 4066 2868
Summer schemeThe week will include music, dance and performing arts
10am to 3pm daily
Mon 11th to Sat 16th August.
Production on Sun 17th August
in the Mac Theatre Belfast
Venue in Belfast TBC
Children from age 4-18 and siblings
Bring
your
lunch!
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