NeuroFriends Newsletter November ’24
In this edition:
• Why the move?
• Is there a new date?
• Brand New Website!
• Who can attend?
• How do we get InTouch now?
I am writing to you with lots of exciting news, an early Christmas present if you like. NeuroFriends has a new dedicated home, starting February 2025 we will be moving NeuroFriends from RJAH and into the community, the way the group was setup being totally peer supported and having no internal support makes this an easy transition, this does however mean that January will be the last meeting at RJAH.
Why the move?
We had an overwhelming response from the community when we put out a request for games and craft materials, many people asked where the group took place and that a group like NeuroFriends would be welcome in Oswestry, so the decision was taken to move NeuroFriends from RJAH and out into the community allowing us to welcome more than just RJAH staff to the group.
The benefit to this is that we now have a lovely neutral space where we can meet, our new location is situated in the centre of Oswestry, has a large hall, break out rooms, kitchen, and dedicated garden where we will be able to sit in the Summer, it is 100% accessible to everyone, has disabled facilities, including toilets and access ramp along with its own dedicated parking.
Is there a new date?
Yes! To accompany the move there is a new date, we will still be meeting on the third week of the month but to make the group accessible to as many people as possible we have selected to meet on a Sunday between 11:00am and 12:00pm, this is the reason I am writing to you so early, I wanted to give everyone as much notice as possible about the changes coming to the group.
Brand New Website!
We also have a brand-new website, https://www.neurofriends.net/ here you will be able to find everything you could possibly need to know about NeuroFriends
• Meet the team – https://www.neurofriends.net/facilitators/
• Have a look at the venue – https://www.neurofriends.net/venue/
• Find resources – https://www.neurofriends.net/resources/
• Join our community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/neurofriendsgroup
One of the things we are most excited about is the introduction of our very own resources section(s) this is going to be packed with lots of things to help you educate yourself or that you can send to friends or family, including, books, podcasts and more.
We also have our own private community, we thought long and hard about how best to build this out and to ease accessibility and management we have decided to stick with a Facebook group (you can find the link above), if you are a member of the RJAH only one at the moment that will be closing and we will be introducing the new community as of right now.
Can I bring my children?
You’re more than welcome to bring your children, however, please remember the group is still in its infancy, so the only entertainment we have at the moment is crafts and board games.
What about friends/family, can they attend?
Absolutely, now that we are a community-based group friends and family are more than welcome, however NeuroFriends is a peer-to-peer group for Neurodivergent people, so while we welcome everyone the facilitators are mindful that the group needs to be focussed on them individuals and discussion to support them.
I know someone under 18 who would like to attend!
At this moment we are not encouraging participation from under 18s unless they are accompanied by a parent/guardian or carer. This might change in the future, keep an eye on the website for more information.
How do we get InTouch now?
You can email the facilitators at [email protected] if you would like to reach out to me directly you can do that by emailing [email protected]
With these changes, this email address will cease to operate after our last RJAH based meeting.
I know that this is a lot to take in, if you do have any questions, suggestions, queries or just want a chat please do feel free to drop me an email, I really hope we can welcome you to the new meeting space.