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Local Services: The Oriental Museum

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We visited The Oriental Museum in County Durham

Katherine and Pippa visited The Oriental Museum last month and reported back. 

MAIN were invited to come visit Durham University’s Oriental Museum where they were shown around by Charlotte Spink and Ailsa Douglas. This museum has free entry and is very accessible, there is a lift, small gift shop and coffee shop. The reception are super friendly and the whole place is set up for interaction. The museum is also very child friendly with some very tactile exhibits including the ribbon tree that you can sit under for some sensory time or add a ribbon to it for yourself. There are lots of seating available on all four levels and each level has space dedicated to encouraging children to learn more about these cultures with lots of activities in each area.

The museum exhibits items from Ancient Egypt to modern China and has dedicated it’s space to the archaeology and the art from Northern Africa and Asia.

If you are planning a visit there are accessibility guides here 

  • Sensory Map
  • Gallery Layout
  • Accessibility guide

For more information please visit their website 

 

Says The Story

Local Services: The Story

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We visited The Story in County Durham

Katherine and Pippa visited The Story last week and reported back. 

The Story is a very welcoming place and is focused on making their space accessible for all. We were shown around by Steph West and she explained that this museum brings together the collections of The Archives which is six miles of information spanning 900 years of history, Archaeological objects and historical records, 300 years of the Durham Light Infantry, Local Studies and Historic Registration back to 1837 are recorded for the area.

Entry is free of charge and the site has good parking and is very accessible, there is a lift on site. There is no reception as such on the ground floor but there are people there to meet and greet as you go through the front doors. The Story is family friendly and have a lot of activities throughout the school holidays and weekends. There are a lot of interactive exhibits, lots of tactile exhibits and it has also been broken down into manageable pieces of information. There is a lovely big coffee shop and with free use of computers upstairs there is no need to book in advance.

Thank you for the show around and we look forward to forging further links soon.

For more information please visit their website 

 

MAIN's certificate stating we are a Carer friendly employer

MAIN are a Carer Friendly Employer in County Durham

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MAIN are a Carer Friendly Employer in County Durham

MAIN have been awarded Carer friendly employer status by Durham County Carers support.
This award means that MAIN have been recognised as an organisation that supports carers to work and be successful in the workplace.
The number of Carers in the UK is predicted to rise 60% by 2030, being a carer friendly employer means being inclusive and understanding of people’s caring responsibilities, working with them to find what works best for them.
MAIN are committed to supporting carers in the workplace, empowering them to access the support they may need and enabling them to achieve their full potential.

 

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Inclusion Week 2024

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It’s National Inclusion week and this years theme is ‘impact matters’ which is looking to ‘reignite and energise the positive impact of inclusion’

National inclusion week was established in 2011 by Inclusive employers looking to build inclusive workplaces.
The Buckland Review of Autism employment was released earlier this year and found that just 3 in 10 autistic adults are in employment compared to just 5 in 10 for all disabled people and 8 in 10 for non-disabled people.
Our team in Durham can offer support around reasonable adjustments for the workplace and can aid communication with employers to work to make workplaces, education settings and volunteering placements more inclusive for autistic individuals.
We can also refer and signpost to Hiyed, Durham works and Durham enable who support people who are looking to get into work, we are working on building closer working relationships to enable us to better support our clients who are in work or looking to get into work, whether by applying for jobs, furthering education or volunteering.

 

Please email us  or call 0191 3008556 for more information

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MAIN attended a Veteran Open Day

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Pippa and Katherine, our Durham coordinators attended the Veterans Open Day that was held at Op Courage in Washington.
We spoke with Northumbria police about the Digital Information Bank – this is a resource for anyone that has a vulnerable relative with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, where they can record information about them in case they go missing.
There is also the Forcer Protocol recently set up that aims to reduce the risk or harm to service veterans, reservists and those currently serving in the forces if they go missing as this will enable the swift access to key information.
We also spoke with Walking with the Wounded who will work with anyone that has served in the forces, Op Courage works very closely with Combat Stress, there is a full assessment that takes place and when trauma is experienced will depend on what part of the service the person will be signposted.
Liaised with East Durham Veterans Trust who are keen to refer anyone that comes through their service that lives in Durham and has a diagnosis, as they are experiencing those who are struggling with late diagnosis.
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Open Day at ARCH Recovery College

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MAIN attended ARCH Recovery’s Open Day

ARCH Recovery College opened their doors to professionals this morning and we attended to find out more about their services.

ARCH Recovery offer courses based on recovery principles and are co-produced by people with lived experience of mental health-related issues. This is open to any resident of County Durham and no diagnosis is needed. You can get in touch by calling 0191 4510890 or email TEWV.recoverycollege@nhs.net 

Courses are group discussions on student’s recovery journey’s and cover Mindfulness for Stress, Recovery- The New Me, Walking for Wellbeing and more.

ARCH Recovery Online is available to anyone in the world and is free. They have a large platform of e-learning courses which include strategies towards wellbeing www.recoverycollegeonline.co.uk/