Outside-iN

09/02/2021

Captain Sir Tom Moore

A fitting tribute in memory of Captain Tom ❤️ a poem written by Mick Child

He served his Country years before, when skys’ were dark with clouds of war.
He answered then and joined the fight. Not once afraid to do what’s right.
A life well lived, some smiles, some tears. He now approached one hundred years
A man of courage, care and giving, his body aged, his spirit living

Then Covid came and changed the face - of life for all the human race
The Nation wondered how to cope, so Tom stepped up and gave us hope
This time he faced a silent threat, a viral killer, no cure yet
He met this foe by standing tall and walked his garden, wall to wall

A thousand pounds, his target set. Within four days, that sum was met
He didn’t end, and shut his door, but straightened up and walked some more
When things got tough, he had a choice, to sit in peace, or use his voice
To give with all he had to use, and help the ones who cannot choose

Help those who work with danger rife, and risk themselves to save a life
Who could step back, and do much less. Who choose to work for the NHS
Our praise, out love, our pride he earned, from Captain Tom, a lesson learned
By showing others how to live, he taught us all ‘It’s good to give’

With over thirty million raised, the plaudits came, the papers praised
From Captain to Colonel, promotion given, to honour the goals for which he’d striven
The ultimate praise for all his toil, a Knighthood from the Sovereign Royal
With Covid striking everywhere, we smiled to think of Tom as “Sir”

So think about your neighbourhood, the little ways to do some good
With spirits lifted through the Nation, Tom gained our boundless admiration
With shoulders back he did his bit, his message clear, don’t ever quit
When all your strength and hope is gone, act like a hero – Colonel Tom.

He made the Country stop and see - what can be done by you, or me
So even if you’re ill or ailing, don’t focus on the fear of failing
Our thanks are lame for what was done, the test complete, his battle won
Through Tom, I feel a little bolder. Inspired by this one brave soldier

Mick Child. April 2020

When first under fire an' you're wishful to duck,
Don't look nor take heed at the man that is struck,
Be thankful you're living, and trust to your luck
And march to your front like a soldier.
Rudyard Kipling. 1865-1936.

21/05/2020

TONIGHT! 🤗😊

Day 4 of and we’re thinking of carers - whether you’re a family member, or caring for a friend. It’s already stressful, but the restrictions of lockdown may put more pressure on your mental health. Maybe the person you care for has mental health difficulties.

So, some local webinars may help you:
- This evening (21st) at 8:15, Carers in Bedfordshire are hosting a Webinar, ‘How to be calmer and happier when everyone's anxious and frozen with fear’. It’s for parents of anyone with additional needs. 90 minutes with slides, followed by 30 minutes for questions. You can replay it once you’ve registered: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/27/9v8gkbgw
- Thursday 28th May - The next Carers in Bedfordshire Webinar, also at 8:15 pm, is ‘Understanding communication, why it impacts on behaviour and how you can help’
- Friday 5th June - Bedfordshire Wellbeing Service is running on online session for parent carers on ‘Managing Anxiety’. To book, please email [email protected].

Take care everyone 💜

21/05/2020

Understanding The Teenage Brain 🧠
From Home-Start Central Bedfordshire 💕

07/05/2020

The University of York - Dept of Psychology - has asked if anyone would like to take part in an anonymised study 📚
They are looking to recruit parents and siblings of individuals who have a diagnosis of ASD to understand how this diagnosis can impact family structures to best provide support and intervention. You will be eligible to take part if you are:

1. Over the age of 18.

2. A parent or sibling of a child formally diagnosed with ASD

3. You must have a good command of English, have a computer with a camera and internet connection and be computer literate.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact Mick at [email protected] and he will provide you all the contact information 📞📩

27/03/2020

An insightful reflection on the first week of National lockdown by one of our parents ... I'm sure many of you can relate to this.

I am a parent to 4 children (18, 16, 13 & 8, 3 of them with SEN) and I normally work as a Teaching Assistant in secondary education.

This week has been tough in so many ways, I thought ‘I work in a school so how hard can it be to support my children’s learning at home?’ I was actually looking forward to it! But, boy did I underestimate it all, it has been so hard trying to get into a routine, especially when one child is in primary and one in secondary and one that should have been starting GCSE’s next month and with everything all in the air no one knows what’s really happening and how that will affect their futures.

We all need a routine of some sort, but please spare a thought for children (& adults) that have additional needs (eg Autism or ADHD), for them and their parents/carers this is harder, most of them struggle without a routine/structure.

For couples that find they are both at home, trying to find a new routine when you’re both used to being at work, everybody getting under each other’s feet and on each other’s nerves and craving some sort of ‘normality’.

What’s happening right now in the world has been a huge change for everyone, and it has an impact on everyone in the house, children & adults alike.

Parents working from home, while at the same time trying to support their children’s learning. Teachers are struggling too, they are so used to teaching in a structured environment, not via online learning platforms, their face to face interaction has gone too!

Yesterday I went to do some essential shopping and even that was alien, everyone giving each other a wide berth, it’s all so unnatural!

Everything we are currently experiencing is unnatural and strange, we take face to face social interaction as the norm, when it is suddenly taken away, (with very good reason), we don’t know what to do!

But in the bigger scheme of things actually spending some quality time with your family is more important than sitting at a computer or tablet trying to get them to do school work, take the pressure off yourselves and your children, all you can do is the best you can do, find different ways of learning, a little bit everyday is better than nothing. Teachers WILL understand after all

My children this week have mostly been learning ‘domestic science’ (aka domestic chores), they’ve spent more time in the garden playing and just ‘being’.

Our mental health is far far more important than forcing our kids to learn and schools will understand that, why? Because

Just remember when all this is over and we go back to ‘normal’, appreciate your family and friends, appreciate your children’s teacher (and TA’s 😉), shop assistants, nhs workers, pharmacists...the list is endless of all the people trying to those keep this country running & supporting communities, so let’s just say:



So stop giving yourselves a hard time, we are all muddling through this, just do the best you can do and remember YOU ROCK, WE ALL ROCK

06/03/2020

MSc Applied Psychology student, Kelly Silk, at the University of Bedfordshire needs your help! 🤓📊📚
She is hoping to explore the experiences and feelings of parents whose children have been diagnosed with ASD, to understand how this may impact relationships, family life and the child being assessed 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦
She will be looking to interview parents (face-to-face or over the phone); and all interviews will be conducted in line with BPS ethics and confidentiality will be protected.
Please contact Kelly directly if you wish to take part - [email protected] 📩

26/11/2019

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the teaching staff who attended today's Autism and ADHD awareness training in Shefford. It was a pleasure to meet you all and to share your wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank you so much for your amazing feedback.
We look forward to seeing you all again in February

16/05/2019

We have been approached by ADHD health professionals in Luton for some input into a revamp of the discharge procedure which comes into play when a child/young person finishes on the diagnostic or support pathway.

They want YOUR opinion 🙋🏻‍♀️

The survey is designed to be quick and easy, so SPEAK UP, THEY'RE LISTENING 📢

If you would like to take part, please email [email protected] and mark your request to take part 'For The Attention Of Mick’ who will reply with everything you need to take park 📩

04/04/2019

Working together with Bedfordshire Police 👮🏻‍♀️👮🏾‍♀️💙

03/04/2019

This week is Autism Awareness week.
Most of us are well aware of Autism as we live with it and devote our lives to supporting our children who have the condition. We are aware of its challenges, it’s pressures and how emotionally draining it can make life.
So, during the week, please do two simple things. The first, is make just one person you know more aware of the condition and how those who have it see the world.
The second is to take a moment yourself and spend it thinking about the positive attributes of the condition. Think about how unique your son or daughter are, how funny they can be, how clever and when they ‘click’ with someone, what a true and loyal friend they can.
Find the positives 🌈💙