A familiar face, right by his side “Before, Jimmy had a tendency to run away. With Kizzy, he’s a different child. She calms him down. When he goes to new places, Kizzy is right by his side, a familiar face helping him if he’s anxious.” katy mccafferty, below Team at your service For more information or to make a referral to Tower Hamlets Autism Service, call 3487 1312 or email... elt-tr.tower-hamlets-autism-service@nhs.net News A SERVICE in Tower Hamlets works with people with autism, offering a diagnostic and brief intervention service for residents aged 18 and over. Tower Hamlets Autism Service (THAS) welcomes referrals from individuals, GPs or other agencies such as a housing or employment organisation. It does not accept referrals from people who already have a confirmed diagnosis. Jesse Atack, a social worker with THAS, said after accepting a referral, the team will offer an appointment for an assessment. The service adopts a multidisciplinary approach so the first appointment is with a THAS psychiatrist and another member of the team, The THAS team helps people with autism and their carers such as an occupational therapist, clinical psychologist or a speech and language therapist. Following a diagnosis, the team will then work with the resident to create a plan of action to support them to achieve their goals. The team also runs the autism carers’ drop-in, which is for anyone in Tower Hamlets who is a carer of a child or an adult with autism. Sessions, which are held at the Parents Advice Centre in Greatorex Street, Whitechapel, feature talks on relevant topics and an opportunity for carers to share experiences and access help and support. To encourage service users to socialise and meet new people, the team runs a social group. And for people who are on the autistic spectrum who need guidance and support to access appropriate training and gain employment, THAS has a partnership with the Job Enterprise and Training Service. For more information or to make a referral, call 3487 1312 or email elt-tr.Tower- Hamlets-Autism- Service@nhs.net ‘She’s changed our lives’ Continued from page 1 “We walked out but decided not to let it ruin our day. Jimmy loves public transport so we got onto a bus, using the middle doors. I tapped my Oyster on the reader and it beeped – it hadn’t enough money on it and I hadn’t been able to top it up at the newsagent. “I’ve lived in Ireland for 16 years and didn’t know you couldn’t pay by cash on a bus. An inspector got on and gave me an onthe spot fine of £40. What started as a trip to town turned into a bit of a nightmare.” The former resident explained that, in a similar fashion to dogs for the blind, assistance dogs for deaf people, seizure alert dogs and autism service dogs make dramatic differences to the quality of life of people with autism and their families. “Kizzy is on lease from Irish charity My Canine Companion and this is her first visit to London,” Katy told East End Life. “As a family, our lives have been transformed by having her. Before, Jimmy had a tendency to run away. He has been rugby tackled twice at airports because he ran through the barrier. “With Kizzy, he’s a different child. She calms him down. When he goes to new places, Kizzy is right by his side, a familiar face helping him if he’s anxious.” Following the incidents, Katy has now contacted accessible transport organisation Transport for All to take up the matter on her behalf. “As this is Autism Awareness Week, I want to highlight the fact that people with autism have the same access rights as those with other disabilities,” Katy said. “Without Kizzy, I wouldn’t have been able to visit my mum. I wouldn’t have been able to manage the two boys without help. “She has been fantastic, giving us independence and confidence. She’s changed the life of the whole family and made our time together much happier.” Inside this week’s issue Things to do over Easter There is so much to do over the school holidays see page 4 Homegrown heroes Civic stalwarts honoured see pages 18 & 19 Historic home for Town Hall Fascinating facts about the old Royal London Hospital see page 12 ISSUE 1054 6 – 12 APRIL 2015 WWW.TOWERHAMLETS.GOV.UK NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY Mum in plea over autism awareness BY JESSICA ODUBAYO A MOTHER whose disabled son uses a dog to help him in day-to-day life has called for greater understanding after a day trip turned into a tale of woe. Katy McCafferty, who was born in Limehouse but now lives in Ireland, returned to the borough to visit family over the Easter break. Her 12-year-old son Jimmy has autism and uses a speciallytrained labradoodle, Kizzy, which assists him physically, keeps him safe and calms him down. Last week Katy, Jimmy and Kizzy, and younger son Joe went to a newsagent in Limehouse to top up an Oyster Card, but were told to leave the shop. “The shop keeper was very rude to us,” Katy told East End Life. “I explained our situation but he said he wasn’t having dogs in his shop. I said, you can’t ask us to leave, we are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and can’t be refused entry to a shop with a service dog. He told me he didn’t care and to shut up! Continued on page 2 milltec IT distributors Pro 15” New Sealed MacBook i7-2.5Ghz T- boost upto 3.7 Ghz 16GB Ram - 512 SSD HDD MacBook Pro With R ti Di l Apple price £1,999 £1,749 Our price XBOX ONE (new BOXED) 15” New Sealed MacBook i7-2.2Ghz T-boost upto 3.4 Ghz Pro 16GB Ram - 256 SSD HDD MacBook Pro With R ti Di l Apple price £1,599 Our price LAPTOP £1,499 XBOX ONE new ONLY £350 Limited stock 490 Bethnal Green, E2 0EA 07774 12 13 14 020 7791 1200 EX-LEASE Win 7 ONE YEAR WARRANTY Only £90 247 Bethnal Green, E2 6AB 020 7739 3959 07913 912 911 Appeal for understanding on service dogs CUTTING THE CAKE ON FIFTY YEARS OF SERVICE Staff celebrated the 50th birthday of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets this week, with a cake and balloons at the Town Hall in Poplar. For more on the birthday bash, see page 3. • 2-5 Years Guaranteed Rent •0% Commission 020 8983 4444 3 Months rent in advance paid!* * Terms & conditions apply Easter activities.........................................................4 Useful information.........................................................8 Health news................................................................11 History..........................................................................13 Council information........................................14 & 15 Harmony.........................................................16 & 17 Katy and Jimmy, with service dog Kizzy In the UK, Dogs for the Disabled provides assistance dogs helping children and adults with physical disabilities and families affected by autism. It also runs pet dog autism workshops and new projects working in schools and residential care. Visit www.dogsforthedisabled.org Civic awards........................................................18 & 19 Out & About Guide.........................................20 & 21 Eating out, eating in..................................................23 Property.................................................................25-30 Recruitment & training....................................................31 Sport.......................................................................33-36 East End Life is produced by Tower Hamlets Council, Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG. Tel: 7364 3179 Fax: 7364 4917 Email: eastendlife.news@towerhamlets.gov.uk Editor Laraine Clay Tel: 7364 3179 Deputy Editor Helen Watson Tel: 7364 3173 Reporter Jessica Odubayo Tel: 7364 4365 Photos Kois Miah Tel: 7364 3253 Advertisement Manager Sharan Ahmed Tel: 7364 4061 Senior Advertising Sales Executive Christine O’Doherty Tel: 7364 4994 Senior Advertising Sales Executive Fatima Khan Tel: 7364 4623 Advertising Production Controller & Sales Executive Terri Gornall Tel: 7364 4682 Distribution Manager & Finance Abdul Miah Tel: 7364 0474 East End Life is published by Tower Hamlets Council with a print run of 99,000 copies delivered to homes, organisations and businesses in the borough every week. The official independently audited door-to-door delivery is 83,990 Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC Regional) July - Dec 2014. East End Life was the first weekly newspaper produced by a local authority in the UK with a net cost of .02p per copy per week to produce. Paid-for advertisements are carried to keep costs to a minimum. Information included in the newspaper is not necessarily endorsed by Tower Hamlets Council. East End Life is printed on recycled paper – when you have finished with the newspaper, please recycle it. East End Life is also available on audio tape – if you know someone who would like to receive it in this format call 7364 4309 or email mariette@soundtalking.co.uk Printed by Trinity Mirror. Distributed by London Letterbox Marketing, Unit 6, Crescent Court Business Centre, E16 4TG. Tel: 8940 0666 If you know someone who does not receive East End Life call 7364 0474 or email abdul.miah@ towerhamlets.gov.uk 2 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 6 – 12 APRIL 2015
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