News

Following on from yesterday's Green Office Week article, Dawn Moorhouse, Records Officer at Lion Court, shares with us how the AFG Benefits Cycle2Work scheme encourages measures to reduce our environmental impact through travel...and get fit in the process!

Green Office Week (GOW) is an action-packed week full of fun and simple ideas to make our AFG offices, and indeed services, greener. We can make a real difference to the environment by making a few small, practical changes. Become a true green champion by taking the daily themes and making them work for AFG every week of the year.

Tomorrow, Saturday 12 May 2012 is International Nurses Day and it commemorates the birth of Florence Nightingale on 12 May 1820. It is a global celebration of nurses; our opportunity to showcase some of the fabulous and innovative work being done by nurses and support workers in AFG and across the country. Nurses’ Day is for everyone who cares.

Annette, Margaret and Sue, three ladies who are supported in an AFG Supported Living service in Liverpool, share with us their journey on finding their dream pet!

On Thursday 5th April 2012, Service Users, their families, and staff of the 19 services in the Lancaster and Fylde & Wyre area gathered at Beaumont College in Lancaster to celebrate their successes over the past 12 months.

You will be aware from the media that local authorities across the country have to make significant savings. As we are a service provider that receives the majority of our funding from local authorities, this will have an impact on the way we are funded. In order to secure the future of AFG we therefore need to consider how we too can make significant savings through the modernisation of our services.

On 22nd March, AFG exhibited at A New Approach to Mental Health conference in Manchester where expert speakers explored the government's vision and discussed how the mental health strategy can be best implemented.

Sport Relief brought the entire nation together on Friday 23rd March to get active, raise cash and change lives. Staff at Lion Court entered into the spirit of things for this very worthy cause; helping to raise money for people living unimaginably tough lives.

Down's Syndrome Awareness Week is 19th March to 25th March ; raising the profile of people with Down's syndrome...

Role Specific Programmes were introduced last year to provide development opportunities that give learners a quality learning experience tailored to provide them with the skills, knowledge and practical tools to perform effectively in their roles. Recent feedback tells us that staff really appreciated the learning and development AFG offer - see for yourselves!

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No Smoking Day takes place today, 14 March 2012. On this day more than a million smokers are expected to make a quit attempt and kick smoking's butt for good!

Letting Go is a BBC1 documentary on at 10.35pm this evening, Tuesday 13th March. It follows the lives of four teenagers with learning disabilities as they take their first steps into the adult world and prepare for the challenges of independent life.

Working with our Partners: Personalisation Agenda We’re very excited to be linking in with Gill Bailey of Helen Sanderson Associates, our Person Centred Practice Lead and Advisor.

Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8th March. Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

A supported living service in Moreton, Wirral, shares good practice with us.

Shaunna Thompson, an AFG Support Worker in Tameside, talks about her rise to Olympic stardom!

We are very proud to annouce that AFG's Finance Team has won the prestigious 'Third Sector Excellence Award' 2011 in the 'Financial Management' category.

The mother of one of our Service Users, Danielle, shares her moving story.