Local disability charity champions dignity in care

VITALISE Sandpipers unveils new range of respite break opportunities for the region’s disabled people and carers.  National disability charity Vitalise, which runs the Sandpipers respite centre in Southport, has marked national Dignity Action Day by unveiling an innovative range of accessible respite break opportunities for people with disabilities and carers from the North West region in its UK Breaks Brochure 2012.

Among Sandpipers’ provision in 2012 will be Youth and Young at Heart Weeks, aimed at the younger age group, while the centre’s groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Weeks, which provide a supportive environment for couples affected by dementia to spend quality time together and reconnect as husband and wife, have also been stepped up in response to demand.

The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will also be a top attraction at Sandpipers this summer, with tickets secured for the Olympic football. For music lovers, the centre has added a new Beatlemania Week devoted to the legendary Fab Four, featuring a performance from a top tribute act, to complement its ever-popular Queen Week.

To complete the programme, a wide variety of Special Interest Weeks to suit all tastes has been laid on, including themes like the Diamond Jubilee, Country & Western, Holistic Therapy, Sci-Fi, Northern Heritage and Animal Magic.

To enable as many people as possible from the region to benefit from a break, Vitalise is currently offering £200 per person off any two-week break at Sandpipers in February and up to 10 March. As a further affordable option, the charity’s new midweek Mini Breaks are also on offer from £199 per person on selected dates in February and March.

Darren Holloran, Vitalise Sandpipers General Manager, said:- "We have chosen Dignity Action Day to announce our range of breaks for people with disabilities, since treating people with dignity and respect is at the very heart of what we do. I really hope that the way we do things here at Sandpipers will be seen as an example of what can be achieved with a fundamental respect for the individual.  We’ve always understood that people with disabilities and carers have every right to expect exactly the same freedoms and choices that anyone else would expect from a break, which is why we’ve worked so hard to provide a greater range of revitalising breaks and inspirational experiences at Sandpipers than ever before."

In addition to Sandpipers, Vitalise operates two other specialised UK centres located in Chigwell in Essex and Southampton, each providing 24-hour nursing care on call and the personal support of volunteers, together with an inclusive programme of accessible excursions, activities and entertainment.

The aim of the breaks is to improve the quality of life of people affected by disability through socially inclusive programmes of activity which are designed to restore their confidence, wellbeing and capacity to cope.

Vitalise subsidies the cost of all its breaks. The subsidies are generated through the charity’s own fundraising efforts, with the aim of making the breaks as affordable as possible to all. As a further raft of support for people in particular financial hardship, discretionary funding is available through the charity’s Joan Brander Memorial Fund, which was set up in memory of Vitalise’s founder.

The new Vitalise UK Breaks Brochure 2012 is available from Vitalise by calling 0303 303 0145, email or download.