community – Run 4 Feel the Force Day

16th August 201722nd February 2019

Help needed after a break in

Over the weekend of the 12th of August – the garage used as temporary storage space for Feel the Force day was broken into for the second time in a year.

Last time they trashed the place so the guys thought it was bored kids. This time they took ALL of the tombola prizes, ALL of the new touch table equipment, some stands and equipment and then trashed the place…as you can see from the pic below.

We really need your help as FTFD are facing a pretty big shortfall in funding as a result of these muppets.

You can help by sponsoring the run (the money goes directly to Feel the Force Day) via our Just Giving Page or by donating to the Feel the Force Day Just Giving Page

Thank you in advance for any support

2nd August 201722nd February 2019

Please help spread the word

Sharon here asking for you to Please help spread the word:

Another plug for the sponsored run for Feel The Force Day – 6 of us are running 5 & 10k races at the #rundisneyfrance half marathon weekend at Disneyland Paris in September (21st – 26th) – we are doing this at our own expense to raise money for #FTFD. Last year 2 of us raised just over £1,000 which enabled the team to put on the biggest event for disabled guests so far.

This year, sponsorship hasn’t been so good and with just under 6 weeks to go until the run we are desperately trying raise awareness of the cause, the run and what Feel the Force Day is about. The Run 4 Feel the Force Day team has been trying to publicise it as much as we can to get some sponsors and every penny counts.

If you can share either

The just giving page: http://bit.ly/run4ftfd17
Or the #run4ftfd Facebook page: Run 4 Feel the Force Day
Or the #run4ftfd Website: http://run4ftfd.co.uk

That explains what Feel the Force Day is and why its such a great cause and why the 6 of us – including the amazing Jonathon who has cerebal palsy, Mandy who is Jonathan’s carer and bakes for FTFD, Sharon (me) who raises funds for Feel the Force Day along with fellow East Kent Costume Club friends Samantha, Ben and Sam’s son James are all running for this great cause (at our own expense) ..

Every single penny raised goes straight to Feel The Force Day allowing them to put on fantastic events.

1 in 4 people feel awkward talking to people with a disability. One of the reasons FEEL THE FORCE DAY exists is to make it possible for guests with disabilities to enjoy a sci-fi convention / comic con in the same manner as (and I hate to use this word) a normal guest. Not all disabilities are visible and some are very visible – so the amazing team at FEEL THE FORCE DAY put on an event that EVERYONE can feel comfortable at. FTFD events are accessible for wheelchairs and scooters of all shapes and sizes, aisles are wide to allow guests with walking aids to pass, tables are at a height that chairs and shorter guests can access. There are sensory rooms and touch tables for guests with visual or hearing problems, quiet rooms for guests who are anxious, autistic and have other issues with noise and crowds. Guests are encouraged to touch props and costumes – it is a festival of sound and vision, touch and taste – something for all the senses – even if that means very quiet and one on one experience. These events are UNIQUE and only possible through donations from rundraisers like this run and volunteers.

So if you can share, encourage someone to sponsor the team (even if its only £1 every single penny helps), and to raise awareness of this amazing cause – I and the rest of the #teamftfd runners would be SO greatful.

If you happen to be attending the Run Disney France event come and say hi there are lots of us running and a bunch of guys from Run DV would love to be cheared along.

Thank you for reading this very long post and thank you for your support

21st July 201722nd February 2019

How Feel the Force Day is helping

Department of Health Report into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities – sounds serious right?

Happy Days is an event designed to enable people with learning disabilities the opportunity to meet people from health related services at a fun event. Happy Days was held at the Peterborough Town Hall and had over 250 people attend, providing much greater reach than had previously been achieved and allowed the services to better understand their audience.

In 2014, Feel the Force Day worked with Peterborough City Council to bring Happy Days into our Peterborough event. By introducing stands from Happy Days, Feel the Force Day enabled people to access those support services in an environment designed for fun instead of trying to introduce fun in an event designed for health services.

As a result of the success achieved through the integration between Happy Days and Feel the Force Day, both have been cited as best practice within the Department of Health Report into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities, which updated on work being done to bring greater health equality to people with learning disabilities.

Read the full article here on the Feel the Force Day Page, where you can also download a copy of the report from the Department of Health (Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities: Progress Update) in easy read and full pdf format.