News from Stonehaven and District Men’s Shed
The SMSA is asking its members, and the public, to support this very important petition to improve men’s health and wellbeing in Scotland (please click the ‘petition’ link to be taken to it).
This is a call for action for the Scottish Government to reverse their decision to stop core funding of the national association and a proposed start-up and development fund for Scottish Men’s Sheds like our counterparts benefit from in Australia and Ireland.
Update: see this short video from SMSA Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder (April 2023) => SMSA Update
We have a very important news item here about a ‘Distance Aware’ scheme:
Mackie And Co-op Collecting for Ukraine - TheBellman
Just a quick note and picture about a recent talk in the Shed.
.There’ll be more about it in our Newsletter.
One of our Shedders, Ross Fraser (aka “Rosco”) would like to bring the following to attention of all: He has published a book for autistic children, titled Kaleidoscope. Please read on…
Kaleidoscope Announcement press release
There is joy and struggle in being autistic coming from the way sensory information is processed. We do not filter sensory input in the way non-autistic people do. We can experience the wonder of sensorial bliss but it also means we can experience the torment of sensory overload.
I assumed, given this, there would be a range of visually accessible picture books available. I wanted my book Kaleidoscope to be visually appealing to children with autism. What I didn’t realise at the time is that we seem to creating the first, but hopefully the first of many.
Not all people with autism have the same sensory needs, but there are shared triggers. The team and I, at Pretty Pug Publishing, made a concerted effort to find the right balance. I truly believe we have created a children’s book which everyone can enjoy.
I am passionate about supporting autism charities and will be donating £1 to Triple A’s autistic-led autism charity in Aberdeen for every copy sold. Incredibly I have already raised £500 for them in a recent community cashback competition run by Spar Scotland.
We still have some work to do on the illustrations but our hope is for a release date of the 11th of August, with a pre-order available soon (date to be announced). I will provide further details as they are confirmed. I hope you will join me in spreading the word about Kaleidoscope.
I really believe this small adjustment will help reduce anxiety and help to make bedtimes more settled. After all, I think we need to be more supportive of autistic children. The truth is they often don’t understand yet what they are reacting to. As an adult with autism, I can avoid triggers, manage my life knowing what is impacting me. When we’re younger we are acting from instinct and that’s why this is so important.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.
Ross A Fraser.
We are opening our Shed on 5 mornings per week from 09:00hrs to 12:30hrs.
Just come along and book in as normal.
Stonehaven Boardwalk – a message from the Council
(Posted 6th Feb ’21) Stonehaven boardwalk opening release 4.2.21