You may feel that you have some time to spare and would like to take up a sport or gentle exercise, or perhaps meet new people or try a new hobby. Listed below are some local organisations that may be able to advise you.
Most libraries provide information about local leisure and social facilities. For further information contact your local library or log on to www.dorsetforyou.com
Blandford Library
The Tabernacle
Blandford
DT11 7DW
Tel: 01258 452075
Email:BlandfordLibrary@dorsetcc.gov.uk
www.dorsetforyou.com
Gillingham Library
Chantry Fields
Gillingham
SP8 4UA
Tel: 01747 822180
Email:GillinghamLibrary@dorsetcc.gov.uk
www.dorsetforyou.com
Shaftesbury Library
Bell Street
Shaftesbury
SP7 8AE
Tel: 01747 852256
Email:ShaftesburyLibrary@dorsetcc.gov.uk
www.dorsetforyou.com
Stalbridge Library
Station Road
Sturminster Newton
DT10 2RG
Tel: 01963 362142
Email:StalbridgeLibrary@dorsetcc.gov.uk
www.dorsetforyou.com
Sturminster Newton Library
Bath Road,
Sturminster Newton
DT10 1EH
Tel: 01258 472669
Email:SturminsterNewton
Library@dorsetcc.gov.uk
www.dorsetforyou.com
Books on Wheels
If you are completely housebound your local library may be able to arrange for a volunteer to bring books to you. Books on Wheels uses volunteers to find out what sort of books you might like to read. Library staff will then choose a selection of books for the volunteer to deliver to your home. The books are collected and returned to the library when they are due. Contact your local library for details.
Mobile Libraries
If you live in an isolated or rural area you can find out where and when the Mobile Library visits by contacting the Library nearest to you or logging on to www.dorsetforyou
Local contacts for social activities
Age Concern – Blandford
4 Nightingale Court
East Street
Blandford
DT11 7ED
Tel: 01258 458250
Email: ageconcernblandford@talk21.com
www.acblandfordforum.org.uk
Offer a variety of leisure and social activities, volunteering opportunities, befriending, advice and counselling information, a pop-in group.
Phoenix Legacy
The Phoenix Legacy aim is to enable people over 50 to engage in a more active lifestyle of the mind, body and spirit, through greater involvement in sport, culture and social encounter; and celebrate their abilities and contribution to society. Become a member and find out what you can do differently to stay active today. For further information contact:
Rosie Barfoot
Tel: 01305 261540
Email: rosie@training-for-results.co.uk
www.phoenixlegacy.org.uk
Women’s Institute – Dorset Federation
County House
Icen Way
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1EW
Tel: 01305 266 366
Email: dorsetwi@waitrose.com
www.dorsetwi.co.uk
The Women’s Institute has many clubs and groups across the county. The groups are friendly and welcoming, full of talented women and are always happy to welcome visitors and new members to their meetings. Contact the office above to find out where groups are in your area.
National Organisations
National Network for Deaf Students
Ken Carter (CEO)
c/o DEAFAX Technology Centre
Bulmershe Court
University of Reading,
RG6 1HY
Email: ken@deafax.org.uk
www.deafax.org.uk
www.deafchild.org.uk
www.dccap.org.uk
“Not Forgotten” Association
Help with recreational activities for disabled Ex-Servicemen and women. Provides TV sets for people who are housebound, TV licenses for those in financial need, holidays, outings
and concerts at Ex-Service Care Homes across the country. For further information contact:
4th Floor
2 Grosvenor Gardens
London, SW1W 0DH
Telephone: 0207 730 2400/3660
Fax; 0207 730 0020
Email; info@nfassociation.org
www.nfassociation.freeserve.org
Life Academy
Provides courses to help with planning for retirement and mid-life issues, including concerns about health and wellbeing, employment, finances, housing and leisure activities.
Dr Mary Davies
9 Chesham Road,
Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3LS
Telephone: 01483 301170
Email: info@life-academy.co.uk
www.life-academy.co.uk
RNIB Talking Book Service
RNIB National Library Service
PO Box 173
Peterborough
PE2 6WS
Tel: 0303 123 9999
Email: library@rnib.org.uk
RNIB’s Talking Books service offers over 16,000 audio books, paid for by annual subscription and delivered directly to your door. Titles are recorded in DAISY format, making them easy to navigate and enabling a whole audio book to be put onto a single CD. A full annual subscription includes the loan of a lightweight DAISY player with accessible controls.There are a variety of ways to choose books and you will have the support of professional librarians. A Talking Book catalogue is available to help you choose titles currently available for loan.
Subscription to Talking Books includes all the titles you read throughout the year. There are two subscription options:
• £82 - Full loan annual subscription – this includes the loan of a Plextalk PTX1 DAISY
player.
• £50 – books only subscription