PMG's annual conference provides an educational programme, industry exhibition and networking events for delegates. The majority of our delegates are:

• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Rehabilitation Engineers and Clinical Scientists working within the NHS wheelchair services or for manufacturers/distributors of posture and mobility products
• people working in the charitable sector or independently.

Our event generally focuses on the posture and mobility needs of wheelchair users, and is therefore beneficial for any professionals working in this field. Much of the content provided is also transferrable to other complex seating needs, and therefore we always welcome professionals working within the community, whose focus is not exclusively wheelchairs.

The PMG Conference 2015 will be held at the University of Leeds from Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th July.

Visit: http://www.pmguk.co.uk/pmg-conference-2015.html

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Aysha Begum writes: We need help to save our most essential Bangladeshi Parent Adviser (BPA) service that has been helping us maintain our general emotional wellbeing which in turn enables us to cope with our caring duties as parents and carers of disabled children and adults in Tower Hamlets.

The Bart's Health and Tower Hamlets Council have abolished this service without consultation just in order to fulfil the government's requirements of having a carer's assessment - which is simply just a ticking boxes exercise. No consideration given to our current needs and possible risk around to the vulnerable young disabled children and our lives as carers.

As existing service users we have been excluded from consultation and had no access to any information throughout and were forced to fight and struggle for this.

We made a petition to the Management of Bart's health with 300 signatures and challenged their approach and decision but had no result.

We had been diverted to the Mayor but we are unable to meet with the Mayor due to the unsuitable time offered to us despite suggesting to meet during school hours.

Finally the joint management board made decision and snatched our invaluable BPA service by Force.

We have lodged about 30 formal complaints individually against the Joint Board but had no satisfactory answers and neither have they rectified their initial plan.

The authority seems to only provide political answers to service users – proof can be found in the contents of their letters to us.

The families of young children 0-14 years have lost the service completely and children service is unable to offer us the same or any similar service, as a result there is potential risk for family breakdowns, us to suffer from mental health issues and children are at risk of not being safeguarded!

Therefore we feel undermined and victimised by the authority.

Join us for a peaceful march on Monday 23rd March 2015 at 11 a.m. Chrisp Street Market, E14 6AQ outside the Idea Store. We are going to walk to the Mayor's Office!

Kind Regards

Aysha Begum

For further info please contact me via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The conflict in Syria is about to hit another grim milestone. As the war hits its 4-year mark on March 15, [2015] humanitarian needs have never been greater. Half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes by the fighting. Nearly 4 million of them have fled to neighboring countries that are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees.

Satellite images show that 83 percent of the lights have gone out in Syria since the conflict began, plunging streets, homes and hospitals into darkness.

Visit: http://www.rescue.org/blog/with-syria-turn-lights-back-on