Cornflower

A day at the office

    Above is a detail from the tiled dado which runs throughout the Victorian building in which the Mindroom office is housed. A former school, it has been beautifully and sensitively converted to provide premises for a number of voluntary sector organisations, and our light and airy accommodation, with its view of Arthur's Seat, is a pleasant place to work; I was there today for a Trustees' meeting, and the picture provided the prompt for this post.

    For anyone who hasn't come across Mindroom before, we are a charity specialising in learning difficulties, giving both direct help and support to individuals and families affected by those conditions, and staging events from major international conferences and masterclasses, to small training sessions tailored to specific requirements, all with a view to passing on knowledge and expertise so that no-one goes undiagnosed or their needs unmet. I've been involved since the start - over ten years ago now - and I'm proud to be associated with such highly committed, professional, dynamic colleagues, but the demand for Mindroom's services shows no sign of diminishing, in fact the gap between the ideal world encapsulated in our '2020 vision' and the status quo is a very large one. Hence the need to spread the word a little further.

Mindroom at Muirfield

    The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers generously gave Muirfield to Mindroom for a fundraising day last week. Fortified by a breakfast guaranteed to keep out the keen East Lothian wind, eighteen teams of four played a round on this most famous of golf courses. Lunch followed, as did speeches and a prize-giving, and an excellent day was had by all. Mr. C's team came third, missing out on second place by just one stroke, but their prowess nevertheless won them gorgeous Hawick Cashmere scarves which had been kindly donated.

    I don't know yet how much money the day has raised for the charity - of which I've been a small part for ten years, and which does sterling work in the field of learning difficulties - but I do know that every penny will be well spent. Thankyou to all who have supported us, through this event and others, with donations of time and expertise as well as money; onwards and upwards!

No mind left behind

    

     I've talked about this before but I wanted to flag it up again because it's important:

     No mind left behind, an international conference on autism, ADHD and other early onset neurodevelopmental disorders, taking place in Glasgow later this month. Aimed at medical professionals, teachers and parents, an impressive two-day programme brings together over 50 experts in the field. Places are still available, and if you cannot attend in person there is a virtual conference. And we have a Facebook page, too!

    On Twitter I'd say 'please RT', but if you know anyone affected by learning difficulties, or whose job brings them within this sphere, please pass on the link.

No Mind Left Behind

   Today's post is on a serious subject as I want to flag up No Mind Left Behind, an international conference on autism, ADHD and other early onset neurodevelopmental disorders, which will be taking place in Glasgow on 29th and 30th March 2011.

   This is not just for medical professionals, but for parents, carers, teachers - anyone who has an interest in the subject of learning difficulties or is affected by it, and so while leading practitioners in the field will present their latest findings, there will also be talks aimed at the non-specialist seeking practical solutions.

   Mindroom (with which I have been involved for a long time now) has staged two major conferences before, and here we and our collaborative partner, The Swedish Child Neuropsychiatry Science Foundation, are bringing together 50 experts to debate the issues and share research, but this event will be different in that for the first time, we are able to offer a virtual conference in addition to the physical one (details on the downloadable programme).

    Whether you head to Glasgow or take in the wealth of information we have to offer by way of your computer screen, No Mind Left Behind promises to be a wonderful opportunity for all concerned to increase knowledge and understanding of this widespread, important issue. Please pass on the link to anyone you think might welcome it.

Just to remind you ...

... that if you haven't bought

your Christmas cards yet,

you might like to visit Mindroom

and see our specially commissioned designs.

All in a good cause - 1

     I love this painting, "Sudden snowfall - Bryanston Square", by Eileen Hogan, and if you like it too you can buy it - or rather its reproduction in card form.

     Eileen is the patron of Mindroom, the learning difficulties charity I've been involved with for some years, and she has kindly donated this image to be used as the first Mindroom Christmas card. On the reverse is a message from another Mindroom supporter, Alexander McCall Smith (click on the picture to enlarge it) -

 

The cards are now for sale through the charity's website where you'll see there are three more designs including another special commission, "Aliens don't know it's Christmas" by Annie Dow.

 

To buy them would be to help a very good cause.

(And for another, related good cause, click here).

Muffins for Mindroom

     This morning I've been hosting a meeting of the board of Mindroom, the charity I'm involved with, and as we had lots to discuss, we needed more food than usual to fuel our brainstorming. To quote Loyd Grossman, we have "deliberated, cogitated and digested", and in the case of the last of the three, it was muffins today: both savoury and sweet.

I know these aren't exactly seasonal but I wanted to try them, so allow me an imported ingredient - they are blackberry and orange muffins, and the recipe is from The Thrifty Cookbook by Kate Colquhoun.

The savoury ones - courgette, spring onion and cheddar - have appeared here before (a rainy day last summer) but I did as I said I would then and added cayenne pepper to the recipe and that gives them just the piquancy they need.

     If you don't already know about Mindroom, we are a charity whose business is learning difficulties. We provide help and support to individuals and families who are affected by all kinds of conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and more. In addition, we are currently planning our third major conference which will bring together world experts in the field as well as parents, teachers, doctors and so on, and beyond that we are looking to set up a dedicated diagnostic, treatment, education and research centre to provide a much-needed service. Like every charity, we rely on fundraising to do what we do (though I think we may be unique in having our own shoe label!!), so if you can help in any way such as with a brilliant idea or by volunteering to walk, run or even knit for Mindroom, please get in touch.