Telephone: 01473 836777
Fax: 01473 836778
Textphone: 01473 836779
Email enquiries@optua.org.uk
Telephone: 01473 836777
Fax: 01473 836778
Textphone: 01473 836779
Email enquiries@optua.org.uk
Optua is looking for new volunteer trustees to join the Boards of Optua East Anglia and Optua UK. Is this something which would interest you?
For more information click here.
Optua is planning it's 27th Annual Share Day this year and we're looking for volunteers to help make it a success!
For more information click here.
Potential 2012 Young Games Makers from Suffolk heading to London
A group of six young people with disabilities from Suffolk is heading to London this Saturday (7th January) as they bid to become a group of official London 2012 Games Makers.
For more information click here.
New disability swimming sessions for Lowestoft
Optua is officially launching new 'Big Splash' sessions for people with disabilities at the refurbished Lowestoft Leisure Centre from Friday 20th January.
For more information click here.
New Teaming Up sessions for Stowmarket
Our Teaming Up sessions for young people with disabilities or additional needs are running again in Stowmarket from 18th January.
For more information click here.
Tell us what you think of our website!
We are developing the Optua website and need your feedback to improve it and make it accessible as possible. We'd really appreciate it if you could take our online survey to tell us what you think. Please click this link to take the survey.
Disability History Month and Optua's 30th anniversary celebrated at new group's launch
A new group to enable disability organisations and disabled people in Suffolk to work together has been launched to celebrate Disability History Month in Suffolk.
The new Suffolk Consortium of User Led Organisations and Individual Disabled People was launched on Wednesday 23rd November at an event attended by around 80 people at Suffolk New College in Ipswich. The new group aims to provide a strong and united voice for all disabled people and their organisations in Suffolk. The event was attended by disabled people, organisations which represent them and organisations such as the county council and NHS Suffolk.
Kevin Curtis, a patron of disability charity Optua and former gold medal-winning Paralympian from Suffolk spoke at the event and Linda Hoggarth and Les Nightingale spoke of the importance of disabled people working together and highlighted interesting events and milestones in the history of disabled people both across the world and in Suffolk. Julia Stephens-Row from Suffolk County Council also welcomed the launch of the new group.
Disability History Month 2011 runs from 22 November to 22 December and was an ideal opportunity to launch the new group and mark the achievements of disability organisations in the county. 2011 also Optua's 30th year of making a difference to the lives of disabled people in Suffolk and its work, along with many other local charities and organisations was celebrated at the event.
For more information about the Consortium please click here to see the new website.
If you'd like more information about Disability History month please click here.
Disability Involvement Day report updates
The report from the Disability Involvement Day event (see below) has now been updated with a summary of actions since the event in April. To download the summary of updates please click here. You can download the original report below.
Optua's Annual Review for 2010-2011 is now available and is filled with colourful photos and interesting stories about our work over the past year. Please click here to download it!
Disability Involvement Day report
A report is now available from our Disability Involvement Day event which we held earlier this year. The event featured a lot of very interesting discussions and many issues were raised by disabled people from across the county. The event was attended by people from key statutory organisations such as councils, the police, colleges, NHS etc, who all made pledges that they would do their best to address some of the issues which people felt were affecting their lives. To download and read the full report please click here.
Please email us at feedback@optua.org.uk if you would like to be kept informed about this work and of future events.
Bury St Edmunds Showcase Day - July 2011
For a report and photos from our recent Disability Sport Showcase Day please click here.
Optua Games 2011
Our annual fun sports event took place at the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook on 30th June.
For a report and photos please click here.
Optua Leisure thanks Ipswich Witches
We'd like to thank the Ipswich Witches for making our group so welcome on a recent visit to the Speedway. We were also very pleased to receive a donation for £90 which was collected on the night.
Optua now has a twitter account and we've just sent our first tweets! As well as using Facebook we're now able to use twitter to send messages out about what we're up to. If you're on twitter please look for optua and follow us!
Optua joins the Avenues Group!
As of 1st April 2011, Optua joined the Avenues Group to become its fourth subsidiary. The Avenues Group supports people with a range of complex needs across London and the South East. For more information on Avenues and the work it does, please visit their website at www.avenuesgroup.org.uk.
We can reassure everyone who uses our services that we will still be called Optua and are still a charity and organisation in our own right. We believe this is the start of a bright new future for Optua as part of the Avenues Trust Group in what is Optua's 30th year! If you have any questions please call us on 01473 836777.
Our volunteer centre has moved!
Volunteer Centre Mid Suffolk which is run by Optua in Stowmarket has moved. The Volunteer Centre has moved from Poplar Hill to the Red Gables Resource Centre in Ipswich Road - the same address as our transport and advice and advocacy services. This will make the volunteer centre much more accessible as it's now nearer the town centre and there is much more parking. For more information about the volunteer centre please click here.
Our Showcase Days Receive 2012 Inspire Mark!
Optua is celebrating after our Disability Sport Showcase Days received the official London 2012 Inspire Mark.
For more information click here.
Have your say on disability issues in Mid Suffolk
A new Mid Suffolk Disability Forum has been set up in 2010 and we would like to hear from anyone with a learning, physical or sensory disability or mental health issue who is interested in getting involved.
For more information click here.
