MOONDOG Training Course - date and venue thread

[messmonster]

Hi All

Having been distracted by Christmas and numerous other things, including my DDs imminent Annual Review, I'm now back on the case to organise the Moondog training event.

Previous thread with details here

The date we're working to at present is Saturday 23rd February

The preferred location from the poll is London and so that is where I am focusing my venue search.

An MNer kindly emailed me with some details of venues in west London (Harrow, Wembley areas) which I'm following up. I've also got another 8 enquiries out with church/community based venues more centrally located which I'm waiting to hear from. The 2 meeting room suppliers I tried were v expensive and I haven't yet tried any hotels.

If you know of a suitable venue that fulfills the criteria below, I'd be very grateful to hear from you with the details or, even better, if you could make preliminary contact with the venue to see if it's available on the date and then PM me about it.

Requirements are:

• London, easily accessible from Tube
  
• 2 meeting rooms, one big enough for 25 (to be seated at desks/tables) and the other to accommodate about 12 (also at tables)
  
• Ideally self-catering, so kitchen facilities and permission to bring in our own lunch would be perfect but not essential.
  

Really hoping that all who said they were keen are still interested - we had over 25 I think but appreciate the date won't suit all.

Will keep you posted.

[messmonster]

Sorry, knew I'd forget something.

A couple of MNers suggested we approach MN Towers to see if they would host us. I did follow this up but unfortunately it wasn't possible to proceed with this.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Have you got the poll linky? I can't find it. That should at least those who are interested.

Have you checked out Conway Hall. They don't appear to have an events on that day so might have available rooms for hire.

Does anyone know a Special school/relevant parent charity that would allow free hire if we between us covered the cost of one or two staff attendees from their charity!?

[messmonster]

Thanks Star. Have sent an enquiry to Conway Hall. Will have to dig out my admin link for Doodle but when I have that should give me the list of those who said yes to London

[Jaxx]

Try: Artizan Street Library and Community Centre

The upstairs community centre bit has a big room, which can be divided and there is small kitchen. Centrally located between Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I can ask my Ds' school HT for a room for the price of 1-2 places if you like but woukd need to check with Moondog whether this woukd be okay as she isn't intending to deliver to professionals iirc. It's a short bus ride from Wimbledon.

[messmonster]

Thanks Jaxx have fired off an email to them with all the details. Will see what comes back.

Star by all means check with Moondog how she feels about that.

[AgnesDiPesto]

The NAS use Clifford Chance offices for volunteer training so what about asking a SEN law firm?? Irwin Mitchell (Holborn) may be worth a go. (Need a corporate firm which will be manned at a weekend)

Lawyers generally do anything for free publicity.

Or barristers chambers? eg Doughty Street Chambers (Steve Broach used to work for Ambitious About Autism / NAS I think)

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I suppose it depends whether we are a bunch of parents bringing in an expert, or and expert selling their services iyswim. The former is, I think what we are doing here which justifies cheap/free venue requests.

[messmonster]

Thanks Agnes. I wonder if anyone has a contact with IM or any of the other firms that they could use? I could approach cold but through a contact would be preferable I think.

I've defo used the "we're a group of parents clubbing together to organise a training course" approach in all the requests I've made so far - which is the reality.

[MummytoMog]

St Gabriel's hall in pimlico is very cheap and has two rooms and a kitchen.

[Screaminabdabs]

Could you do it as a Mumsnet Academy course? Email [email protected], or just the general email addy.

[moondog]

The Doodle link

I have no objection to including professionals.
I spend most of my working life dealing with them and supplying training to them.
My prime objective is to equip parents with some basic behaviourable SMART methods to help their children and obviously the most effective way to work is collaboratively.

We thought of having two rooms to run some sessions simultaneously to cater for new and returning delegates. So for example, whilst the newbies get a basic intro. to ABA and harnessing motivation and reinforcement, the old hands could perhaps have a question and answer session or some sort of refresher on what they have undertaken to date.

As son as I get a suitable venue from Messmonster, I'll book it and give you a link for details of the day's content.

Screaming, much as I love our dear friends at MN Towers, I didn't want to affiliate myself with any particular movements or business. I'm a stand alone-my chief interest is in helping other parents learn about some of the thnigs that have transformed the lives of other children-including my own.

[MummytoMog]

www.stgabrielshalls.org.uk/

Sorry, didn't put a link before. As I said, very very affordable, two big rooms in the basement, kitchen and often chickens in the garden. Five minutes walk from Pimlico station or twenty minutes from Victoria mainline.

[bee169]

there is a charity called Kids can achieve which supports kids with ASD and ADHD in Harrow. They are close to Hatch end overground and is a bus ride from Harrow weald tube.

Or maybe contact the London academies. The Ark academy is next door to Wembley park tube and I believe hires it facilities out on weekends and non term time

[messmonster]

Hi all

Thanks for the venue suggestions. Just to say I'm monitoring this thread and following up on the venue suggestions as they come in. Will report back once we have somewhere sorted but do keep the ideas coming in in the meantime because many of the enquiries I had put out yesterday have come to nothing!

[newbrunette]

Hi, I'd still love to come along. There's a list of cheap venues on [http://www.ncb.org.uk/health/supporting-the-voluntary-sector/running-your-organisation/room-hire NCB website]

[newbrunette]

Sorry - better link this time:

There's a list of cheap venues on NCB website

[messmonster]

Thanks newbrunette that link's given me some more venues that I haven't tried yet and I'll follow those up in the morning

[messmonster]

Hello All

Brief update to let you know that having looked at 20 London venues, including all the ones you've suggested, it looks like we've found a place right near to Liverpool Street Station. Moondog is now sorting out final details with them and I'll post the address once the contract is signed.

We'll have the use of 2 rooms so we can split the group for different sessions if that's appropriate and, to keep costs down, we'll need to self-cater i.e. bring packed lunch. I'll sort tea/coffee etc (they'll provide crockery and an urn).

So, put Saturday 23 February in your diary as the date for the next Moondog training event (MNSN meetup ). Yay!!!

Next step is for Moondog to work on course content and an outline for the day as well as working out costs etc. I've collated all the content requests from past threads and Moondog has this to work from too.

More to follow in due course....

[firawla]

Hi, quite interested in coming so will keep a look out for more info. Just wanted to say thanks for organising and thanks to moondog for doing this

[OmiQueenofTypose]

If there's space for any more I might be interested too - I missed this before. I don't tend to post on SN, but go through phases of lurking. I think it's my last bit of denial about ds. But yes, I'd be interested, but understand if you've got enough people already.

[salondon]

Hello

Please count me in. I am starting an ABA program in Feb (trying a DIY approach till then).

If there is anything I can do to help please let me know.

Thanks

[Catsdontcare]

Just marking a spot.

[messmonster]

Hi Omi. All we've had so far are expressions of interest, we don't yet know how many people will actually be able to make it on the day, although we'll need a certain number to make it viable. So, feel free to join the list of possibles!

Keep an eye on this thread and when more details are posted, you can decide if you'd like to come.

[OmiQueenofTypose]

Yes please to being added to the list! Thanks. :)