Latest news with #DawnDale
Leader Live
27-05-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Specsavers' employee ran for North East Wales Mind
Dispensing optician at Specsavers Flint, Dawn Dale raised £650 for North East Wales Mind after completing the recent Chester Half Marathon. Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week (Mat 12-18), the 13-mile run took Dawn one hour and 52 minutes, raising vital funds for the charity, which supports people living with mental health challenges across Flintshire and Wrexham. Out of 189 runners in the over-50's category, Dawn placed 14th. Read more: North Wales riding centre 'overwhelmed' as pledge saves them from closure Colleagues at Specsavers Flint were there to cheer Dawn on along the route and supported her fundraising efforts in the lead-up to the race day. A store bake sale raised more than £260, helping her surpass her fundraising target of £500 weeks ahead of the event. Having faced her own mental health challenges, Dawn says running has played a big part in her journey towards recovery following a particularly difficult period during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more: Flint store to launch a new concept in pre-loved fashion She said: "Running became a real turning point for me. It's something that helps me feel grounded and gives me a sense of purpose. Taking on this half marathon felt like a way to give something back and to raise awareness that support is out there for anyone who's struggling." Specsavers Flint's retail director, Holly Roberts, added: "We're all incredibly proud of Dawn, both for the physical feat of completing the marathon and for her courage in sharing her story. "She's inspired our whole team and brought the store together for a cause that affects so many. We're grateful to everyone in the community who donated or came by the store to support her."
Leader Live
26-04-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Specsavers' employee to run in aid of North East Wales Mind
Dispensing optician, Dawn Dale, from Specsavers Flint, is calling for donations for North East Wales Mind as she prepares to take on the Chester Half Marathon during Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18). Dawn is set to take on the 13-mile race to raise funds for the charity, which provides much-needed support to people living with mental health challenges across Flintshire and Wrexham. Read more: Runners rally at Alyn Waters for Nightingale House Hospice event Having faced her own mental health challenges, Dawn says running has played a big part in her journey towards recovery following a particularly difficult period during the Covid-19 pandemic. She says: "That time in my life was extremely tough and I needed to take some time away from work to focus on getting better. With the right support - including counselling and medication - I slowly started to feel more like myself again. "Running became a real turning point for me. It's something that helps me feel grounded and gives me a sense of purpose. Taking on this half marathon feels like a way to give something back and to raise awareness that support is out there for anyone who's struggling." Read more: This isn't the first charity challenge Dawn has taken on. Alongside her colleagues at Specsavers Flint, she previously completed a group parachute jump, raising £2,000 for the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Now, she's aiming to raise £500 to support North East Wales Mind's vital work. With £300 already donated to her JustGiving page, her colleagues are helping her reach the finish line by hosting a bake sale in store between 8.45am-5.30pm on Monday, April 28. Specsavers Flint's retail director, Holly Roberts, said: "We're incredibly proud of Dawn - not only for taking on this challenge, but for speaking so openly about her journey. Her strength is inspiring and we're looking forward to supporting her with a bake sale in store and also at the finish line. We'd love the local community to come along and get involved. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will make a huge difference.' People unable to attend the bake sale can help Dawn reach her £500 goal by donating via her JustGiving page:
BBC News
10-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Parents 'really worried' over Sheffield SEND school transport plans
A Sheffield mum has said she is "really worried" about planned changes to school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Sheffield City Council told parents it was considering giving them personal budgets to make their own arrangements, as it faced a £7m overspend on school Kendall, who lives in Oughtibridge, said she felt the new system would be less reliable and more expensive, calling for "reassurance" from the council that it would council said it "remained committed to provide the very best" for families, adding it would keep parents updated with the impact of any changes. The current SEND transport system sees minibuses or taxis used, and some children have personal assistants to accompany them to school and Kendall has two autistic children, one of whom is taken to a specialist school by council provides an assistant for the hour-long journey. Ms Kendall told the BBC: "The routine (if the change happens) would be a massive issue because if we were booking a taxi through a taxi firm they're not always reliable, so if they didn't turn up that would cause a massive issue."It would have a massive impact on the family."I'm worried, I'm really worried about what's going to happen in future."Cost was another big issue, she said, as she could not see how individual families could arrange the service more cheaply than a council with bulk-buying law states that councils must provide free transport for SEND children under 16 who cannot walk to City Council ran a consultation with parents which ended on 12 February, with a report due to be presented to the education, children and families committee in chair Dawn Dale said: "We received almost 1,000 responses to the consultation, which shows just how important and significant this issue is."Hearing experiences directly from our families is vital to us as their views and insights will help us shape the service in the future."We remain committed to provide the very best for our young people with SEND and their families, and will continue to keep in touch with them directly with recommendations from the consultation and how any possible changes will be implemented and what potential impact they could have." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
