On Wednesday, 16 December, 66 members, carers, staff and volunteers from SPIN went to see Aladdin at the Assembly Rooms in Tamworth.

They were vociferous in their participation of the storyline, cheering the goodies and booing the baddie. Everyone had a really good time.

Many thanks to the cast who gave a wonderful performance, incorporating our group into their dialogue.

SPIN has once again entered a tree into the Christmas Tree Festival at St Editha’s Church, Tamworth. This year’s theme is ‘Follow the star’ and the tree is a little different, in that it is hand made out of wood. Stars adorn the tree and there is a nativity scene at the base. Feel free to take one of the SPIN leaflets placed nearby to find out more about the charity and its work.

Viewing of all trees in the festival began last night (Friday, 20 November), and coincided with the switching on of the Christmas lights in Tamworth at 6.00 pm on the same evening. Please go to the Christmas Tree Festival at some point over the few days and support the SPIN tree with your vote. All Christmas trees can be viewed from now until 30 November.

On the 20th December SPIN held its 25th anniversary celebration, which took place in the Athletics Club off the A5, in the form of a disco and social evening for over 100 members and parents alike.

The evening was spent by in socialising, dancing and enjoying a buffet. The Mayor Councillor John Garner was a guest and gave a short speech about SPIN, which was followed by Sylvia Geldard, the club leader thanking all staff and volunteers for their continued service during the year. The staff of the Athletics Club was thanked for giving up their evening to put the event on.

SPIN runs a social club for people aged 14+ who have special needs. It is open every Wednesday evening during term time from 7.15 pm to 9.30 pm and new members are always welcome. The venue is Tamworth Youth Centre.

The evening was funded by county councillors Ben Adams, Michael Greatorex, Chris Cooke and Sheree Peaple, each having contributed from their Staffordshire Local Community Fund allocation, to help build on the massive success that the charity has seen in recent years.

The Staffordshire Local Community Fund is an initiative which supports communities directly through local county councillors. Each councillor has £10,000 a year to allocate to groups and organisations in their division to provide and improve important local services and promote community pride.

More information on the Staffordshire Local Community Fund is available at www.staffordshire.gov.uk. Just click on ‘Your Council’ and ‘Staffordshire Local Community Fund’.