We were delighted to have Cath Barton, from Community Circles, UK, visit us last week.  Cath was presenting in Melbourne at a National Dementia conference called “Be the Change” and we invited her to visit Options and present a workshop hosted by New Zealand Disability Support Network in Palmerston North. The participants in the workshop represented a variety of interest areas and many went away thinking about how they can get Circles happening in their area.

Cath also held a ‘conversation’ in Nelson the following day about Community Circles, this was attended by people from education, vocational services, Needs Assessment, Alzheimers Society and providers.

The timing was great with the launch of the new Community Circles website and DIY resources during Cath’s visit!  It was also a great opportunity to share the progress of some New Zealand circles that have started this year. 

We believe that Community Circles can be the catalyst for change in people’s lives as we have seen the impact of bringing people together to plan and act to help build and sustain their connections and interests – in all kinds of situations and circumstances.  Please contact us if you would like any information about developing Community Circles.

carol@options.org.nz