Contact Details
Through the Roof , Alpha House , Alpha Place , Garth Road , Morden , Surrey , SM4 4TQ
Phone : 01372 749955
Email : info @ throughtheroof . org
Web : www . throughtheroof . org
Our Vision
‘… is all people enjoying life together , mutually giving and receiving , as God intended ’
Our Mission
'… is transforming lives through Jesus with disabled people ’
Through the Roof Charitable Trust Ltd is a UK Registered Company number 04201510 with offices at Alpha House , Alpha Place , Garth Road , Morden , Surrey , SM4 4TQ . It is also a Registered Charity Number 1087788 .
Quotes are sometimes edited for clarity and length
Vital Link is designed and printed by PDC Design & Print www . pdc-kingston . co . uk
www . throughtheroof . org
Any Sunday can be Disability Awareness Sunday !
Don ’ t worry if you haven ’ t yet held a Disability Awareness Sunday event – it ’ s not too late – just pick a convenient date and get in touch with us for the resources .
It ’ s wonderful that churches across the UK have been holding services focusing on disability awareness . One of these churches was Swan Bank Church in Stoke-on-Trent where two members explained their families ’ experiences of living with
Roofbreaker Sue Simcoe is interviewed as part of her church ’ s Disability Awareness Sunday
disability and how the church can help them , and others like them , feel included .
Hayley Sutton shared about her experience as a mother to a 6-year-old child with bilateral profound sensorineural deafness . She said the biggest challenges they ’ d encountered included the reactions of others as well as communication .
Hayley went on to explain how Swan Bank Church has helped them by including sign language during services and the Children ’ s Workers receiving additional training . She also gave some tips to help people to communicate with someone with hearing loss which included speaking clearly and the importance of giving everyone a voice during group conversations .
Penny Robinson then spoke about her autistic teenage son . The challenges that they have faced include communication , coping with loud noises , and anxiety . Penny explained how the church has enabled her son to have a role on the Tech Team which gives him control over noise levels but also allows her to attend church with him . The church also takes photographs of any changes to the building and posts them online which means there are no surprises when they attend .
Penny said that involving disabled people in church allows their family to be there ; she encouraged people to see how their teams could be more inclusive . She also asked people to be aware of those around them as not every disability is visible .
Roofbreaker Sue Simcoe , who leads an ‘ Enabling Church Team ’, then spoke about some of the changes already in place in the church – including making the song words on the screens stand out against a plain background to help neurodiverse attendees . She also asked the congregation to contribute any other ideas to allow more people to access church . She told us that a Disability Awareness service “ is a great way to enable the whole congregation to understand how much we value disabled people ... and also to be aware of the differences we can make to fully include people with a disability ”.
If you would like to raise awareness in your church , please contact us or visit www . throughtheroof . org / disability-sunday for the Disability Awareness Sunday resource pack .
Share the load
Coping with daily life is a challenge for many of us , what with the rising cost of living and the impact of covid on our mental and physical health . So , we are delighted that two Christian Pastors with counselling skills and experience of living with disability are continuing to offer a listening ear through telephone support . Places are limited but , if you would like to speak to someone , please call the office on 01372 749955 or email us on info @ throughtheroof . org , and we ’ ll put you in touch with Alex and Anne .
Contact us to be put in touch with Anne and Alex