Bishberro

Hi, I?m posting on behalf of a friend who urgently needs to find a local (SE London) psychologist/councillor for her tween child who is suffering very badly with depression. They are on an urgent referral list for CAMHS but has still been waiting months so she will have to pay privately to access immediate help. She would like face to face sessions preferably. Thanks - all recommendations appreciated.

This man clearly has mental health issues but he needs to be arrested and taken off the streets before he severely injures someone. It is a police issue primarily because he's walking around committing crimes - attacking people and kids, throwing coffee in people's faces and it looks potentially like the same person who sexually assaulted a young woman at 2.30pm on East Dulwich Grove. I have an 11-year-old who goes to school around this area and I'm worried as he wouldn't necessarily know how to react if approached by this man and I've had to warn him about this. Does anyone know if he has been caught?

Worryingly a thread popped up on my Neighbourhood account about a woman being sexually assaulted on East Dulwich Grove at 2.30pm yesterday. The only description being this guy had two obvious scars on his face. I just wondered if they could they be linked to this guy?

Thanks for your help. The incident is being dealt with now.

Hi, hate the idea of a long winter in front of us so my mind has already turned to next year's holiday. We want to go to Mallorca and a few people had recommended Puerta Pollensa. Just wondered if anyone had been and if you had any accommodation recommendations? We either want an apartment or a villa with a shared pool in walking distance of the Pine Walk/bars?restaurants etc. Thanks!

My two live in Hummel high tops (including school). They're colourful, retro-looking and last ages. Try Gently Elephant in Brockley.

Hi, I'm looking for new parents who are trying out shared parental leave for a story in a glossy magazine. I'm hoping to speak to couples who are doing this or hoping to do this in the next few months. Fee paid. Please message me for more info if this applies to you or someone you know. Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies, that's definitely reassured me. It sounds great and well worth the cost.

Hi, I'm starting to plan a few gaps in my holiday childcare for the rest of the year and was thinking of enrolling my kids (7 and 5) in a holiday club for a few days. Just wondered if anyone had any experiences of Nimble Arts holiday clubs and if they would recommend them? We've never done holiday clubs before so I'm a bit nervous about safety etc and if people think they're worth the cost as it's very ?? for two kids. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice. Would the school be able to provide an assessment with an educational psychologist or would we have to find one privately? Can anyone recommend one?

Thanks for the reply EDMummy. No he has no hyper mobility. I didn't think dyslexia was the problem because he has no issues with maths and reading at all - he can track sentences, read the letters ok etc. Can you still be dyslexic and just have writing issues?

Sorry for the long and waffling post, I just wanted to get a bit of advice. My son has always struggled with writing - he didn't hold his pen properly until year one and his writing has always been pretty illegible. I've never worried about it because his reading and maths have always been fine and he seems to have picked them up easily. I could see him progressing and I assumed that one day it would just 'click' as he's still only young. It has come to a head now in Year 2 partly as his teacher is totally not on the ball (just seems to give out work sheets and lets the kids get on with it) and he has now been placed in a special group of children who have been deemed 'behind' in literacy. His main issues are speed (he takes ages to write a sentence), spelling (even common words are continually spelt wrong) and everything is still very phonetic. Letter formation is getting better but 'ds' and 'bs' are still often the wrong way round and 'th' is written as 'f' etc. He also presses down very hard when he's writing and punctuation and capital letters are all over the place. We've tried special pencils, pens etc to make things easier for him. He struggles to write a whole story I've asked the school for advice in the past but have just been told to practice his fine motor skills which we have done. He loves Lego which he's good at, loves drawing which he does really nicely and concentrates on. He just seems to have a mental block with handwriting. We have tried getting him to write at home, making it fun etc but it's like getting blood out of a stone. He will spend ages doing a picture but not writing. He has a very vivid imagination and his speech/vocabulary has always been brilliant but he just can't seem to get his thoughts down on paper even as a basic story. I'm not a tiger mum, he goes to a state school so I'm not trying to hot house him for grammar school, I just want to help increase his confidence and don't want him to slip further and further behind. Is there such a thing as a handwriting tutor as when I ask him to do any writing at home (even when we try and make it 'fun') he makes every effort not to do it? I'm also unsure if/what to correct when I do manage to get him to write a few sentences as he now has literacy homework because of this special group. I don't want to destroy his confidence further by picking apart his spelling, letter formation etc. But if I don't correct them will he keep on making the same mistakes? Any help gratefully appreciated!

Hi, I hope you don't mind me posting here but I'm a local freelance journalist who is urgently looking for a couple (under 40) to keep a spending diary for two weeks. It will then be analysed by a financial expert who will advise you about ways to save money. You will also have a nice photoshoot (hair, make up etc) and receive a fee for taking part. I'm desperately trying to find a suitable couple in the next day or so so please put me out of misery and send me a private message if you or someone you know would like to take part and I can send you a few more details.

Cat girl, what board games are your 6-year-old into? We have snakes and ladders and ludo but looking for some inspiration for new ones a 4 and 6yr old can play.

Hi, this is just a request rather than a post designed to spark a debate, but I'm looking for couples who go on holiday without their children for a story in a national newspaper. Perhaps you do this every once in a while to get some time away as a couple or you do something active like yoga/skiing or go to a place that wouldn't be suitable for children? It would need to be for at least a week rather than just a weekend. If so, please message me. You'd need to be happy being named and photographed and there is a fee available. Thanks for your help.

Hi, we desperately need to try and find a couple of clothes rails that we can borrow for our dreams fund day tomorrow. We have so many amazing clothes and have run out of space to hang them. Can collect in the next couple of hours and return by Sunday. Fun day is raising money for Dreams Come True in memory of a 2-year-old from Forest Hill who died from cancer. Please help! www.dreamsfunday.co.uk

Hi Lorraine - yes we are doing a raffle and that would be fantastic. Please could you Pm me some details. Many thanks.

Thanks so much for your support. That's great news that we made the SLP and we were also on the front page of the Lewisham Mercury this week too. Keep spreading the word and hope to see you there.

Morning, I know this isn't officially a 'discussion' post but I'm trying to spread the word about an amazing family fun day that's happening in Catford on Saturday 13th September. My friend Rachel and her family who live in Forest Hill have organised the day to help raise funds for the charity ?Dreams Come True? after her 2-year-old son Myles (who has a twin sister Mia) died in February this year after a nine-month battle with cancer. Three weeks before he died,?Dreams Come True? made it possible for their family to visit London Zoo. Myles loves animals and had a brilliant day and it provided Rachel and her husband Jonny with some precious memories and photographs. The loss of a child is the most devastating thing any parent can face and Rachel has put all of her energies into organising a fun day in Myles' memory and to raise money to help make other seriously and terminally ill children?s dreams come true and give families, like theirs, some special memories. There are 40,000 children undergoing palliative care in the UK every year and Dreams Come True?s passion is to try and reach every one of them. We want to make the day a huge success but we need your help. You can help by firstly coming along to the fun day at the Jubilee sports ground in Catford on Saturday 13th September from 11am until 4pm. There is an amazing line up of things on offer from dance and football workshops, stalls, food, drink, bouncy castles, animal displays, Monkey Music classes, hula hooping. Rod Campbell, author of the well-known children's book 'Dear Zoo', will be doing a story telling session as will other well known children's authors. Please see the website for more details www.dreamsfunday.co.uk Please help us spread the word by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @dreamsfunday We are also after donations of good quality books (adults and childrens) and almost new clothes (so clothes that perhaps still have their tags on that you have gone off or never worn for whatever reason). We are also after donations of cakes that we can sell on the day. Please PM me if you think you can help in any way. We really appreciate you support x

We did a 6th birthday for my son at Pizza Express in Dulwich Village where they made pizza then ate it. You could do the whole hire a hall and get an entertainer thing. A lot of soft play areas like Gambados do packages as does JAGS in Herne Hill.

A stomp rocket. Always been a hit for anyone that we've bought one for. Or even just a Toys R Us voucher. My 4 and 6 year olds were ecstatic to be given a voucher and be able to wander round a toy shop and choose something they wanted. Playmobil always good too for that age group.

Hi Wharto, I've sent you a private message x

Oh God it sounds like hell. We have the cereal packet vouchers so the adults get in free but still sounds quite pricey. It sounds like qbot might be worth it for two people. Thanks for the tips.

I'm taking my two to Legoland for the first time this weekend and just had a brief look at the website. Any seasoned Legolanders got any tips to make our visit as painless as possible? What the heck is a q-bot and will I need one with a 3 and 6 year old?

Hi - we just bought my son a metal one from Decathlon for around ?30 I think. It's lightweight to carry when he gets tired, it doesn't matter if it gets bashed about and he's gone straight from that to a normal bike without stabilisers. I think balance bikes have quite a small window. My son had his for a year from 3 to 4 so I didn't see the point on shelling out loads of cash on an expensive one.