If you want to see most of the current offers on the Compass Card, you'll need to download 'Your Compass Card', our 2011 guide for card holders and their families. It includes all offers except specific theatre offers and the deals with The Big Lemon, Yellowave, Rainbow SongTime and the Brighton Wheel which are outlined below. You can also call the Amaze helpline on 01273 772289 for information on the most recent additions, or if you want us to send you a copy of the guide.

What's new?

Have a Big Gay Italian Wedding at Komedia Sat 19 to Mon 21 May!

Komedia Brighton is offering Compass Card families a two for one offer on tickets for the Broadway cult hit, My Big Gay Italian Wedding (standard ticket price £12.50). Shows are at 3pm on Saturday, 3pm and 5pm on Sunday and 8pm on Monday. Here’s what Komedia says about the show: “Join the congregation as this off-Broadway cult hit makes its European Premiere. Andrew and Anthony are getting married – and everyone wants to 'help'! My Big Gay Italian Wedding spins into a hysterical fiasco as everyone tries to have their way. This music and dance-filled extravaganza has been playing to sold out houses in New York for 4 years and is showing no signs of finishing the reception early.” Click this link for more info http://komediabrighton.ticketsolve.com/shows/126523074/events

How to book

Tickets have to be booked over the phone on 0845 293 8480 Tues to Sat from 12noon until 6pm quoting 'Compass 2-4-1 offer' (booking fee applies). The offer’s subject to availability, can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer and doesn’t apply to tickets already booked.

Free after school club and school pick-up - BHISP launches Wed 16 May

BHISP – Amaze’s latest Compass Card Activity – launches on Wednesday 16 May. BHISP (Brighton and Hove Inclusive Sport Project) is a fun after school club for children and young people aged 7 to 19 with special needs. It’s every Wednesday in term time at The Crew Club from 3.30 till 5pm. Activities include football, hockey, volleyball, cricket, rugby and badminton. Even better, there’s FREE pick-up from local schools and the club is completely FREE to Compass Card holders if they show their card (otherwise 50 pence per session). Like other Compass Card Activities, BHISP provides a discount for Compass Card holders, coaches/teachers with special needs experience, an opportunity to feedback and help fuel a process of continuous improvement and information about related activities and support. You can book a place at BHISP or find out more by calling The Crew Club on 01273 608607.

Big Lemon joins the Compass Card!

The Big Lemon, the eco-friendly Brighton Route 44 bus service, has just become a Compass Card partner. That means if you board a Big Lemon bus with your child and show the Compass Card to the driver, the card holder travels for free. If your child travels independently, they can also travel for free on the Big Lemon if they show their card as they get on the bus. The Big Lemon bus route travels between university buildings, the Old Steine and Churchill Square Mondays to Fridays during term time. Big Lemon buses are fuelled with used cooking oil, so they look after the environment too. Visit http://www.thebiglemon.com/

Brand new Compass Card Activity coming to Moulsecoomb Saturday 5 May

If your child is between the ages of seven and 18 and has moderate learning disabilities, we have the perfect multi-sport class for them and the great news is it’s a Compass Card Activity too! The Saturday Active Club launches on Saturday 5 May at Moulsecoomb Community Leisure Centre, runs from 10am till 11.30am and is a brilliant way for kids to make friends, have fun and get fit. Activities include basketball, fitness circuits, boccia and table tennis. Like all Compass Card Activities, coaches have special needs experience, Compass Card holders get a discount and you get an opportunity to feedback on your experience and information about other similar activities and support. Saturday Active Club is on the first Saturday of every month and friends and siblings are welcome too. Call 01273 622266 to book. Show the Compass Card on the day to get a 50 pence discount off the usual price of £4. For more info about Saturday Active Club, or other sports sessions in the city, call Active for Life on 01273 292569 or visit www.brightonhove.uk/activeforlife After the launch, the next dates for Saturday Active Club at Moulsecoomb Community Leisure Centre are 2 June, 7 July, 4 August, 1 September and 6 October.

Compass Card discount at new Rainbow SongTime sessions

Parent Gina O’Reilly is launching Rainbow SongTime, a 30 minute session of rhymes, action songs and poems with puppets, teddies and musical instruments, on Monday 16 April. Suitable for 0 to 4 year olds, the session is special needs inclusive and there’s a 50 pence discount for Compass Card families too. Gina says having a child with special needs was the driving force for setting up Rainbow SongTime. She found her daughter learns best through learning songs, tunes and rhymes and having actions to support the words. Rainbow SongTime is on Monday mornings during term-time at Patcham Community Centre, Ladies Mile Road, Patcham BN1 8TA. There are two sessions to choose from – 9.30 till 10am and 10.30am till 11am – and there’s an opportunity to stay after for refreshments and chat. The cost is £2 per family (up to two children) or £1.50 with a Compass Card. Refreshments cost 50 pence per family. For more information, email rainbowsongtime@hotmail.co.uk

Prince Regent launches Starfish swimming class and swimming session for families of kids with special needs

Prince Regent Swimming Complex has launched a new, informal swimming class called ‘Starfish’. If you’ve found the more formal swimming classes at Prince Regent don’t work for your child, this might be the answer. Starfish is special needs inclusive and is a small class of up to eight taught by two experienced swimming coaches, Gina and Ron. The class will be organised to meet the individual needs of each child. Starfish is a drop-in class in the teaching pool at Prince Regent and parents can get in the water with their children if they want to. It’s on Mondays from 5.45 to 6.15pm and Compass Card holders get the first class free (normal cost £5.15). There’s wheelchair access to the teaching pool, but no hoist. For more information, email karen.rutter@freedom-leisure.co.uk Because Starfish is a small class, you’re advised to book ahead, rather than just turning up.

Prince Regent has also introduced a new session in the teaching pool for young children with special needs and their parent carers, friends and siblings. This fun session is a great opportunity to relax, socialise and make new friends and is from 6 till 7pm on Wednesday evenings. Remember to take the Compass Card with you – it means the Compass Card holder, one carer and up to three others go free!

And finally, don’t forget, if your child has physical disabilities and is unable to get in and out of the pool, there is a pool-side hoist available in the flexi-pool at Prince Regent, as well as a fully accessible changing room with overhead hoist and adjustable changing trolley. The flexi-pool is a shared pool, but in term-time, you often get it to yourselves. The flexi-pool opens from 12 noon till 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12 noon till 2pm on Thursdays and 10.30am till 2pm on Sundays. You will need to let Prince Regent know you’re coming to use the flexi-pool at least 24 hours in advance so a life-guard can be organised – call 01273 685692 and ask for the Duty Manager.

Changes to Hove Story Magic

Hove Story Magic, the regular sensory storytelling session for children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) or visual impairment, is changing its format. The session, which has been highly praised by parents and professionals, has always been on the first Tuesday of the month and has principally attracted children from local special schools and their carers. But school timetables change and the sessions need to be organised more flexibly so the schools can continue to take part. So the regular format will go and be replaced by ad hoc sessions at least once a month. If you want to attend one of the sessions with your child, drop in to the library to find out when the next one is, call 01273 296937, or email mark.bunt@brighton-hove.gov.uk – or ask your child’s school to book a session!

Brighton Wheel - another change to Compass Card offer!

As you might know, Brighton Wheel on Madeira Drive introduced a free carers’ ticket deal for Compass Card families back in November. Then in early January, it replaced the offer with a general 'disabled persons discount' that gives £1.50 off usual ticket prices for the Compass Card holder/person with disabilities. The latest news is that The Wheel has now also added a carers’ discount of 50% for a carer over the age of 18 – definitely a step forward! You can use the Compass Card to trigger the disabled persons discount for your child and the carers discount for yourself. The Brighton Wheel provides air-conditioned capsules and a truly bird’s eye view of the Sussex coastline. Happy wheeling! See http://www.brightonwheel.com/ for details, or call 01273 722 822.

Theatre Royal Brighton changes pricing for disabled customers

As you’ll know, Theatre Royal Brighton regularly provides Compass Card families with special offers on its tickets. But we thought we should also tell you about its general ticket policies for customers with additional needs. These have changed in recent months and we want to make sure you get the best possible deal when you visiting the theatre with a Compass Card holder. The new arrangements are:

· If you’re booking a ticket for a Compass Card holder and you need to sit in a particular part of the theatre because of their additional needs, you’ll pay the lowest price for their ticket, even if you need to sit in a more expensive area.

· If you show the Compass Card at the time of booking, you can request a free carer’s ticket – but make sure you ask, it isn’t automatic. We’re told there may be occasions when this offer is capped at peak times.

In a few weeks time, the theatre is planning to launch an ‘Access Card’ which will act as proof that the user qualifies for a free carer’s ticket. The Compass Card will still trigger the free carer’s ticket, but it might be worth getting an Access Card so you can also book tickets over the phone. We’ll let you know when the Access Card is introduced and give you information about how you can apply for it.

Odeon could ask for photo ID

The Odeon Brighton has informed us that ticket staff may ask for photo ID from older Compass Card holders when they claim a free carers ticket at the cinema – so if your child’s using the card at the Odeon without a parent, make sure they take suitable ID that includes their photograph (a bus pass, or student card for example) in case they’re asked to confirm their identity.

New Compass Card deal at Yellowave

NIVEA SUN Yellowave, the beach sports venue at 299 Madeira Drive, has just confirmed a Compass Card deal ��" so see if you can fit in a visit over the summer holidays! Compass Card holders get a 10% discount on prices at the venue’s Barefoot Café and a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal on the climbing wall. Yellowave has a free sandy play area for kids, as well as pitches for volleyball, beach tennis and beach rugby. For more information, visit http://www.yellowave.co.uk/ or call 01273 672222.

Compass Card Activities

Amaze launched its first two pilot 'Compass Card Activities' in February 2010 - Story Magic, a monthly sensory storytelling session for children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) or visual impairment at Jubilee Library; and inclusive trampolining classes from Sussex Central YMCA. In June 2010, we introduced three more - table tennis in Bevendean with Hollingbury Table Tennis Club; karate and kick boxing across the city with Sama; and Saturday circus skills classes at Brighton Youth Centre with Bandbazi Circus Theatre for children over 6 and young people. In June 2011, Hove Library launched the latest Compass Card Activity - a second Story Magic that builds on the success of the session at Jubilee Library. In February 2012 library Homework Clubs and study support sessions became a Compass Card Activity. Starfish Swimming Class and the SN Family Swimming Session at Prince Regent Swimming Complex (see above) are also now Compass Card Activities and on 5 May 2012, Saturday Active Club launched at Moulsecoomb Community Leisure Centre (see above), while BHISP after school club launched on Wednesday 16 May (see above).

Each activity provides discounted prices, if there's a charge; coaches or teachers with special needs experience; information that helps your child access more mainstream activities if they want to; and the opportunity to provide feedback.

For more information, look at our Compass Card guide, 'Your Compass Card', or call the Amaze helpline on 01273 772289 for the latest update.

Renaissance Legal

10% discount on specialist legal advice to families that have a child on The Compass. Renaissance offers advice on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, court of protection applications and inheritance tax planning. The company is based at Tower Point, 44 North Road, Brighton BN1 1YR. Call 0845 505 60 50 or visit http://www.renaissancelegal.co.uk/ for more information. If you decide you want to use Renaissance, call to discuss costs before your initial meeting and mention the Compass Card. You'll need to take the card with you for the initial meeting to trigger the discount.

Please note, Amaze wants to offer as many benefits to Compass Card families as possible, but this doesn't meanwe're giving our recommendation. We assume you'll make your own decisions about whether offers like the deal with Renaissance suit you and your family.

Because the Renaissance deal isn't a leisure offer, it isn't included in our Compass Card guide.

And that's not all...

Once your child is registered on The Compass and has a Compass Card, Amaze can provide information about the events, services and issues that matter to you. We email a regular update to Compass families and can sometimes post relevant information to you. If you have an email address, make sure we have it, so we can keep you fully up to date. We will also email or post you you a regular copy of our termly newsletter, Out of Amaze and invite you to take part in relevant consultations so you have the chance to get your voice heard.

If your child has a Compass Card, you will automatically benefit from two other city-wide initiatives:

1. The Carers' Card, a free card funded by Brighton & Hove City Council that aims to promote the health and wellbeing of carers in the city. The Carers' Card went live on 1 April 2011 and includes offers from Active Lightworks, Virgin Active (previously Esporta), Duke of York's Cinema, Komedia, the Dome, Theatre Royal Brighton and many more. Parent carers looking after a child under the age of 18 on The Compass automatically qualify for a Carers' Card. Many of the offers on the Carers’ Card are different to the Compass Card, and unlike the Compass Card, you can take advantage of special offers when your child isn’t with you. When your child reaches their 20th birthday and is no longer eligible for a Compass Card, you’ll still be eligible for a Carers’ Card if you have regular caring responsibilities.

If you’re caring for a child on The Compass under 18, call the Council’s Integrated Child Development and Disability Team on 01273 295153. Tell them your child has a Compass Card. You’ll then be sent a letter confirming your entitlement to the Carers’ Card and you’ll be passed to the Carers’ Centre where your card will be processed.Your Carers’ Card will be issued for 2 years and you’ll need to renew after that.

If you’re caring for a child on The Compass who’s over 18, contact the Council’s Adult Social Care Access Point on 01273 295555. Staff at the Access Point will ask you some questions about your caring role. This is called a ‘Carer’s Assessment’ and may also identify other ways you can be supported. You’ll then be sent a letter confirming your entitlement to the Carers’ Card and you’ll be passed to the Carers’ Centre where your card will be processed. Your card will be issued for a year, after which you’ll need to renew. There are full details on all the Carers' Card offers in the Carers' Card booklet.

Nb. You'll need to have the Compass Card number (on the back of the card) to hand when you make the initial call.

2. Gully's Day Out - Albion in the Community has teamed up with some of the South’s best loved attractions to provide free days out for disabled children and adults - and families that have a child with a Compass Card automatically qualify. Named after Gully, the Albion’s seagull mascot, the 'Gully’s Day Out' project offers disabled people the chance to take friends and family for a fun-packed day out. Gully’s Day Out activities include: Sea Life Brighton; Cineworld Brighton Marina; Brighton and Hove Albion; Bluebell Railway; and Inspire Littlehampton (swimming pool and leisure centre). To find out more email AITCGullyDayOut@bhafc.co.uk or ‘phone Teresa Sanders on 07919 051848.