NEWS

The March edition of Active Prospects' Proactive newsletter is out now, celebrating the lives of the people we support.

This edition contains articles on:

The Transformation of Supported Living property Temple Road
The Proactive Committee 2017 Strategic Plan
A great day out at the Bluebell Railway
People we support - out and about

Read the newsletter by clicking on the front page image above.

A team of staff from various Nationwide Building Society branches within the local area undertook a team-building garden makeover at Active Prospects' residential service for people with physical and learning disabilities, The Pines in Redhill, on Tuesday 28 February 2017. Active Prospects were approached by Susan Field, Project coordinator of Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead (VARB) to organise the corporate volunteering activity.

The Nationwide team rolled up their sleeves in the garden and completed a general tidy up and mowed the lawn, in addition to erecting raised beds so that resident wheelchair users can take part in flower planting in the future. They also gave the existing garden furniture at the service a make-over, sanding and painting it purple, at the request of residents.

Not content with just donating their energies over the course of the day, the team also donated a colourful array of plants to brighten up the garden, ensuring that residents will benefit from a lovely view from their house as well as a chance to sit out in more attractive surroundings in spring and summer. Now that the garden has been improved, those living at the service will also be able to participate in weeding and planting the new beds as a therapeutic activity assisted by staff, meeting one of Active Prospects’ key objectives around ‘Active Support’.

Samantha Lucas, Branch Manager of Nationwide Building Society in Dorking said: “We had a really great day and feel we really achieved something in making the garden a nicer place for Active Prospects’ residents. It was such a positive experience that we are hoping to make this a regular volunteering activity three or four times a year across Active Prospects’ different services in East Surrey”.

Sue Stockman, Head of Business Development at Active Prospects said: “The people we support at The Pines really enjoyed having the Nationwide volunteers at their home and are delighted with their garden makeover. As the weather gets warmer they will enjoy sitting outside and having meals together in the sunshine.”

Great friends Alan and Mick, Robin and Rita had a brilliant day at the end of February when they visited the Bluebell Railway with their support worker Debbie.

Robin in particular has a passion for planes and trains so it was the perfect day out for him! The group travelled from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead, stopping off at Horsted Keynes for tea, before returning to Sheffield Park, where they had lunch.

Robin said he really enjoyed watching what was going on at the stations and looking at the old signs like Bovril and Cadbury's on display which he remembered from when he was younger.

They all decided they want to go again when the Bluebells are out.

Active Prospects is undergoing a programme of improvements and development across its services and supported living properties, to ensure they provide modern, practical homes which facilitate independence for the people we support. With support from Surrey County Council, we received an NHS grant of £100k to help pay for these works.

David* is a sprightly 71 year old who has been living with his friend Margaret*, aged 82, for nearly 39 years. Both have moderate learning disabilities and health issues related to their age. However, both of them enjoy their independence. They have lived together at Active Prospects’ Temple Road property for nearly 39 years. Temple Road is a three-bedroomed shared house in Epsom, offering supported accommodation. The third room, upstairs, was available for another tenant, but had been vacant for some time, and the upstairs bathroom was becoming increasingly inaccessible for David and Margaret.

The house was in need of modernisation and was becoming harder to maintain. Active Prospects decided to give it a complete makeover and give them the home they deserved, fully involving David and Margaret in all decisions about the changes, decorations and furniture. Plans were drawn up to create two separate flats, each with their own front door. The upstairs flat has one bedroom, a kitchen, living space with dining area and a wet room.

David and Margaret now occupy the two-bedroomed downstairs flat which has been reconfigured. Margaret now has a bedroom with adjacent walk-in closet. David has a larger room at the rear. A new wet room has a seated shower to make bathing easier. The kitchen, with access to the garden, is bright and fresh with new white goods. Draughty windows have been repaired or replaced, and the garage has been removed to open up the garden.

The development works took eight weeks during which David and Margaret lived in one of Active Prospects’ other shared houses. It was an upheaval for them but they were given support to ensure it was a positive experience for them. The new flat, all on the ground floor, is more accessible for them as they get older, and easier to keep clean and tidy. They also have a new neighbour, Peter*, who has moved in to the flat upstairs, making better use of the house to meet people’s aspirations.

Everyone was very excited to move back in to the transformed property in mid-February with Margaret saying she felt like she was moving back in to a hotel!

Active Prospects has secured a grant of £35,000 from Surrey County Council's SEND Enterprise Programme to launch a new Supported Internship programme.

Active Prospects has been chosen as one of three providers to work in partnership with SEND Enterprise and East Surrey College.  Eight interns, who will start later in 2017, will work in roles across Active Prospects gaining skills and practical work experience to help them on a pathway to paid work.  Interns will work across the organisation, in roles such as property maintenance, IT, marketing or admin, as well as within our residential care homes.  Interns will gain employability skills such as teamwork, personal presentation and reliability and skills for independence such as travelling by public transport and shopping for lunch.  They will have access to training in topics such as Health & Safety, Equality and Diversity, and Safeguarding.

The internship programme lasts for one year and towards the end of the course, interns will be supported to secure progression opportunities within Active Prospects or externally, this might be further work experience or into paid jobs.

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