this issue - active prospects · from 21st may 2018. the new head office is located at 1...

This IssueNew Homes Underway ..............................................01/03

Corporate Volunteering ....02

Co-production Fun ..............07

Intern Meg Progresses ......04

Activities Volunteering ......04

Grant Creates Opportunities ........................05

Active Wellbeing Service Launches in Reigate ...........05

Transforming Care Success .....................................06

National Award Shortlist ..06

Co-production Themes .....07

New Office, New Brand ....08

Every Token Helps! ...............08

Crispin Blunt MP was delighted to get his hands dirty on Friday 11 May as he broke the ground on our new supported housing development in Redhill.

New Homes underway

Active Prospects’ Partner NewsletterIssue 6 - May 2018

PartnersActive

The new service was designed by AHP Architects and is being built by local building contractor Marpaul Southern Limited. Active Prospects has worked closely with the NHS who have provided the capital grant for the works, Surrey County Council and the local Clinical Commissioning Groups to make this project happen.

The site will be transformed into nine self-contained flats, offering local people with learning disabilities the chance to live as independently as

possible, with their own front door, and will keep people out of hospital or avoid them being placed far away. It will be ready to open for new residents by January 2019.

Communal space and a sensory garden will give people the chance to come together and enjoy social activities. Support staff will be on-hand during the day and night to offer support and reassurance as needed.

Continued on Page 3

Active Partners Newsletter - May 2018

Corporate Partners

Corporate Volunteering events

Already in 2018, we have seen teams from Canon UK, and Boeing take part in garden make-over projects at two of our residential services, Millview in Charlwood and Blanford Road in Reigate. Both of these saw staff teams basking in glorious sunshine whilst digging deep to get as much done as possible in the day. Staff and residents at our services were thrilled with the results and are all set to enjoy their much improved outdoor spaces as the summer approaches.

In coming weeks, we are also welcoming teams from Gatwick Airport Ltd and SGN Energy to another

We are fortunate to enjoy an excellent relationship with both Crawley Community and Voluntary Service and Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead, and are always delighted to work with corporate volunteering teams to provide mutually beneficial projects for teams of staff to take part in.

residential service, Woodview in Caterham, and one of our supported living homes in Redhill.

Corporate volunteering is a great way for companies to provide cost-effective team building days, whilst giving back to their local community and Active Prospects is hugely grateful to all those companies who have been involved over the last year.

Boeing staff at Millview Canon staff at Blanford

Active Partners


New Homes Underway /...contThese flats will also incorporate the latest advances in inclusive building design and assistive technology that facilitate independent living.

This is one of seven developments that Active Prospects is undertaking this year, creating 29 additional opportunities for people with learning disabilities to live independently.

Crispin Blunt said: “Active Prospects delivers brilliant local services and I’m delighted that, together with NHS England, they have been able to turn a dated institutional building into bright, modern apartments that will be much more like a home. I really value the commitment of their staff who work tirelessly to enable better lives.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: “Health and social care professionals, as part of the local Transforming

Care Partnership, have been working hard to develop safe, appropriate, community services for people with learning disabilities in Redhill. This redevelopment represents the latest scheme to provide homes for people with learning disabilities, autism or both, who do not need to be in hospital and want to live at home, in their local community, with the right care and support in place. We will continue to support this redevelopment and look forward to the day it welcomes its first residents.”

CEO Maria Mills said: “I am so pleased that we are now on the way to creating fantastic new homes that are in high demand by local people with learning disabilities based in their own community, which give them more choice and control over how they live their lives”.


Active Partners

Supported Intern progressMeg from our Supported Internship programme has been flying high since she joined Active Prospects in September 2017.

She has benefited from many different workplace experiences across the organisation, and has responded positively to these opportunities, working hard with her Job Coach, Nick Kinsella, to develop her skills and confidence in a range of settings.

We were thrilled to hear that Meg had secured a much-wanted voluntary position at Fat Face in Reigate. Well done Meg!

Activities Volunteer brings smiles Our new Activities Volunteer, Jess, led a music session at our London Road residential service recently, accompanied by Director of Business Development, Sue Stockman.

Tom and Den played along to some old tunes from The Beatles and Frank Sinatra as well as chair dancing to ABBA! Jess was supported in what was her second session but now she feels confident enough to volunteer on her own in future, and she’s already planned a cupcake making session.

Den, turned 75 in April and had a party with a coffee birthday cake, banners and balloons. Here he is showing how much money he will need for his favourite meal out and that he recognises the new £5 and £10 notes.

If you’re interested in getting involved in a small amount of volunteering for activities, days out or in our charity shop, please email [email protected].


Active Partners

There are lots of other activities coming up over the summer including a barbecue, a visit to the coast, a Thames boat trip, a trip to see a musical, and a day out in Windsor and to the zoo.

Grant creates opportunitiesA £20,000 Grant awarded to the Pro-Active Committee in 2017 from the People’s Health Trust has been creating some brilliant opportunities for the people we support.

The grant helps to subsidise or pay costs to ensure that people we support are not disadvantaged in accessing a range of opportunities. In 2018, there have already been trips to London to see Wicked and a short break to Butlin’s Soul Weekender in Bognor Regis which was hugely enjoyed by everyone who attended.

A converted church in Reigate is home to our new Active Wellbeing supported housing development for people with mental or emotional health needs.

The property has five bright, modern, self-contained flats in an ideal location close to the High Street’ local amenities, Priory Park, and Active Prospects’ new Head Office. This female-only service supports women with a diverse range of needs, some like Leanne who need limited support, while others require two staff members to support them some of the time. Now all the flats are occupied, there are plans to get everyone together soon for a shared meal, so they can get to know each other and form new friendships.

Leanne, aged 29, moved here from our Young Prospects’ Transition Service where she had lived for two years. She felt that she was ready to move on to live independently and was the first person to move into the new flats and make it her new home. She has a passion for butterflies and they adorn every wall and surface, making it a very personal space where she can feel calm and relaxed.

Active Wellbeing service launches in Reigate


Active Partners

Committee shortlisted for national award We were thrilled to receive confirmation in early May that our Proactive Committee of people we support has been shortlisted for the People’s Award in the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards.

The Committee was nominated by the senior team at Active Prospects for their inspirational approach, active engagement and brilliant progress over the last two years.

The People’s Award is presented to an individual or team of people with autism or a learning disability. It celebrates individuals or organisations who offer exceptional encouragement and support for individuals with learning disabilities and or autism in providing support services and or personal development and inclusion.

The nomination was endorsed by a number of staff members, people we support and parents/carers, and we are most grateful for everyone’s assistance with putting the nomination together.

Director of Care, Jade Vallance, will be attending the second-stage Judging Day on Thursday 24th May, along with three members of the Committee and a member of support staff, with the final award ceremony on 29 June 2018.

We will be sending them lots of luck on the day!

Our new Transforming Care service in Redhill is now home to Hannah* and Michael*, who have high support needs and can exhibit challenging behaviour. Hannah, aged 25 and Michael, aged 20, both came to Young Prospects, our Short Breaks Service, as emergency placements, when support from their previous providers broke down and reached crisis point.

After an initial settling in period, and as staff got to know them, their triggers for challenging behaviour and techniques for calming them, both began to thrive. However they needed a home that was tailored to their needs and where they could stay longer term. Active Prospects sourced a bungalow and made some adaptations to meet Hannah and Michael’s specific needs, with funding through NHS England’s Transforming Care Capital Grants Programme. A spacious and bright bungalow with safe, enclosed rear

Transforming Care successgarden and separate space for staff who support them round the clock, makes an ideal home for Hannah and Michael. Thanks to the safe and calm environment, skilled and experienced staff, comprehensive positive behaviour support approach, and a structured routine, both Hannah and Michael’s incidents of challenging behaviour are now less frequent and less severe.

Their support staff have got to know them well; Hannah likes pillow fights, having her feet tickled and bouncing on the trampoline. Michael likes going out for meals and long walks. They now share some activities together and are becoming firm friends, but both need their own space when they are feeling anxious or distressed. Chris Lloyd, Service Manager, said: “It’s been wonderful to get to know these two young people and see how they have transformed since they came to stay with us. They now have bright futures ahead of them”.


Active Partners

Co-production monthly themes a hit

Since the January edition of Active Partners, the themes have included new relationships and making friends, embracing spring, arts and drama, and gardening. As you can see from the small selection of photographs

below, these co-production themes are very popular with people we support and provide a useful focus for staff to get creative with their planned activities and outings.

Our monthly co-production themes, chosen by our Pro-Active Committee of people we support, continue to challenge staff in services to encourage and facilitate people we support to get involved in a wide range of new and topical activities.

A Community Benefit Society (26618R) with charitable status

Active Partners

New Office, New BrandActive Prospects moves to its new Reigate home from 21st May 2018. The new Head Office is located at 1 Castlefield Court, Church Street, Reigate, having moved from our previous base in Horley.

The bright modern offices provide an accessible, vibrant and welcoming environment for staff, visitors and those supported by us. There is space to launch a stimulating programme of activity sessions; mini enterprises; room for the growing staff team; and an in-house training facility for our care and support staff.

We chose to relocate to Reigate as it is central to our East Surrey residential care and supported living services, with good public transport routes and convenient parking. Being in the heart of Reigate will also facilitate the development of collaborative partnerships with local businesses, colleges, statutory and voluntary organisations.

As well as new offices, we have launched an updated brand. The colourful and contemporary logo design better reflects our organisation’s creative and innovative approach and represents that people supported by us are at the heart of what we do.

Maria Mills, CEO says: “We’ve been on a transformative journey over recent years and the time is right for a new head office environment and an updated image to embrace and embody the organisation we have become. Our core values remain the same, as does our mission to enable people to live full and aspiring lives”.

01737 924084 www.activeprospects.org.uk [email protected]

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Every Token Helps! Our Active Growth allotment project provides opportunities for people we support and other local adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs to get out in to the fresh air, get some exercise and have the chance to learn new skills.

The Active Growth project is in the customer vote for a grant from the Tesco South East Bags of Help scheme. It’s a scheme which gives community projects and charities like us grants of up to £4000 - all raised from the sale of carrier bags in Tesco stores.

Vote in store during May and June in Caterham superstore, Edenbridge Tesco Express and Redhill Tesco Express to help us get the highest grant award possible.

Please support us in your local store!

this issue - active prospects · from 21st may 2018. the new head office is located at 1...

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