Spring 2018www.voyage.com

In this issue...

5Happy 21st birthday Brookfields

15Let’s get cooking!

22Heading for a big total

Your Voyage, your voice

Contents

to the Spring 2018 edition of ZEST

It’s a brand new year and we’re excited to share a new Zest with you all!

The theme of this issue is ‘New Year, New Start’ and it focuses on some of the fantastic achievements you’ve made – thank you to everyone who has shared their inspirational stories with us!

Voyage Care turned 30 this year, we’re looking forward to celebrating throughout the whole year with you! We have some special events and competitions planned, so stay tuned as we’ll be sharing details soon.

We always love to hear what you think about Zest, so please get in touch.

If you’d like to share a story with the Zest readers, please contact communications@voyagecare.com.

As always we’ve included an easy-read booklet that gives you the highlights of Zest in an easy-read style. We hope you enjoy reading this issue!

Jayne Davey Chief Operating Officer

PAGE

Happy birthday Brookfields! 05

30th birthday 06

Celebrating Christmas in style! 08

Dignity Action Day 11

A day in the life... 12

Let’s get cooking! 15

Are you interested in getting a job? 20

A great autumn getaway for Lil and Eva 21

Heading for a big total 22

Competiton time 24

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Hello my name is Adam Ryan.It was my birthday on the 23 January, I turned 33 years old, the staff organised a surprise for me... Something I have always wanted to do. I like trampolines, so it was a nice surprise for me to visit Go Jump in Leamington spa, Warwick.The staff had organised a day out at an indoor trampoline park for me which I thoroughly enjoyed, this was the first time I tried this activity and I definitely would recommend it to anyone, although I couldn’t keep still long enough due to all the bouncing for staff to take a picture!

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Your letters...

Jumping for joy!

Dean from Wellington House took part in the big Deal Town beach clean with the rest of the volunteer group.

Dean has been supported by all of the staff at Wellington House to help the environment and to keep the beach looking clean!

Dean’s clean on helping the environment

30 things in 30 days

Well done Dean!

We have had a fantastic idea sent in to us from everyone at Ashleigh House.

They are taking on the challenge to do 30 different things in 30 days - to celebrate Voyage Care turning 30.

They are going to make a box and inside it they are going to put the names of 30 different objects to find, draw, eat, drink or go and see.

IE Find a shell, draw the number 30, build a sand castle, get a photo of yourself next to a cow and so on.

So we invite you to take on this challenge along with Ashleigh House! This is a great way to get involved in things you might not usually do. If you feel like having a go yourself, we would love to see some pictures of you collecting the items and putting them into the box! Just send them in to communications@voyagecare.com

04 NEWS

Our Brookfields home in Oldbury had a party to celebrate turning 21.

Fifty people came to the party, including the six people who live there. They invited their support staff and their friends and families.

They enjoyed a special birthday cake, a pantomime, a singer and party food.

Robert and Michael went to the birthday party. They moved into Brookfields 21 years ago when it first opened. John and his family also came to the party. Everyone had a wonderful time.

Happy birthday Brookfields!

Are you a film fanatic? If you love going to the cinema and talking about the films you have watched, we want to hear from you! If you would like to feature in Zest as a film reviewer just email communications@voyagecare.com

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06Voyage Care turned 30 on 1 February 2018!

We have a year of celebrations planned and we want you to get involved. We’ll be holding events and running competitions all year to have fun and mark our 30th year in style.

We’ll be sharing memories of our 30 years with some throwback photos on social media, having a ‘Birthday Cake Bake Off’ in aid of MacMillan and even holding an 80’s themed movie night.

If you do get involved with any of the events this year please let us know and send us your stories!

Our first celebration was our birthday party themed group support open day on 1 February. We welcomed 75 people we support and guests for a day of craft, food, and most importantly – CAKE!

“I was delighted so many people could join us to celebrate our 30th birthday! 30 years is a huge milestone for us, and we’re looking forward to a year of fun activities for people to get involved in.” Andrew Cannon

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“I liked making my own party hat and shaking hands with new people. I want to come back again - my sister will like my hat I made”

“The food was great and the activities were ace!”

Robert

Steve

Christmas is a time to have fun and celebrate with friends – and that’s exactly what some of our homes did!

Across the country you partied in style, with people we support, staff and family members joining together to host celebrations, from glamorous balls to fun, festive parties!

Here are some of the highlights:

Around 60 people we support and staff held a fantastic black tie event in Burton where they enjoyed a magician, disco and buffet. Everyone got glammed up for the evening and had high hopes of winning a luxury hamper in the raffle!

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Celebrating Christmas in style!

“This event really sums up the true spirit of the committee’s aims of bringing people together to have fun” Donna Chetwyn, Operations Manager

Over 120 people from across the South East had an amazing time at their Christmas party. There was a live band, party food and fun competitions all night long! Everyone had great fun and loved showing off their best Christmas jumpers!

10 Voyage Care homes across Somerset hosted a fun-filled Christmas party. 80 people we support and 60 staff dressed in red and enjoyed a fancy three course meal and party. There was a fabulous Christmas tree which really lit up the room!

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“This was a wonderful opportunity for the people we support and our teams to get together and enjoy themselves at Christmas”Kelly Asher, Registered

Manager, Wey House

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Congratulations to Towngate East, the winners of our 2017 Christmas card competition!

The judges loved the bold and cheery reindeer design. The card was printed and used as the official Voyage Care Christmas card.

We had a record number of entries – over 125 of you sent in your designs, so thank you! We loved receiving them and the judging was very difficult.

And the winner is...

Paul and Clive were very happy to receive their cards.

The winning design!

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1 February not only marked our 30th birthday, it was also Dignity Action Day. At our group support open day we created a huge dignity tree, using people’s handprints as leaves.

The tree was so colourful and had lots of lovely ideas about dignity.

We drew around people’s hands and cut them out.

We asked people to write what dignity means to them on their handprint and attached it to the tree.

“I felt anxious to come but I liked drawing around my hand” Tracy

I then showed my ID and signed the visitors book.

A day in the life...Cathy lives in her own flat in Nottingham and has been one of Voyage Care’s Quality Checkers for the last twelve months. We followed Cathy during one of her visits at Arnold Road.

Take a look at what Cathy got up to…

Before I started the Quality Check, I was greeted by the manager of the home.

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I then sat down and fed back to the manager about the Quality Check visit.

I enjoyed having a chat with some of the home’s residents during my visit.

After this, I walked around the home, including bedrooms and communal areas. This helped me answer the Quality Check questions.

After signing out of the visitors book, I said goodbye to the residents and staff.

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He wanted to work with animals so he asked the team at The Grove to help him find a volunteer job.

They arranged for him to go to the Haslemere Cat Adoption Centre for the day to meet the other volunteers and see what the job would be like.

Scotty loved it so much that he is now an official volunteer. He goes to help out every week, feeding and grooming the cats and cleaning out their houses. He also talks to visitors about adopting a cat and how to care for their new pet.

Scotty loves animals and has his own rabbits and guinea pigs at home.

Scotty’s purrr-fect new job!

I love helping the cats, they need somebody to love them and I can do that. They are soft and furry and need to be brushed and I, ‘Super –kidboy’ do it for them, it’s the best job and it is my honour to do it!

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Edward is one of the trainee chefs. He has just moved into his own flat and he is very happy that he has learned to cook for himself.

The chefs are proud of the meals they cook and they enjoy serving lunch to their friends at the centre.

Head chef Marco is teaching them to make and serve lunch for everyone at the centre. They use special equipment to help them chop the ingredients safely. They all have new red jackets to wear when they work in the kitchen.

Nine people who go to The Grove Resource Centre in Surrey are learning to cook in a professional kitchen.

Let’s get cooking!

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Bringing Lamin’s family together

Lamin lives in our Willowbrook home in Leicester.

He had a brain injury in 2012 and lost touch with his mother, brothers and sisters, who live in Gambia in West Africa. They didn’t know about his injury or where he was now.

Lamin’s keyworker, Samba, worked hard to find his mother. Now, for the first time in five years, Lamin is able to phone his family, send messages and share photos with them. They are all very happy to be together again and to know that Lamin is safe and well.

I am much unlimited happy for Samba providing me the chance to speak to my family. I definitely appreciated and am still appreciating the chance or opportunity she provided for me to be in contact with my family in The Gambia. She also makes it possible for me and my family to exchange pictures and to be in touch whenever we need each other. I will like to say once again to Samba .... THANK YOU Lamin

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Nick lives at one of our homes in Southampton.

He was drinking too much alcohol at weekends, and refusing to take his medication. He also stopped taking part in many of the activities he enjoyed. Nick didn’t seem happy, and it was affecting the other people at the home. It was clear it was time for a change.

His support team worked with his family and decided to change his support hours. Nick was receiving some support from agency workers, but they changed this so that he only received support from the team at Voyage Care. They also worked hard to create a more positive environment for him.

After these changes, Nick stopped drinking too much and is now taking his medication. He also takes part in all of his usual activities and has even joined in with new ones, which he would not have done before!

The change in Nick so far has been great and staff are delighted with his progress.

How Nick made more positive life choices

“With the changes that have been made it has given Nick a happier, more fulfilling life. His relationships with staff and family have improved, enabling better support and for Nick to do the things he enjoys the most like regularly watching Southampton FC”

Olly Bower Service Manager

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Billymoves into

Lorenzo Drive

“I’ve now got my own freedom and I am happy about it.”

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Billy, who has a brain injury, lived at one of our homes in Merseyside for 14 years.

Late last year he moved into his very own flat at our brain injury centre, Lorenzo Drive in Liverpool.

We asked Billy how he was getting on so far in his new home.

“I’ve now got my own freedom and I am happy about it. I am still a little bit scared about things going wrong but I know the staff are here to support me” said Billy.

Living at Lorenzo Drive has also given Billy more independence.

He said: “I do my own washing daily so I don’t have to be prompted. I am looking after my flat and keeping it clean and I have met my new neighbour.”

And while he is still waiting for some more furniture to arrive, Billy certainly enjoyed his first Christmas and New Year’s in his new home.

“Christmas and New Year’s were great! I put my tree up, but I do want a bigger one next year. I am also planning on having a house warming once I am fully settled in” explained Billy.

Billy is already working towards his next move in the future and we wish him all the best!

Remploy are here to help!

Are you interested in getting a job

So… How can Remploy help you?

Your skills

Remploy will help you understand what skills you already have and how you can use these at work. They will also prepare you with key interview skills by practicing with you.

Finding work

Remploy will help you make a really good CV and support you to find and apply for job vacancies that you have an interest in.

Support at work

If you successfully find a job that is right for you, Remploy will always be there for you if you need advice while in your new role.

If you’re interested in looking for a job with the support from Remploy, please speak to your Service Manager.

Remploy support individuals with disabilities to find meaningful employment.

Voyage Care have a partnership with Remploy, who offer employment advice and support for people with disabilities, health conditions and other challenges. Remploy focus on individual abilities and have successfully helped thousands of people into a range of programmes and jobs.

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Lil and Eva had a jam packed holiday full of fun! The weather was beautiful, so they enjoyed ice-creams, walks along the Somerset seafront and a great visit to the animal park, where they fed some of the animals.

During their stay they were able to enjoy some classic arcades and go shopping.

A great autumn getaway for Lil and Eva

In October a couple of our residents of Lynwood House, Lil and Eva, went away to Pontins Brean Sands Holiday Park in Somerset, with their support workers. This is what Lil and Eva got up to!

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Lil said: “I loved my holiday, the animals at the park was my favourite and I really enjoyed the ice-creams by the sea. I was upset there were no Zebras at the animal park.”

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Celebrating a big year of fundraising in 2017After a very successful year of fundraising when we raised £12,000 for Headway, we are very pleased to be continuing to support them in 2018!

Here are some photos of the year to celebrate the fantastic efforts that have been made.

Heading for a

total...

23Big plans for 2018 As 2018 is our 30th year, we are setting a very challenging target of £30,000! We’re excited to get started and want as many of you as possible to get involved.

If you’d like to get involved and raise money for Headway, please speak to your support team!

Target£30,000

We’re hope you’re looking forward to Valentine’s Day as much as we are.

For your chance to win cinema passes for you and a friend (and your support workers) enter our competition by creating your very own Valentine’s poem.

You can either send your poem to the communications team: Communications Team Wall Island, Birmingham Road, Lichfield Staffordshire WS14 0QP

Or, take a clear photo of your poem and email it to communications@voyagecare.com.

Good luck and happy Valentine’s Day!

Roses are red, violets are blue, write us a love poem, we’re challenging you!

Competition Time!