The Shared Lives South West Somerset team celebrated the charity’s 20th anniversary with an afternoon tea event, hosted at their base at Eaglewood Park, Dillington.
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, Shared Lives South West provides support for adults with a range of needs, including learning disabilities, mental health challenges, autism, and age-related illnesses.
20th anniversary
The organisation matches individuals with carers, giving them the support to live their best and fullest lives, and is often likened to adult fostering.
The afternoon tea not only highlighted the charity’s achievements but also honoured the dedication of Shared Lives Carers, who “play a crucial role in transforming lives through compassion and support”.
Cllr Hamilton said: “It was very apparent from talking with staff, carers and those you help, that not only do you provide and facilitate such a vital service, but you do so in such a way that the passion for what you do shines brightly through. This all translated into a lovely couple of hours which made me feel more like I was sharing in an extended family celebration.
“Thank you to for what you do. Here is to another 20 years of success and I wish Shared Lives well in their endeavour in becoming ‘the leading provider in the country.”
afternoon tea speech
Shared Lives Team Leader Amanda Maggs made an emotional and heartfelt speech at the afternoon tea event.
She said: “Home-based care is increasingly recognised as a valuable and effective way to provide support to people with various needs, and Shared Lives stands out as a perfect example of this. In Shared Lives there is a focus on supporting people to be part of their local community, promoting independence, and ensuring that care is tailored to each person’s unique needs. That each person supported is able to voice what they want out of life and help to achieve it.
“Our Shared Lives Carers demonstrate this model of support that stands out as an amazing example of the transformational power of the ordinary.
“Shared Lives South West has a vison to be able to offer more and more people the opportunity to lead a gloriously ordinary life. Our hope is that having come and celebrated with us today you will feel inspired to go and spread the word about how ordinary people, doing everyday things can make an extraordinary difference to someone’s life.”
Our story made the Chard and Ilminster news. You can read it here.
For more Shared Lives news visit this page.