A warm welcome to Gemma January, who has joined the People Team as a Community Engagement Officer, with the aim promoting Shared Lives South West across Devon at events and supporting with marketing. Here we catch up with Gemma to find out how she is finding it at the charity… What have your first…
Shared Lives Carer Nikki Drewett has made it through to the final of the BBC Radio Cornwall Make a Difference Awards. Nikki is down to the final four in the Carer category, where she is being recognised for her role in supporting Jen. Make a difference The award will be given to someone who improves…
We have welcomed Sophie Essex in a new position at Shared Lives South West. Based in the Cornwall office, her role as a Community Engagement Officer, will focused on being out in the community to promote Shared Lives and Carer recruitment at various events. We caught up with her just after she started… What…
Em, who is supported by Shared Lives Carers Kathy and Steve Lee, has shown true determination and has overcome many challenges to pass both her theory and practical driving tests. Despite struggling with her theory test and taking it 16 times, she didn’t give up and finally passed the exam. “I didn’t realise that she…
This year Shared Lives South West is 20 years old! We are celebrating the milestone in lots of ways. We are sharing stories from Shared Lives households and staff and the wider Shared Lives community as well as having a regular presence on our social media about our special anniverary. Feel free to follow us…
Carole and Michael Lintern, who live in Somerset, are retiring after more than 30 years as carers. They have supported Samantha since she was a teenager and moved to Shared Lives services, when she was 18 years old. The couple felt it was the right time to retire as Samantha announced she was going to…
After almost 20 years Shared Lives Carers Rick and Debbie Smith are set to retire. The couple, who live in Torbay, were actually among the first carers to go through the Shared Lives South West (then SWAPS South West Adult Placement) assessment when the organisation was formed two decades ago. In recent years, both have…
Shared Lives South West is celebrating its 20th anniversary and over the years the organisation has transformed dramatically. But one thing that hasn’t changed are three staff who joined the charity in its very early stages. Funding and Benefits Team Leader Donna Bounden joined Shared Lives South West, then called SWAPS (Shared Lives Adult Placement…
With the right support Luke has blossomed living with his Shared Lives Carers Julie and Tommy Hughes in Paignton. He moved in a year ago and has slowly worked on his mental health and is thriving. “Moving in here is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he said. He’s now working at…
Josh is celebrating writing a fantasy book Twisted Valley, which is now available on Amazon. It took months to come to fruition and he is thrilled it can now be downloaded or printed. “I used to write books as a child called the Sacred Oak, which were centred around talking animals in a forest and…