Inspired by the stories shared during Mencap’s Learning Disability Work Week last week (9-15 November), Lucy, who we support in North Somerset, got in touch to tell us about being employed and what it means to her.

Many months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been reflecting on the incredible resilience of the people I work with at Brandon. In my role as Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Advanced Practitioner, I have daily contact with multiple Brandon support teams, as well as hearing about their work from other members of the PBS team. The dedication of the people providing direct support, and the incredible response of people we support to the most difficult of situations, has been nothing short of inspirational.

Sweet and sour is the right word to use for my experience growing up as a black male living with autism. I had mixed memories, some really good ones and some not too good. I remember one of the Saturdays when I visited Dad, he took me to a snooker hall which I enjoyed greatly as I felt on top of the world. My primary school days was great fun. I had a particular friend, we played together most times and it was just fun. Things were good for me.

Brandon’s day centre in Nailsea, North Somerset, offers people with learning disabilities and autism a wide range of art and craft groups, based on their personal interests. Tommy, who attends the day centre, got in touch to tell us about a garden transformation project that is very important to him.

Following an Outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August 2019, Brandon's Gloucestershire supported living service has been working hard to further improve the quality of their support and they have just been awarded a Bronze certificate for engaging in the ReSPECT programme - Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment. Brandon locality manager, Francis, took the lead on the project so we spoke to him to find out more.

My name’s Samantha and my job focusses on social inclusion and supporting people with additional barriers into employment. Additional barriers may include a learning disability, autism, mental health, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. In 2016, in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council, Brandon Trust became involved with the Going the Extra Mile (GEM) project. I successfully applied for the role of navigator developer.