I met Vincent in summer, 2019. He was supported by his former foster carers, Graham and Irene. He was 19 years old and crippled with social anxiety. He had worked in the past but due to his autism, he struggled. It knocked his confidence and self-esteem, and he was very negative about his future.

Luke has autism lives in Cornwall with three other gentlemen supported by Brandon. In this blog, Luke’s mum, Jenni, reflects on the past year and the many changes and challenges brought about by COVID-19.

Hello there. I’m Petra and I joined Brandon in the role of Retail Manager at the end of September 2020. Since then, our three Bristol-based charity shops have only been open for a total of nine weeks! Like everyone else, we’ve needed to adjust to new ways of working and running our shops. I have to say, that every single member of our retail team, has been absolutely brilliant during this time. They are a great bunch of hardworking, creative people, always supporting and looking out for each other.

Hello. My name is Ben and I live in North Somerset. For this year’s Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week, I wanted to share how I’ve been learning to use technology to connect with people.

Josh has been working for Brandon for two and a half years. Starting as a support worker, he describes his journey from teacher training to social care.

Over the last year Jon has expanded his horizons, even at a time when we have had our freedoms and activities restricted. Through a care plan created by his Team Leader, Paula Bolter, and agreed with his sister, Jon’s support workers have helped him feel more confident and less anxious. Paula explains more in this insightful blog.