Learning Disability Week, explores the theme, Do You See Me? – which is all about people with a learning disability being seen, heard, and valued.
During Learning Disability Week 2025, Alex will join a panel of experts to share his knowledge during a Sirona Health and Care webinar for healthcare professionals.
Brandon Adventurer, Alex, will talk about being supported to live a healthier life and how having meaningful paid work as an Adventurer, has changed his life for the better.
Expert by experience
Since joining the Brandon Adventurers team of experts by experience in 2024, Alex has supported projects including training University of the West of England prescribing course students, and training National Care Forum leaders on how to facilitate co-production projects.
Most recently, Alex helped to create an e-learning programme for NHS staff explaining how to support autistic people and people with a learning disability to live healthily.
“I was at rock bottom”
Alex explains: “I was at rock bottom. I was drinking and reaching a breakdown and knew I had to do something. I went to my team and said I would like to do something about the way I am. The feelings at the time was depressed and lonely.
“If the team had kept saying to me that I had to change when I wasn’t ready, that would have made me anxious and upset – it needed to be my decision and choice. It takes a lot of willpower so it will never work if the person isn’t ready.
“My team then worked with me and put me in touch with Steve who runs a local walking group. This group is open to anyone. When I went there they explained the choices of portions of food and they explained the decisions that you make when you make decisions about what you eat and also tell you to get a food diary. It was very interesting to meet people the same as me who were struggling with their weight and their mental health.
“My confidence started to grow”
“I felt blown away when I completed my first walk, it was a special moment for me. I felt on days like I couldn’t be bothered, but you need to have the motivation to commit to it and do it. Staff need to say ‘make the right choices’ and they need to ask for more advice. They need to watch some healthy videos and get a real understanding of what they are saying to them. Staff need to celebrate and motivate the people we support to find more goals like I have done. I didn’t just want to do the walking group, I wanted to do football too, and now I am.
“As I started to lose weight I started to feel more like myself. My confidence started to grow, and more opportunities started coming my way. It all started unfolding.
“One of the best jobs”
“Becoming an Adventurer is the best thing I ever done and it’s one of the best jobs you can ever get. It’s one of those jobs you can’t get anywhere else.
“I feel this way because now I can talk to people and tell them what it felt like for me, so other people don’t have to experience some of the things that I have.
“Having this job has improved my mental health – talking about it, coping with it and using it as a tool to help others feels amazing.
“I now have a purpose”
“I now have a purpose and understand what that is. Without this weight-loss journey, I would never be here – I tried to join the Adventurers team a few years ago but was not in the right headspace so I decided to leave. I’m so happy to be back and now be a permanent member of the team.”
Alex, Brandon Adventurer
