Charnley Fold Activity Day Centre, Bamber Bridge
Gavin was unsure at first about going to the day centre as he only had bad memories from 30+ years ago when he went in his 20’s and hated it. He was forced to go by the Health & Service at the time as this is all that was available for young disabled adults.
Flip a couple of months and Gavin has gone from two days a week to three days a week to five days a week. He just loves it and can’t wait to get there every morning.
I asked Gavin “What do you get out of going to the centre?”
His reply was “Pure enjoyment!”
Followed by: “Make friends”
“Learn to be sociable”
“Learn from others”
“Enjoy the activities”
“Able to laugh with everyone”
“Learn new skills”
I asked Gavin how he feels about going to the centre…
His reply was: “I feel happy and I fit in. It doesn’t matter that I don’t have that illness the others have as we all get on together really well. It has a family atmosphere with a friendly service. The staff are amazing but they have to work too hard and need more!”
He loves the variety of activities, especially playing snooker. He loves bingo and quizzes and doing his exercises every day. The food is amazing and says he is very well fed. He finished with its the first time he feels settled somewhere.
We have seen a massive difference in Gavin as going to the centre every day has given him a routine and a purpose each day. He comes home smiling and can’t wait to tell us about everything he has done that day.
