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Chantelle flies to Scotland

Chantelle has had an amazing year and has achieved so much and so as a little reward a trip to Scotland was planned.

Despite not having been on a plane for a long time, Chantelle did really well and she caught the plane from Bristol to Edinburgh. She had a really busy weekend doing lots of sightseeing, she walked along the Royal Mile and enjoyed listening to the bagpipes.

Had a trip to Edinburgh Castle and visited the World of Illusions which she really enjoyed and said was great fun.

She hopped on and off the tour bus and enjoyed listening to lots of history through the headphones and to top it all off she enjoyed a shandy in a local pub. A very busy weekend but lots of fun was had.

The Chiefs and The Hawks

An inspirational and informative day was had by Rich and team members Martin and Keith at the European and English Champions, The Exeter Chiefs. Rich was granted a personal tour by Aron Struminski, the Senior Community Manager for the Exeter Chiefs.

Rich plays for the Westcountry Hawks so this was a great opportunity for him to chat to Aron, explore the grounds and the team areas including the gym, rehabilitation area and the winners’ cups.

The attention to detail was fabulous, no wonder the Exeter Chiefs are champs.

Visit West Country Hawks – Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby

Before the fantastic tour, Rich, Martin and Keith visited the House of Marbles for some Christmas shopping and to play some games before having a spot of lunch.

Visit The House of Marbles website

They ended the trip with a visit to Jolly Rogers life size resin models, a must-see attraction if you haven’t been already. It was a great day out for all, and they are looking forward to the next one.

Visit The Jolly Roger – Life Size Figure Models website

Free at last!

Andrew finally managed to get on a break-away after all the Covid-19 lock downs.

He was eager to get out and about and he made it big time. His first outing was Go-Karting, he was too fast for a picture!

Next he headed to Cornwall for a spot of camping. He was feeling amazing, for a long time Andrew didn’t feel like even leaving his house. This was a big event for him and his team had a great time too.

Congratulations to Andrew and his dream team for making this happen. Where will you head to next Andrew?

Sofa to Finland

Well, after many delays due to Covid here it is, finally. From Sofa to Finland is the sequel to from Sofa to Sweden and the idea was to cycle around the Turku Archipelago. For those of you that have been following the story, you will know that Ricky is blind but he doesn’t let that stop him from having a great life.

Ricky never had the opportunities in life that most of us take for granted. He never learnt to ride a bike as a child and up until about 5 years ago, he wouldn’t even sit on a bike. He started like most of do, just sitting and getting comfortable and then progressed to getting pushed around.

With his team encouraging him he finally managed to ride tandem and so of course, it was time to plan a challenge. They cycled over 200kms round one of the oldest archipelago trails. A momentous effort, especially in the searing heat. I wonder where Ricky’s adventures will take him next.

Thanks to Ryan for organising the trip, Hamish for his stubborn determination and believing anything is possible for people and David Bray for supporting and making Ricky comfortable with his first bike.

See the whole route on the trail website: The Archipelago Trail | Visit Pargas (visitparainen.fi)

Mr Wonderful

Mr Wonderful, we called him that because the first time we met him, he was just that, Wonderful.

He had been through so much in his life and this pulled on our heart strings but he took it all in his stride and got on with living his life. A force to be reckoned with but he was warm and he had a strong sense of loyalty and justice. James was also the perfect gentleman, the old fashioned type who would open a door for you and walk on the outside of the road.

He was an avid Liverpool FC supporter, delighted of course when they won the Premier League in 2020. He teased his team mercilessly if their allegiances lay elsewhere but they loved him just the same, they also remember sitting through many a cricket match as this was another of his passions. They all remain saddened by his untimely passing and remember him with great fondness.

Download the Mr. Wonderful booklet PDF here.

James’ life reminds us of the importance of the work we do. He had spent many a year living in hospitals, damaged by a system who didn’t understand or appreciate his uniqueness. We freed James from the system and gave him the opportunity to live his best life. His story lives on, not only in all of us but also in statute as Mr Wonderful is recorded forever in Hansard, the official record of parliament. They held a debate demonstrating that people who have survived the mental health system can go on to live rich lives in their communities.

James’ life was rich with people, not people who were paid to be in his life, but people like his family who loved him and like his team who were matched to him and who came to love him. James and his family became like family to Beyond Limits, the type of family that would argue and disagree but a family that also had the utmost respect for one another and a family who kept James at the heart of every decision.

We continue with our mission, to free people from systems, we continue to go Beyond the Limits and we do this in James’ name and in the name of all the other people who have been affected and who are still affected by institutional systems.

Chantelle goes Beyond the Limits

Chantelle has been working in the Lounge in Torquay for 2 years. The Lounge is a community café which provides support to people who are homeless.

Chantelle volunteers as a waitress, she also helps in the kitchen and enjoys talking to the customers. Chantelle received an award recently in the category of Going Above and Beyond in a volunteering role from the local Council.

On Friday 3rd June Chantelle attended the Jubilee party in Torquay and she was given her award by the Lord Mayor, she received a £15.00 voucher. Chantelle has a very good work ethic, she is never late or ill and she has made lots of friends through her volunteering. Well Done Chantelle, keep up the good work, your team is very proud of you.

Thank you Donna!!

Really lovely to be able to gather together to celebrate a huge achievement for Donna who has been employed by Beyond Limits for 10 years.

We could not let this milestone go by without recognising Donna’s commitment to the people she supports and the organisation and we were delighted to be able to celebrate with her. A presentation at a surprise party was the order of the day and people were invited to join in marking Donna’s 10 years of service.

Of course there was cake and gifts and tales told of work past and present, above all though it was an opportunity for us to say a huge thank you to Donna for all her hard work over the years, 10 years’ service is truly amazing and just goes to show what magic can happen when you work in the right place with the right people.

We are really looking forward to seeing you at our job fayre

We are so excited to be able to get back to seeing potential job seekers face to face. We will be at the New Continental Hotel in Plymouth from 10am on the 15th September to talk to you about the vacancies that we currently have.

It’s a great opportunity to learn more about what we do and to hear stories first hand from people who already work with us, we can also help you with your application form on the day.

Come along, it promises to be a good day and the tickets are free, you just need to grab yourself one by clicking on the link below and following the instructions.

https://www.ukcareersfair.com/event/plymouth-careers-fair

Chantelle visits Pennywell Farm

It was a lovely day recently and a real sign that Spring is on the way.

Chantelle decided to take advantage of the nice weather and booked tickets to go to Pennywell Farm. Chantelle loves animals, she quite often attends her local horse riding centre and enjoys feeding and grooming the horses. Pennywell Farm has a wide range of animals and Chantelle loves to get involved in feeding and petting them.

The miniature pigs are a real hit and Chantelle took real care of these and enjoyed having a piggy cuddle.

The goats are mischievous and quite greedy and nearly enjoyed a piece of Chantelle’s jacket on more than one occasion.

Lunch and a walk around the rest of the farm looking at the other animals completed the day and Chantelle is already looking to book tickets again for another visit soon.

Visit the Pennywell Farm website for more information and to book tickets.

www.pennywellfarm.co.uk

Beyond Limits is a partner in the Small Supports programme

Beyond Limits has joined C-Change, NDTi, Positive Support for You and the Local Government Association to help develop and promote the Small Supports programme. The programme is generously supported by NHS England.

Visit the Small Supports page on the NDTi website

We are working with local areas to help them create the best environment for small supports to emerge and flourish and with existing and emerging small supports organisations to develop and share great ways of working. The partners are not seeking to establish or grow their own support activity.

Below is some background information about Small Supports

What are Small Supports?

Small Supports organisations have a lot in common. Small Supports organisations share nine key characteristics.

Background to Small Supports Activity

Small Supports activity is about thinking and working with people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have ‘hefty reputations’ (to borrow a phrase to describe people who are burdened by the reputations they have been given because of behaviours, reactions, support requirements and large funding packages).

Small Supports Networks

There are a couple of networks associated with our Small Supports programme: one for providers and another for commissioners.

We have our Restraint Reduction membership!

Beyond Limits are delighted to have had our pledge approved and accepted by the Restraint Reduction network. We understand that supporting people, especially those individuals who at times may present behaviours that cause concern, requires a commitment to place people at the centre of everything we do.

We vow to continue our work in this regard with people and their families and work with their best interests. Restrictive practice will only be used as a last resort, in an emergency to maintain safety and in circumstances where there is immediate or imminent harm and where alternatives cannot be used or have failed.

Under no circumstances…

Under no circumstances will any restrictive practice which is considered degrading or abusive ever be used and restrictive practices will not be used to enforce rules or to punish or coerce. We will continue our work, supporting people to be all they can be, having lives that make sense for them, free from restrictions and institutional living.

To learn more about the Restraint Reduction Network and their work, visit their website: www.restraintreductionnetwork.org

Beyond Limits launches a Newspaper for the new decade

As part of our celebration of the great work our staff do, the people we support and their friends and families we have produced a printed newspaper.

There are stories from our support workers, trainers and people connected to Beyond Limits plus information about new staff benefits. Our aim is to produce two or three editions a year so we have started collecting stories for the next edition already! If you would like to share a story or recommend somewhere to visit we’d love to hear from you.

Contents of edition 1

• Chantelle at college / MacMillan fundraiser
• Recommend a Friend scheme is changing / Health & Social Care Diploma
• BILD Training for Hamish and Georgia / Ian’s holiday
• Welcome Austin / Southwest Wordsearch / Useful information
• James attends the End of Season Cricket dinner / Plymouth’s new cineworld
• New places to visit / A simple soup
• Kayleigh’s three day advednture
• Planning days / Ricky has found a new love, his tandem
• Job Fairs around the South West
• Talking shop – training staff / Team working with Lou Close
• New Employee Assistance Programme / Work for Beyond Limits

On page 5 we have a Wordsearch, if you’d like the answers please click here.

Below is a link to a PDF of the whole newspaper. If you’d like a printed copy please contact the Beyond Limits office.

Heather’s pasties are a ‘proper job’

Heather really fancied a pasty but with everything closed Heather and her team decided to make their own Gluten Free Pasties.

The photos below show Heather’s pasty making, start to finish.

Thank you for all your hard work

As a Central Team, we wanted to show our immense gratitude and recognise how hard you have all been working during this very unsettling time.

We wanted to find some small way of showing our appreciation for all that you do every single day, a way of saying “thank you” to each and every one of you.

And so we came up with an idea that has taken us a couple of weeks to put together, please watch our thank you video, from us to you, we had fun making it and we hope it puts a smile on your face.

We need to give a special shout out to Claire Bennett for her artistic creation of the poster we have used and to Val Alekseenko-Simpson for taking the time to create the video.

Thank you all and please stay safe.