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

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

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.

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.

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.

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)

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?

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

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.

Well done Rich!!!

Rich was on the winning side recently when his team won the division 2 wheelchair rugby league. Rich plays wheelchair rugby with the West Country Hawks and they played over 3 weekends which took place in Stoke-on-Trent.

He was involved in a total of 16 games and they remained undefeated across of all the games, little wonder that Rich looks so happy. He plays as a defender and he was a key player for his team, his force and strength stopped a number of goals from being conceded.

Well done Rich, and who knows, this time Stoke-on Trent, next time the Olympics!

West Country Hawks – Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (gbwr.org.uk)