Borough Life Summer 2006: A state of independence
Chatham Partnership members Tommy Stott, left, and Alan Ratcliffe sow seeds in trays for the centre garden – just one of their daily tasks.
Most people treat the idea of change with caution. So when disabled people living in the south of the borough were told last year that the day services they relied on were to be “restructured” there was a bit of concern.
But change can be a real force for good, particularly when it aims to help people overcome barriers and gain greater independence.
Walk into Leigh’s Chatham Partnership any day of the week and you’ll see this in action. It’s an active, thriving place where people with physical disabilities are taking charge of their own lives and shaping both their own futures and that of the centre.
The Chatham Partnership opened in February and is the product of that very re-structuring process mentioned earlier.
“We think the partnership is very different from the accepted view of day services,” said Wigan Council’s assistant service manager, Margaret Kelly. “It is the members who control their own lives and what they do here.
“There are staff available who will assist but it is very much about the service users being in control of the centre and the direction in which it goes.
“For example, we are going to have some improvement work done in the near future and it is the centre members who will decide on the colour schemes, the décor and what the different rooms will be used for.”
The small but extremely dedicated team are working with the partnership’s members to make a success of this new concept of independence.
Alan Ratcliffe has been coming to the Chatham Partnership since it first opened. Some days he chairs the centre members' meeting to decide what they will do during their time at the partnership.
“I was a bit nervous at first because we didn’t know what to expect,” said Alan. “It is very different from what we were doing before, but it’s very good.
“We really feel that this is our place and each morning we meet to discuss what has happened and what each of us will do throughout the day.
“We all have different tasks, we are in charge of making our own food throughout the day, and we work on the reception, answer the phone and conduct our own health and safety checks.”
For centre member Ernie Blackburn, it’s a trip into town to get the morning papers that is his daily task.
“It’s great that we are given control about what we do,” said Ernie. “We all work as a big team here and it is so much better. The independence I have at the centre helps me to be more independent at home as well.”
And there’s still much more to come, as Margaret explained. “The council has a responsibility to develop a centre for inclusive living over the next few years.
This should be led by people with a disability, who would offer support and advice to the borough’s disabled residents and champion the positive role they can play.”
If you would like to get more information about the Chatham Partnership you can contact the service direct on 01942 767874.