Success stories

Kerrie's story:

"My name is Kerrie and I live at Eastdale. I moved in when it opened in January and I love living on my own now. I have a job working at Asda.

I have worked at Asda for over 5 years now and I really enjoy working there. I work 5 days a week doing 16 hours in total. To make sure I get there on time my mum pre-books my taxi there and back.

I work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday every week. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I get given gloves and I do the freezer delivery, I take food out of the boxes and put it in the correct freezer, they give me gloves to protect my hands from the frozen food.

On the other days of the week I will do face up in the shop this is where I bring all items to the front to make it easier for the customers to see and so the shelves look tidy."

A's story:

A had been in and out of hospital settings for many years due to the challenges she experienced in her past. Prior to this, A was well educated and attended university until the second year of her degree, when her mental health began to deteriorate. Over the coming years, A had numerous hospital admissions due to non-engagement with Mental Health services and was homeless for a period.

In 2021 A was residing in a Rehabilitation Unit out of borough, to overcome substance misuse, which meant A was away from family. A’s stay in rehabilitation was successful and following a social care assessment, it became clear that she was ready to take the next step of living in the community. A’s social worker liaised with A and her family and linked in with the Customer and Family Liaison Officer to identify the perfect home for her. It was important to A to be close to family and have specialised support to maintain good mental health and prevent future hospitalisations.

A scheme of individual flats that focuses on supporting people’s mental well-being and works towards preventing further hospital admissions was put forward as one of the accommodation options suitable for A. The Family Liaison Officer supported A and family to view the flat and they really liked the setup of the scheme and the person-centred support offered by the care provider. A accepted the offer and was given the opportunity to choose furniture from the Supported Accommodation Furniture Brochure to turn the apartment into a home. A moved to the scheme in the end of 2021.

There have been ups and downs in the last year, but in A’s words, the move has been a “liberating, a breath of fresh air” and with support from the care provider A gets through good days and bad days. She appreciates having own space and being able to go to the shops freely without signing out. A feels motivated by the staff team and has taken part in charity events organised by the support provider, such as being the Match Day Reporter during Women’s Euros.

With help from the regular staff team, A has secured a voluntary job in a local charity shop. Everyone is extremely proud of her, and it has been a great boost to A’s confidence. Feedback from the charity shop has been very positive, they understand A’s mental health needs and support her fully by being flexible and keeping lines of communication open. Her next goal is to explore the possibility of paid employment but isn’t quite ready for this step just yet. At the moment, A is enjoying having the opportunity of giving something back to the community.

The move to the scheme has been extremely positive. Due to professionals working together with A and family, we have supported A to live the dream. A's family is thrilled to have their loved one living locally again, with the appropriate support to achieve positive outcomes and independence. She has built up relationships that were previously lost and is a great example that advocates for people who find themselves struggling with their mental health and substance misuse. A has shown that with help and support from committed professionals and varied accommodation options, it is possible to make positive changes in life.

Person-centred and outcome focused work continues with our care providers across the borough, with support from the Quality Performance Officers, to further encourage the aspirations and wishes of A and other tenants in supported accommodation.

Mark's story:

Mark now lives in his own tenancy, he previously lived in the family home. Since Mark has moved into supported accommodation, he has taken many steps to improve his independence and confidence, enjoying life to the full in his community. He really enjoys his work experience at The Brick and it is great to see his enthusiasm and takes his role very seriously. 

Over the course of the year Mark has been doing some extra days and training courses, these including cleaning training and attending the volunteering conference at The Brick Community Stadium. 

Mark always demonstrates a warm and friendly personality towards all the staff and customers at the food bank. He has an almost perfect attendance record and is never late. Some of Mark’s daily activities include checking stock levels, placing the food items on the shelves, cleaning and till operations when processing the customers purchases. From time-to-time he will help in the kitchen area where he has shown a good level of knowledge including following the health and hygiene protocols. 

Just recently Mark completed 2024 Wigan 10K, supporters and businesses joined forces with Joining Jack and other charities to raise vital cash to help people in our local community

Well done Mark another fantastic year at The Brick.

Eastdale supportive living scheme

N's story

N has now moved on from College house but mentioned how their time there helped them grow in many aspects of their life and gave them the confidence to keep going.

N said:

I came to college house on 31st January 2023. I was broken, very fragile and unable to walk. My alcoholism has reared its ugly head and took a hold of me and I almost took my life. Everyone at college house took me by the hand and helped me find the strength to stand on my own two feet. Within the last 19 months my life has gone from strength to strength. There has been highs and lows but I am grateful for the help I received.

Fir Tree Fisheries

Elliot Gardens sanctuary project

Residents of Eliot Gardens were keen to develop a committee to shape their home and engage with the local community. In 2023 the first committee meeting was held and members decided they would like to fundraise to secure funds to develop a space outside, to connect with their environment and have a space in which they could come together and share with their local community.

Jigsaw homes arranged for their hit squad to begin to prepare the ground, fit for purpose for the greenhouse, flagging an area which previously was raised beds. They a new bed within the space to allow produce to be grown. 

This project has encouraged many residents to get involved with growing plants from seeds and seedlings to produce which has been cooked in their meals. Brian, who lives in Eliot Gardens, was a horticulturist during his working life and was keen to get his neighbours involved with this project.

A handful of residents from the committee were keen to keep their local area clean and free from litter, developing a group that meet weekly and clean up their community. This supports their wellbeing by giving them a purpose and helping them create meaningful friendships. The scheme's local councillor was contacted by comittee chair Jean Fieldhouse to support with litter pickers and recyclable waste.

Elliot Gardens committee has big plans for future projects:

• A summer fate for the community
• To further look after the environment and encourage sustainability
• In spring, 25 schools to be involved in a gardening club
• Fundraiser for a summer house and a bigger garden area for growing plants all year round.

Other sucesses

Community Integrated Care (CIC): Winter Ball Christmas Party 2024. CIC brought people who receive support services together, helping people form new friendships and celebrate Christmas together.

Creative Support: Walking is a great way to stay healthy and improve wellbeing. Walking group set up by Creative support for people they support. The group met at Pennington flash, great way to exercise and build friendships.