Disabled people building a better Weston

Everyone came together at the celebratory ‘My Voice, My Choice’ showcase event, on Wednesday 23 January, run by leading charity Leonard Cheshire, at Locking Castle Church. 

The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor Michael Lyall, said:

‘I am excited to be here today, to be part of a celebration of disabled people shaping community life in Weston-Super-Mare.

‘I had some very interesting conversations with disabled people about what matters to them locally and it was great to see so many individuals come along to make their voice heard.

‘The Big Lottery funded project has clearly had a fantastic impact on the disabled people who participated, and I hope everyone who attended today will continue to build bridges across our community.’

During a discussion of volunteering, one of the attendees, local man Paul said:

‘I’d like to volunteer around here, in Weston. It’s where I live. It’s needed, especially for people who feel isolated and need a friend. It’s so important [to have] something like a befriending service.’

Everyone who came to the event got to find out about the local and national services available to them. They also connected with the wider community and raised awareness of the local issues they face.

They addressed volunteering, education, employment, transport, access and safety and health activities and lifestyles.

The disabled people at the event also made recommendations to representatives on how they would like their services improved.

This showcase came as part of the Big Lottery funded ‘My Voice, My Choice’ project, which has also seen Leonard Cheshire run a series of successful workshops in Weston last year.

These gave disabled people in the area a chance to raise issues they face locally and explore possible solutions.

Alison Morgan, 57, who has unspecified myositis and attended one of these workshops, said:

‘I found the transport workshop was a great opportunity to share experiences and frustrations with other disabled people and to learn from each other.

‘It was helpful to have representatives from the transport operators there, it felt like we were being listened to and our concerns taken seriously.

‘Several bad experiences had put me off even considering using public transport and knocked my confidence in travelling independently. Hearing positive feedback from others who use public transport more frequently has encouraged me to try again.’

Leonard Cheshire’s local campaigns officer Lora Tanner said:

‘‘This project has been an incredible journey for people to not only discover more about their local community and how they may wish to improve things but also an opportunity to discover new skills.

‘We’ve seen confidence growing through workshop discussions, friendships have been made and participants now have the understanding that their voice counts and needs to be heard!’

As well as helping to establish connections across the community, the findings from this project will be used when Leonard Cheshire plans future work in the Weston-super-Mare area. 

Media enquiries

For further information and high res images requests, please contact: Claire Farrell on claire.farrell@leonardcheshire.org or 020 3242 0389

Notes to editors

Exhibitors included:

• Aide Sport
• Autono.Me
• Avon and Somerset Police
• BASS (Bristol Autism Spectrum Service)
• Boccia taster sessions courtesy of Pete Andrews
• GWR
• Leonard Cheshire
• Mencap
• North Somerset Council 
• North Somerset People First
• Parent Carers Working Together
• The Girl with the Curly Hair Project
• The Notable Club