Help Learning Disabled Adults Gain Independence

For everyone, the road to the holiday season is always full of excitement, hopefulness and of course very busy times! It’s no different for us here at PIP.   The holidays bring opportunity for students to really benefit from making things relevant and real.  Numeracy sessions focused on budgeting for family Christmas gifts, healthy cooking sessions of course had a festive flavour and we made our own Christmas cards.

It is often the case that people with learning disabilities and their families are excluded from accessing the local community. PIP aims to help people be less excluded and more included in the wider community. Our Leisure programme included trips to London’s famous Winter Wonderland and we all went along to the German YMCA once again for our lunch!  The Leisure programme and outings give our students the chance to practice the skills they learn during normal term time and of course have a great time socialising with each other. Students also made New Years resolutions.  Daniel wanted to make more friends, Emma wanted to go to Spain, George wanted to play football. Just normal stuff that everyone wants but that aren't easy for our students: friends, holidays, social activities.

We are dedicated to helping not just people with learning disabilities and autism, but also their wider family and care network. PIP invited parents, family members and carers to our annual family evening to update everyone on what we have been up to in the past year, but also to encourage them to use us and each other as a help, guide, advocate and sounding post.  Most families experience very similar challenges and difficulties and it’s great to share these, the problems, the solutions, good and bad to relieve the isolation that many can feel! 

Gaining support from our local corporate community is extremely important to PIP. Two of our supporters Wates Construction and British Land have commissioned an art mural, to be used to inspire, unite and bring a community feel to the construction site they work together on.  It has been an absolute pleasure to see students come up with ideas, concentrate and create something spectacular.  The mural will be launched in April.

March wouldn’t be March without the anticipation of the upcoming theatre performance. This year the PIP theatre company are presenting “The Journey Of Peace” – a story of conflict, resolution, love, loss and peace.  Produced and performed by people with learning disabilities the show will explore themes that resonate with us all, but which are truly important to the actors themselves and which have been explored through the therapeutic nature of the weekly drama sessions.  We can’t wait to see it.

In conclusion this time of year - the holidays, the family meeting and our theatre show always highlight to us that there is so that we do but so much more to be done. We encourage you to donate again if you can and support people with learning disabilities to achieve their potential and importantly live the happy and fulfilled life that they deserve.