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Participant Stories
On this page, we have stories about our participants.
Harry
Harry is brilliant with IT skills, such as using Bluetooth to connect his phone to the TVs at Oak Green Lodge and access YouTube. He is also very good at using his consoles, such as a Switch, Wii console, Steam Deck, and PS5. He also helps friends and staff with technical issues, including phones, TVs, iPads, etc.
'I like to play on the Wii with friends and staff'.
He also has a passion for music and collects vinyl records, and he has his own record player that he keeps in immaculate condition.
Harry's confidence is continuously growing whilst being with options for life; he now does healthy mind sessions where he has been learning how to create sounds with the sound bowls and gongs to help him with relaxing, as well as he can recognise that when he becomes worried, he knows within himself to find a quiet space and focus on his breathing, or he will suggest going for a calming walk around the park.
Activities
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Cinema trips
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Food review days (finds a new restaurant to try and reviews this with his member of staff afterwards
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IT sessions
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Walks around the local park
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Chit-chatting with friends
Harry says, 'I like Options for Life. I've made friends with staff and participants; most of my friends from college go here now too'.
Harry's support team says, 'Harry is a very bubbly guy who has an amazing sense of humour. He has fitted into Options for Life, and it is nice to see him growing friendships with everyone around him.'
Rachel
A Passion for Football
Rachel has a real passion for football and supports her local team, West Bromwich Albion. At Options for Life, she attends a Goals session every Wednesday, where she learns new skills while staying active, having fun, and enjoying a sport she likes. This session helps Rachel build her confidence and communication skills, learn new football skills, apply them in a match, and be part of a team.
Growing Skills and Confidence
Rachel is excelling in her confidence because she uses flashcards (made by staff) that display different emotions and feelings. She uses these with her staff and friends to help show how she is feeling. Because she is enrolled in Healthy Mind sessions, she has the skills to de-escalate her emotions in stressful situations more easily with these resources available.
Activities
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Cooking sessions – preparing ingredients, using the cooker and cleaning up.
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Drama
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Arts and crafts
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Goals – Football
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Swimming, which is a part of a healthy living session
Rachel says, 'I like coming to Oak Green Lodge because I get to see all my friends and the staff I have built good friendships with. Also, I like to go out in the community and do nice things with my friends like bowling, shopping and having a nice meal out.'
Rachel's support team says, 'It’s been a privilege to see Rachel grow over the past few years in her confidence. She has built close bonds with staff and other participants, which has helped her feel comfortable, valued, and confident within her group. Rachel has become much more willing to express herself, get involved and take opportunities that she may have previously found challenging. Her increased confidence has really allowed her personality to shine through, especially during sessions such as football and drama, where she is happy to take centre stage and get involved with enthusiasm. It has been fantastic to see her develop a real passion for football at Goals, where she enjoys participating, being part of a team and showing her skills. She has also grown in confidence when performing and engaging in drama, showing she isn't afraid to put herself forward and have a go.
We are incredibly proud of Rachel's progress. Seeing her become more confident, build positive relationships, and believe in herself is a wonderful achievement, and we look forward to continuing to support and develop these skills as she reaches her full potential.'
Chloe
Learning New Skills
Chloe attends Acorn Lodge at Options for Life, where she enjoys taking part in activities designed around her individual needs and abilities.
Through regular, personalised learning sessions, Chloe has been developing her early number and letter skills, making lovely progress along the way.
Starting with tracing numbers from 1 to 5, Chloe gradually progressed to numbers 1 to 10 before moving on to lowercase and uppercase letters of the alphabet.
With encouragement, guidance and activities tailored to her pace, Chloe continues to build on her achievements and develop her fine motor skills.
Growing Confidence and Celebrating Achievements
Chloe benefits from a consistent and supportive approach, with activities broken down into smaller, achievable steps to help her participate and develop her skills.
Staff use gentle guidance and prompting to support Chloe with tracing and letter formation, helping her become familiar with different shapes and movements.
It has been wonderful to see Chloe's progress as she takes on new learning opportunities and builds on the skills she has already developed.
Looking Ahead
Chloe will continue practising her numbers and letters, with opportunities to explore simple words as her skills develop.
Her achievements show how personalised support, encouragement and activities adapted to individual abilities can help participants develop new skills and reach meaningful milestones.
Chloe's support team says:
"Chloe continues to engage well and show progress. Chloe has progressed successfully from tracing numbers 1–5 to 1–10, and then on to both lowercase and uppercase letters of the alphabet. She responds really well to hand-over-hand support and is able to complete tasks confidently with gentle guidance and prompting"- Manager Rebecca Clark
