Livvy comes on leaps and bounds in Supported Living

AN INSPIRATIONAL young woman has reflected on her time within Leicestershire County Council’s Supported Living programme and the incredible progress she has made.

22-year-old Livvy was awarded a tenancy in one of the council’s Supported Living step-through schemes and has thrived within the service, gaining independence and achieving several qualifications along the way.

On her initial impressions, she says: “I was blown away by how flexible it was here – everything was just out, no need to ask for things. Right from the start, everyone made me feel so welcome. The staff gave me valuable emotional support - at the beginning, I couldn’t regulate my emotions or express how I was feeling, but now I can.”

Supported Living is part of the county council’s Adult Social Care service. This particular step-through scheme helps people who have experienced mental health difficulties and is delivered in partnership with the Affinity Trust. Supported Living provides individuals within the service a pathway to a safe and suitable place to live, either by themselves or with others. It is designed to give people the chance to be more independent and live the lives they want.

Some of Livvy’s initial challenges included struggling to adjust to new routines such as 24-hour and oneto-one targeted support. With the help of the staff at her accommodation, she progressed to needing just four hours of one-to-one support.

Livvy explained: “I have emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and autism, so I love routines. I felt anxious, so I would constantly test boundaries and try to run away. Before this, I was held under the Mental Health Act in a psychiatric hospital, so I had become a bit institutionalised. I may have scars, but now I see them as a reminder of how far I’ve come on my journey.”

Now, she describes herself as “happy, healthy and living my best life.”

Over the last two years, Livvy’s incredible determination has seen her complete the YES learning programme and the Prince’s Trust 12week programme. Additionally, she is no longer subject to a Community Treatment Order.

Livvy’s achievements don’t stop there - she has also completed youth offender training, which means she can now mentor young people who have been in trouble with the law.

There are also ambitions to complete a Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care to achieve Livvy’s goal of becoming a mental health nurse. She has already demonstrated a will to help others in a similar situation, offering new Supported Living arrivals advice and encouraging them to make the most of the opportunity.

So, what’s next for Livvy?

“I’m moving on to a different type of accommodation which is still supported, but I’ll have my own flat. I’ll still have help when I need it, but it means I can be even more independent. I can’t wait!” left for the many cakes that were to follow, but valiant efforts were made! Several of the cakes were prepared by Cafe Savvy, a local organisation based in the J22 BeneÞce that helps teach work skills to young adults with learning difficulties. A good time was had by all; you always meet a few new friends down on the farm!

There are currently 600 tenants in over 130 properties within Supported Living across Leicestershire. The programme currently includes six step-through schemes: four supporting individuals with mental health difficulties and two aimed at young adults with disabilities, with another opening this summer.

For more information about Supported Living, visit: www.leicestershire.gov.uk/supported-living or email psl@leics.gov.uk.

Bishop Martyn’s Lent Pilgrimage 2023

AFTER A BUSY WEEK of events at the beginning of Lent, from a pancake supper at the Copt Oak Pub, to a very busy clear out sale at Thornton Community Centre raising money for crisis relief in Turkey and Syria, we also had a special visit from the Bishop of Leicester as part of his Lent Pilgrimage around the Diocese.

ce to have been visited two years in a row by the Bishop (having led a service at St Michael’s in MarkÞeld last year), and it was so nice that we had Bishop Martyn and his Chaplain, Revd James spend most of the afternoon with us on this occasion, taking time to chat with many of us. Our prayers are with Bishop Martyn and everyone he encounters as he spends these forty days of Lent exploring more deeply the places and people of our Leicestershire communities.

Revd Andrew Smith

Rector of the J22 BeneÞce

Bishop Martyn has planned, during the forty days of Lent, to explore areas of the Diocese that he has rarely or not yet visited so far. Having never visited St Peter’s church in Copt Oak before, Bishop Martyn arrived from a string of morning events in neighbouring communities, just in time to find a space in our quickly filling car park. It is always a joy to welcome first time visitors into this special space.

Although the service was led by Bishop Martyn, he was also joined by clergy and lay leaders from across the Benefice, and of course, our organist David Seal, who played some Lenten hymns that fitted the seasonal service perfectly. At the end of the service our Churchwarden, Les Gammon, was presented with a souvenir Ordnance Survey map of the Bishop’s route around the Diocese. I don’t doubt that every inch of his route will tell a rich story by the end of his travels!

After the service, Bishop Martyn, Bishop’s Chaplain, Revd James, and the gathered congregation moved along to Little Markfield Farm for a celebratory afternoon tea party prepared by Brenda and her team. The tables were heavy laden with home-made pies, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, sandwiches and steaming pots of tea. There was barely room left for the many cakes that were to follow, but valiant efforts were made! Several of the cakes were prepared by Cafe Savvy, a local organisation based in the J22 Benefice that helps teach work skills to young adults with learning difficulties. A good time was had by all; you always meet a few new friends down on the farm!

We are fortunate enough in our benefice to have been visited two years in a row by the Bishop (having led a service at St Michael’s in Markfield last year), and it was so nice that we had Bishop Martyn and his Chaplain, Revd James spend most of the afternoon with us on this occasion, taking time to chat with many of us. Our prayers are with Bishop Martyn and everyone he encounters as he spends these forty days of Lent exploring more deeply the places and people of our Leicestershire communities.

Revd Andrew Smith

Rector of the J22 Benefice

Spot the Difference Answers

1. Blonde beard, 2. Onion missing, 3. Jumper Pattern,

4. Sauce bottle gone,

5. Badge, 6. Menu board,

7. Customer coat, 8. Ears,

9. Money, 10. Spatula bottom

Pictogram Answers

1. Full marks, 2. The devil is in the detail, 3. Easy money