Our history
Mark Snell started Walsingham in January 1986.
Back then we were called Walsingham Community Homes. We soon became a registered charity.
Lots of people with learning disabilities lived in big long-stay hospitals then. Mark wanted to change this.
Mark thought people should live in houses near to their families so they could visit each other easily.
He also thought people should be part of their community.
The parents Mark worked with wanted services run on christian values. They wanted their sons and daughters to be valued as individuals and equal to everyone else.
Walsingham has changed a lot since then.We started with 1 service supporting 6 people.
Now we support over 280 people in England and Wales.
Our services have changed too. We only had residential care services at the start.Now we have other types because people want different support.
Our staff have many different faiths or none at all.We support people using our services to follow their own faith if they have one.
In April 2003 we changed our name to Walsingham.We did this to show that we provide more than residential care services.
Mark decided to retire in 2005.Our boss is now Paul Snell.
He is our chief executive.
In October 2007 we asked Mark Snell to be our honorary president because he has done so much for Walsingham.
In April 2010 we got a new logo.It has a person reaching for their dreams to show what we do.
Read more about our new logo.
charity
An organisation that does things like supporting people or looking after people who are ill rather than making money is sometimes called a charity.
chief executive
Someone who is in charge of an organisation is called the boss or the chief executive.
Chief Executive
Someone who is in charge of an organisation is called the boss or the chief executive.
christian values
Christians believe that everyone is loved by God. They think everyone is equal and should be treated the same. These are sometimes called christian values.
community
Where you live is sometimes called your community. It includes the people in your area and places like shops, libraries, leisure centres and places of worship.
equal
When you are treated the same as other people, you are equal.
faith
If you follow a religion, it is sometimes called your faith.
faiths
Different religions are sometimes called faiths.
honorary president
Someone who is very important to an organisation but who doesn't work there is sometimes made an honorary president.
learning disabilities
People who have learning disabilities or learning difficulties have problems understanding information, learning skills and remembering new things.
People are born with learning disabilities or develop them soon after they are born.
logo
A logo is a picture about an organisation. It often includes the name of the organisation.
long-stay hospitals
People with learning disabilities often used to live in hospitals even though they weren't ill. These hospitals were called long-stay hospitals. Most long-stay hospitals are now closed.
residential care
People who use our residential care services live in a house and get support from staff. The staff support them all the time. They share parts of the house with other people.
retire
When a person chooses not to work anymore, they retire.
service
A service is what we offer to people with learning disabilities. Lots of our services are to do with day-to-day support. We also have services to do with other things like supporting people to learn new skills or have a job.
services
Our services are what we offer to people with learning disabilities. Lots of our services are to do with day-to-day support. We also have services to do with other things like supporting people to learn new skills or have a job.
staff
People who work for Walsingham are called staff.
supported living
People who use our supported living services pay for their own rent, food and bills. The staff support them all the time. They might choose to live with other people or on their own.
valued
When people listen to what you have to say and treat you with respect, this is sometimes called being valued.
values
The ways an organisation chooses to do things are sometimes called their values.
Legal message. © 2012 Registered Charity No: 294832.
A Company Limited By Guarantee No: 2016251 (England).
