Skip to main content

News & Events

A space to grow

But as Mark says, “I want to live my life as independently as I can, I don’t want to let my condition push that freedom away from me.”Although epilepsy has had a serious impact on Mark throughout his life, he has made a point of meeting these challenges…

My own place to live

Rob has severe learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, he joined Walsingham Support from a long stay hospital in the North West of England. Up until this point Rob had spent the vast majority of his life living with large groups of people in…

The Network of Women Chairs

As a young female professional, I know how important it is to have female role models in your sector. They act as an inspiration for women starting out in their careers and offer something to aspire to as careers progress, in short having women visible…

Nick's star turn

Nick is a young outgoing guy. He has two jobs, a wide circle of friends, is very close to his family and has a real passion for drumming. He also happens to have Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that has affected his ability to learn. But,…

Gender, domestic violence and disability

Today is international women's day. All over the world people will be celebrating the incredible achievements of women, many in the face of adversity. Simultaneously, people will be raising some of the difficult issues women still face today, and the…

We're committed

Walsingham Support has officially signed up to the STOMP (Stopping the over-medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both) initiative, which aims to stop the over-use of psychotropic medication to manage people’s behaviour. The…

Finding my independence

Brian has a physical disability and cerebral palsy. He struggles with his confidence and was worried he would require support at his new job. In 2010, he moved from a large institution into one of Walsingham Support’s extra care services. He now lives…

Just another day at the office

Donna became depressed and stopped going to the day centre which she had previously enjoyed. While Walsingham’s staff respected Donna’s wish to not go to the day centre, they encouraged her to pursue a different interest that would keep her active…

Giving a stage to the people we support - Walsingham’s annual Involvement Conference.

Our fourth annual conference saw 50 people we support attend and take an even more hands on hands-on role than ever. Two interactive workshops were held, groups from around the country presented their work and for the first time it was hosted entirely…

Dealing with challenging behaviour

To help address this we started by simply getting to know Harry really well. It became clear that the solution for Harry was to keep him focused to avoid him becoming overstimulated and reacting in a challenging way.We collaborated with health professionals…

Developing skills for better independence

Tracy wanted Gary, who has autism, to gain independence and learn basic life skills, like preparing his own food, and do meaningful, stimulating activities.“The reaction I received felt like I was asking for the earth, moon and stars,” says Tracy.Tracy…

From secure unit to a place to call home

However, when, at the age of 27, he was diagnosed with autism alongside his mental health issues, things changed radically. The new diagnosis allowed the local authority to look for solutions to benefit Ryan outside of mental health services. It allowed…

Healthier and happier

Alison felt that she struggled to maintain what she considered to be a healthy weight and after gaining more weight recently, she decided to change her lifestyle. Alison told her keyworker that she wanted to join a weight loss group to help her…

Confidence boost for David

David has a mild learning disability and Down’s syndrome and has been supported at a Walsingham Support residential care home for more than 20 years.As he no longer wanted to attend day centre our staff started supporting him as much they could during…

Reconnecting with friends

After his accident Ben needed constant support and had to move from his own house into a long-stay residential home. 20 years passed and Ben lost contact with his biker friends. But in 2013 Ben had a fresh start, moving into one of Walsingham Support’s…

Rewriting the rule book

In 2015, an individual supported in the north of England shared her experience of a support worker leaving without saying goodbye and the negative effect this sudden and unexplained event had on her. She shared this story with her local involvement and…

Benjamin’s adventures in Paris

In the build up to his holiday, we worked with Benjamin and his family to create a bespoke support plan filled with activities and trips that would engage him and enable him to increase his confidence visiting new places. Since visiting Disneyland…

Supporting the journey to independence

Staff at Walsingham started providing lifestyle support to *Robert when he turned 18. He was living at home with his parents. Over time it became apparent to us and his parents that Robert would need to move to a specialist service that could personalise…

Surfs up for Dan

Dan has profound learning and physical disabilities, including complex epilepsy and scoliosis, and is only able to communicate via eye contact and facial expressions. At Walsingham Support, we respect choices, recognise capabilities, increase independence…

Tailor made day support

A local authority asked us to work in partnership with them to modernise the day support of 10 people with profound and multiple learning disabilities who we support at one of our residential care services. Each person had attended a day centre…