We spoke to a person we support about his recent summer trips. Matt, enthusiastically told me about his love for medieval history and the songs he sang on his choir trip.
Matt, a 47-year-old person we support spoke to me all about his trip to Brighton with his choir and his trip to Warwick Castle.
Matt who has ataxia and mild cerebral palsy lives in his own apartment and is highly independent. As he is so independent, he only receives 3-5 hours of support during the week. Support staff spend most of their time encouraging him to complete tasks himself. Matt, who sings bass in the Watford Palace Theatre Community Choir travelled to Brighton to raise money for charity by singing popular songs including Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton and All You Need Is Love by The Beatles (Paul McCartney is Matt’s favourite Beatle, in case you were wondering).
Accompanied by his support worker, James, Matt took the coach to Brighton from Watford Junction. During the 2-hour journey to Brighton, Matt and the choir stretched their vocal chords and practiced. Matt, an avid fan of musical theatre also sang Some Enchanted Evening from the musical, South Pacific. Matt thoroughly enjoyed himself so much, he stayed in Brighton an extra 2 days. He was able to ride the ghost train rollercoaster and of course, enjoy traditional fish and chips! When asked if he encountered any chip-stealing seagulls, Matt said “No, I didn’t see any, I wish I had though!”.
We work to ensure the people we support choose how they want to live, be supported and the things they want to do. We recognise that each individual is unique, and we celebrate that and their interests. As well as singing in a choir, Matt is interested in medieval history, knowing this, his support workers helped him plan a trip to Warwick Castle.
How did you get to Warwick Castle?
We took the train from Gerard’s Cross, it was a good journey and I had a nice lunch on the train.
What did you have for lunch?
A meal deal, I picked the chicken and pork stuffing sandwich.
Oh, I love meal deals, I always get the chicken and bacon stuffing.
I like that one as well.
So, what did you do when you got to Warwick Castle?
I learnt about the War of the Roses . I love history, I love medieval history. It was amazing. I saw the dungeons as well.
That sounds like such fun Matt!
It really was! I also saw a bird show in the evening and went to a banquet at the castle. I had ale pie which made me feel like I was back in medieval times!
Thank you, Matt, for taking the time to tell us about your trips to Brighton and Warwick Castle.