Our stories
Sheila is an elderly lady who lives in her own bungalow in Cadbury Heath. She has a learning disability and mild autism, and receives 24-hour support. Sheila also suffers from curvature of the spine, which has caused her mobility to gradually decline. Last year, her mobility issues became so acute that it was clear that …
Milestones Trust community project The Music Train hosts inclusive live music events. These provide everyone with an opportunity to listen to, and join in with, talented musicians. The Music Train was set up by Liz Gray in 2013, and she has led the project as a volunteer since 2016. The concerts were initially held at …
“I want to learn how to play ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ on guitar.” These words were the beginning of Will’s volunteering journey with Milestones. They were spoken by a person we support, who lives at one of our residential services for people with mental health needs, after he was asked by a staff member if there …
Steve suffered a serious stroke two years ago. When he left hospital after a total of nine months to continue his rehabilitation at home, the world was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. He and his wife Sue were keen to find activities that could aid his recovery, but few things were open. In …
Gabby has taken some big steps forward recently. Late last year, she moved into a new supported living service managed by the Trust. The service is a home for four young people with learning disabilities, all of whom are living away from their family homes for the first time. This has been a big change …
My first experience of working in care was when I was just 16. A parent asked the college I was studying at if they could recommend someone to look after her disabled son and they put my name forward. Later, I worked as a healthcare assistant at Bristol Royal Infirmary. Patients come and go when …
Tim lives in Yate at one of our residential homes for adults with learning disabilities. He’s a very active person. He goes out every day and is familiar to almost everyone in his local community. He loves going to see live music and is hoping to attend a festival this summer. Tim’s biggest passion is …
In the summer of 2021, Sebastian moved into Mayo House, one of our residential homes. He had lived with his parents for the first 24 years of his life. With his behaviour becoming increasingly challenging, social workers arranged for him to live at Mayo House whilst they looked for suitable long-term accommodation. Sebastian has learning …
Mike lives in St George at one of our residential homes for people with learning disabilities. He has always enjoyed seeing flowers growing in gardens in his local community. Last year, he enjoyed some gardening success of his own, growing carrots, tomatoes and sunflowers on his patio. Mike’s green-fingered journey started with a trip to …
I was 19 when I applied to work at the Trust at the start of this year. I was on furlough from my job in retail, so it felt like a good time to step back and think about the career path that I wanted to take. An advert for a Support Worker at the …
Mark lives at one of our residential services for people with learning disabilities. In October he went on holiday for the first time in over a year. He was so excited about the trip that he started packing months before. Staff who have worked with Mark for a long time and are familiar with his …
I work at Priory Court, which is a supported living service for people with learning disabilities. There are 12 different flats here and the staff team offer support to the people who live in them. When people we support come to see me in the staff office, they sometimes want practical support with things like …
Jake lives at one of our supported living services. He has a learning disability and he is also non-verbal, which means he doesn’t communicate through speech. To communicate with our staff who support him, Jake used to nod and shake his head, or use other body language. Jake was inspired by watching Lost Voice Guy, …
I started working for the Trust just over five years ago. The job was at a residential home for older people with learning disabilities. I was only just out of my teens and, although my previous job had been in social care, this was a different type of setting to what I’d experienced before. Fortunately, …
Motorbikes are in Jason’s blood. His Dad and his Uncle were both bikers and, as a child, he used to enjoy going to motorbike shows with his family. As well as providing an important emotional link to his past, motorbikes are Jason’s only means of travelling independently. He broke his leg in an accident a …
Nick lives in Bristol at one of our residential homes for people with mental health needs. He has lived there for four years and in that time, he has developed a great relationship with the staff team. He feels listened to and is confident that staff will do things that they say they are going …
My 12-year-old son has special needs and can’t cycle independently. My family have always enjoyed cycling and we’ve always brought my son along with us, whether it’s been on the back of a bike or in a trailer. As he gets older, independence is becoming increasingly important to him. We went to Warmley Wheelers together …
I was 18 when I started working as a support worker at the Recovery Hub, which is a home for people with mental health needs. It was July 2019 and I’d just left education. This was my first job. Working in the social care sector had always appealed to me but I was still trying …
Carmela is my seven-year-old daughter. She has a rare health condition called LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy, which causes her muscles to progressively weaken as she gets older. Currently she can walk, but not for a long time. She needs help getting up and down stairs and on and off seats. We buy disability equipment for …
Louise is a Support Worker at our Stepping Forward North day service. Before the first lockdown last year, my Mum was in hospital. She didn’t go into hospital because of Covid but she contracted it while she was there. All the family had been visiting her regularly whilst she’d been in hospital, then suddenly only …
The pandemic has reduced the number of visits that the people we support are able to receive and so there has been an increased risk of them becoming lonely or isolated. To help with this, we set up a new volunteer befriending service. Every week, over a telephone call or Zoom meeting, volunteers provide a …
My brother Nicky lives in his own accommodation in Kingswood and receives support and guidance from Milestones Trust. In the 1980s, I moved away from Bristol to live in Staffordshire, where I have been ever since. The physical distance between me and my brother makes meeting up on a regular basis quite difficult. The Covid-19 …
Lockdown has presented many challenges for our homes and services, but throughout, staff and the people we support have been determined to think positively. We’ve heard many stories from around the Trust of people responding to this situation with lots of energy and creativity. Nancy has not been able to move around as freely as …
David Colla has been volunteering with us since 2014. He volunteers as a buddy with Shaun, one of the people we support. They go on trips together to all sorts of places, including the opera, Severn Valley Railway, Weston Super Mare, Fleet Air Army Museum and the Underfall Yard. David always attends volunteer socials, and …
Nick had only been volunteering as a sports buddy at Lambrook Road for a few weeks, when coronavirus stopped all non-essential visits to homes, including visits from volunteers. However, he continued to support the service by delivering their weekly shopping. Although he is now moving away from Bristol, he continues to volunteer as a Telephone …
Coronation Road is a residential home that supports six residents with mental health needs. Marion is 87 years old and has lived at Coronation Road for about 15 years. Almira is 17 and began volunteering with Milestones Trust in 2019. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, she visited Coronation Road on Wednesdays. Marion loves cakes but …
Rachel volunteers as a swimming buddy with Milestones Trust, where she helps Paul who has severe anxiety and autism. A keen open water swimmer herself, she initially swam with him but now encourages him to swim independently. “I really love swimming and believe it can play an important role in helping people with their mental …
Andrew has Tourette’s syndrome, ADHD and OCD and has recently transitioned from residential care to supported living. Following 27 years in residential care, this move marks a major step in Andrew’s journey towards independent living. Project Co-ordinator Julie Wheaton has worked closely with Andrew to create a tailored support programme. “The move from residential care …
I would love to express my gratitude to all the wonderful staff at Chasefield. My brother Michael is a resident there and he has lived there since February 2018. He is a 53 year old man with Down Syndrome and spent over 51 years living with our mum before she took poorly with Alzheimer’s. All …
This time last year I had a call from Julie to let me know that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had probably at most three months to live. This was a real shock – she had only been ill for a few weeks. She asked that her news was kept very confidential, …
Judy had been asking to go on the train saying that she hadn’t been on one before. I spoke to her sister Helen and arranged for us to get the train to Moreton-in-Marsh. Helen met us there and we had a lovely day; we went to Birdland Park which Judy really enjoyed, and afterwards we went for afternoon …
My name is Clark and I live in a small residential home supported by Milestones Trust. I have learning disabilities, autism and I have been blind since birth. One of my passions is listening to classical music. I especially like Andre Rieu and often spend time listening to him whilst relaxing at home. Andre is …
In October, a team of 6 individuals from Lloyds Banking, led by Laura Stimpson, mentored 12 members of Milestones Trust staff in IT skills. This new venture for us came about when teams, such as Lloyds, approached us looking for volunteer opportunities which used their business skills. After consulting with staff, the pilot day focused …
Glyn began volunteering at Hillside in July 2012, becoming a regular companion for Graham. Most Fridays, winter, summer, rain or shine saw them taking in the sights of central Bristol together. They enjoyed walking, having lunch or coffee in the numerous eateries in the area. Exploring the harbourside and frequent trips on the ferry boat …
After taking the difficult decision of needing a new home for our daughter Beany, I rang a few places in the Bristol area. “I’ll just check the diary and see when our manager can see you” was the reply from all of those who I contacted. Although the social worker was very helpful, the places …
On 24th September 2018, my brother Anand sadly passed away after years of enduring a very difficult and consuming illness. Anand suffered from both anorexia and bulimia, as well as OCD and a contamination phobia. Dealing with all of these conditions at once was, I think, entirely overwhelming for him and ultimately, the magnitude of …
I recently had the opportunity to go away with my daughter for her summer holiday on 8th June 2018. We had a wonderful weekend with Julie and Anne – two of Susie’s regular carers. The weather was good and we had meals out in pubs and cafes and had treats with Susie, such as chocolate …
Nick experiences a range of anxiety-based challenges when taking on new experiences, until last year, when we managed to go away for one night. Nick could not go on holiday even for a night away, but by gently teaching him to manage to enjoy things he has never had the chance to enjoy before; we …
Gary lived with his parents in Kingswood until nearly a year ago when sadly his mum passed away. Gary has since moved on into supported living accommodation in Hanham. When Gary started with us at Stepping Forward South Gloucestershire, he weighed 23 stone 4 pounds, but since living in his new home in Hanham, Gary has …
My name is David, I am 78 years old and live in my own flat in Fishponds. I have lived there for over 19 years. Following a series of falls, my support team contacted the O.T for advice around my mobility. They recommended exercises to improve my core strength and balance. I now go to …
Vassall Road has been supporting a gentleman for many years. He has, during this time, experienced many medical conditions that have affected his day to day activities in a major way and his quality of life has, at times, been quite poor. He has been prevented from accessing community based activities due to severe epileptic …
At residents’ meeting, we discussed Mental Health Awareness Week and the events that were going on. I was aware that there would be a soapbox event at the Head Quarters, where people get up and speak about mental health and ways we manage stress. At the residents’ meeting, I wasn’t really sure whether I wanted …
My name is Clark and I live in a small residential home supported by Milestones Trust. I have a visual impairment, epilepsy and autism; all things I am supported with to ensure I lead a full and active life. For many years, my greatest fear has been anything to do with doctors/dentists or anything related …
I work at a home supporting adults with enduring mental health issues. And who better to ask about how to cope with mental health than someone who is going through it day to day? I asked our service users how they deal with stress, anxiety and their general mental health on an average day. One …
Glen lives with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which was made considerably worse following bereavement and a relationship breakdown. But changes he’s made to his diet, with the help of his support worker, have helped him turn his life around. He said: “I was in a really bad way to be honest. And because of my …
To mark their 25th year of opening their doors, residents at mental health home Kingsway decided to hold a fancy dress party to celebrate. December 2017 marks the 25th anniversary for mental health recovery home Kingsway being open. The residents at the home in St. George came together at a house meeting in September to …
At the end of June 2017, a new resident moved into South Gloucestershire based home Court View. This service provides support to individuals with learning disabilities and staff have experience supporting people with a variety of needs including autism, behaviours that challenge, Downs syndrome and physical needs. Alan previously lived with his mum and became …
Mental health recovery home raises money for two local Bristol charities at a fundraising event organised and run by the service users. Kingsway in St. George is one of our recovery homes that cares and supports people with mental health needs. The residents at the home always play a massive role in deciding what they …
In August 2017, Christine and the Stepping Forward South Gloucestershire staff and service users attempted a sponsored walk from Blaise Castle to Coombe Dingle and then back again. The event was organised to raise funds towards a new van, in order to give the group more freedom with accessing the local communities “We arrived at …
Our residential home at 2a Court Road offers support for people with learning disabilities. The home has been recognised for their work in offering fresh, local and honest food by the Soil Association. Team leader at the home, Amber, was there for the award hand-over and is incredibly proud of the staff and residents for …
All too often, the people who use our services struggle to have their voices heard by those in power and are often excluded from the democratic process. We want to support as many people as possible to use their vote in the coming election. On Saturday June 3rd, Milestones Trust held a ‘Your Vote’ event, allowing …
I’ve been homeless before but I haven’t slept rough for long periods. The longest I was on the streets for was a week at a time. I’d often stay in homeless hostels but would be asked to leave because of my drinking. I’d come back drunk or meet people in there who were drinking. I’d …
My name is Jamie. I am 26 years old and have learning difficulties but that doesn’t bother me because I am happy. I used to live in a place called Mayo House but now I have my own house. Since I got my own place I have been trying lots of new things with my …
My name is Paul and I live in a Milestones Trust home. I would like to say a big thank you to my keyworker, Julie, for all her help and support throughout the years, especially for the past couple of months and this is my story. In September whilst cleaning my bedroom I slipped and …
