Making a positive difference to people’s lives through the practice of law is a defining principle of what we do here at the Jackson Lees Group. We aim to support those in society who need help the most and provide access to justice to those who could not ordinarily find legal support. We support disadvantaged groups within our communities with our time and through financial donations. At the end of 2017 we donated £10,000 to four brilliant local charities.
It’s been six months since the four charities received the donation, with Wirral Mencap being one of them. It is a small charity based in Birkenhead and they promote equality for people with learning disabilities by helping them discover new opportunities, make friends and feel safe in their community. In their own words, Wirral Mencap have recently wrote to us with details of how the money has made a positive difference to four people.
James
The support from Jackson Lees for our ‘Volunteering for All’ project has allowed us to help people like James, who was not doing anything in the week except wandering around Birkenhead and cleaning his flat. He was interested in helping the elderly and Lizzie took him to meet Major Hamilton at the Salvation Army who was happy to give James a ‘trial’ volunteering there on Tuesdays.
It went so well that 3 months later, James now helps in the kitchen three days a week and his sister says it has made a huge difference to his life.
James told us:
I like coming here, meeting different people, getting right stuck in to the washing up, dishing out meals, doing the tables and everything. I think they are grateful for having me around.
Major Hamilton at the Salvation Army in Birkenhead says James has ‘proved to be a worthwhile and able member of the team. He’s reliable and hardworking and I don’t know what we’d do without him’.
Dave
Dave has been going to Wirral Mencap’s Crossbow club every week for as long as we can all remember. He lives at home with mum and is a quiet person who keeps himself to himself. He was encouraged to start the Gateway Award but it soon became obvious that he was spending a lot of time at home on his own doing very little. He told us he didn’t have friends to talk to or do things with and that he feels out of things a lot.
Despite going along to Crossbow every week and being amongst a group of 60 to 70 people he said, ‘I don’t have friends to talk to or do things with.’
We decided to find him a ‘buddy’ to get him out and about more. Dave now meets up with his buddy once a week and they travel to different parts of the Wirral coast to take photos of the river Mersey and the ships.
Dave’s buddy says
I call Dave my buddy and see him as a friend. The social interaction has been good for us both and we are now more relaxed in each other’s company.
They also attend IT lessons together at Woodchurch Methodist Church and they will be learning how to download the photos they take on their days out. When the weather gets better, they are planning to go further afield to the North Wales coast.
Lisa
Lisa is very shy and nervous of other people having been bullied in the past. She would spend all of her time with mum and her grandfather and wasn’t doing much with her time during the week. Both Mum and Lisa were ready for a break from each other.
Lisa was matched with a buddy volunteer called Brenda. At first they just met to go for a drink and to the shops but as they got to know each other better they decided to do something more interesting. Lisa is a big animal lover and Brenda saw an advertisement for volunteers at the Hedgehog Sanctuary. They started volunteering one week at the sanctuary and one week at the charity shop that funds the sanctuary.
Lisa’s confidence has grown and she has now signed up to a couple of Wirral Mencap courses and has been coming to our social club on a Monday. She says she is really enjoying the courses and is making new friends. She’s busy 3 days a week now doing her own thing without mum or grandad.
Kathy
Kathy was moved into a care home after her parents both died. Obviously upset and in strange surroundings with new people, she began to feel quite isolated.
With the help of her Wirral Mencap befriender Julia, she began to get out and about more and was encouraged to become more independent. Initially they would meet at the home and Kathy would make her own way back from the centre of Birkenhead. Then they met there and Kathy walked to meet Julia and then back on her own. They have developed a great relationship and Julia encouraged and supported Kathy to complete the Gateway Award. She achieved her Bronze Level Award and is now working towards her Silver Award.
This has really boosted her confidence and she now volunteers at many Wirral Mencap events—including supermarket collection days and presentations -and is an enthusiastic ambassador for Wirral Mencap. She has been attending lunch club on a Monday for a while now and has persuaded several other people from her home to come along too.
They come with their support staff but Kathy has progressed to walking entirely on her own there and back. She is delighted with her new freedom and independence and is relishing the opportunities to develop further and enjoy new experiences.