Every Wednesday, our members enjoy a very private session of music therapy, where they can express themselves. It’s a chance to communicate through music, when perhaps they can’t find the words. We’re extremely grateful to Miles and Dan from the university of the West of England (UWE), who supply our Music Therapy sessions, as part of their course at UWE.

Paul’s Place member, Paul, is passionate about music and looks forward to Music Therapy every Wednesday. Paul says, “In Music Therapy I can confront the things that bother me. I always end the sessions feeling positive. We jam by improvising with different music items, such as the drums or keyboard. The facilitators enjoy it as much as we do. I enjoy talking to people and sharing my passion for music. I’d love to work on a radio channel, as a DJ to share this passion.”

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We have lively evening programmes, that prevents physically disabled people from being home alone during the evenings and weekend. Our evening programme include seeing a show, going out for evening meals, attempting a song or two in a karaoke to tenpin bowling to name a few.

We’ve had problems with accessing buildings, using the toilet to fitting around a table, despite some venues thinking they’re fully inclusive. Our amazing staff actively research accessibility, so our Paul’s Place members can freely enjoy their evening and create wonderful memories together.

Since January 2024, we embraced tenpin bowling, evening meals and theatre trips across South Gloucestershire, B&NES and Bristol.

Master chef we’re on our way. The hair nets came out and we made the most yummy food from scratch with fresh ingredients.

We laughed while grating, chopping and peeling at the Brockeridge Centre in Frampton Cotterell. We found new and accessible ways to prepare food with lots of protein and vege, along with the odd sugary treat.

Paul’s Place member, Liz, has multiple sclerosis and she formally worked at the Lawns and BT as a second chef. Liz says, “the catering felt familiar, and it was nice being able to prepare food again. I was happy to make whatever we arranged. I enjoyed it and I would do more.”

We’re exploring having our own café when we move to Shire Way.  With thanks to Global Make Some Noise, we can fund a Volunteer Development Officer who could support our members at Paul’s Place to get involved. Watch this space.

At Paul’s Place, we’re committed to improving health and wellbeing, not just physically but mentally. That’s why we got involved in Mental Health Awareness Week. One of the most important things we can do to protect our mental health is regular movement. At Paul’s Place, we do lots of activities that involve movement, such as Pilates, Physiotherapy, Boccia and more.

During Mental Health Awareness Week, we upped the anti with a fun daily activity to encourage everyone to take part.

#mentalhealthawarenessweek

We can’t thank you enough for your generous donations, fundraising efforts and for choosing us to award life changing grants. For twelve weeks we took our members to The Brightwell Centre. The centre specialises in neurological wellbeing and physical recovery. Our members achieved what they never thought was possible.

Paul’s Place member, Sue, looked forward to her physiotherapy sessions every week. She used the hand bike to exercise and strengthen her legs, and free weights to strengthen her upper body. The exercises eased the osteoarthritis in Sue’s right shoulder. The sit to stand exercise enabled Sue to walk along the parallette bars, initially with Sue’s wheelchair behind her for safety, which was removed in later sessions. Sue finally took her hands off the bars and walked unaided.

Sue said, “I felt ecstatic”. Sue has used her wheelchair for fourteen years, due to cerebral palsy and then myopathy later in her life. Sue then said, “I can’t believe I did it”.  Sue can now see a future of getting herself out of bed and into her wheelchair without a hoist. Ultimately, Sue would like more independence by using a walking aid and to fulfil her passion to cook.

Sue says, “after the physio exercises, I felt exhilarated and proud I can achieve what I never thought was possible. It made me wonder if more physiotherapy could improve my chances to walk again. The venue was extremely suitable for disabled people and the staff supported me to get strong enough to walk a short distance unaided. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. And thank you Paul’s Place for making physiotherapy at the Brightwell Centre possible”.

At Paul’s Place we have the world’s best problem solver, as everyday life can be a challenge for physically disabled people. During #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek we showed the many ways we can make movement fun. It also creates opportunities for teamwork, travel and a sense of achievement through our favourite tournaments, #Boccia.

Luke says, “Since January our Boccia tournaments took place in Coventry and Brentwood. We have two teams at Paul’s Place called, Vikings and Barbarians. We all played well and supported each other. Our tournaments are also a great opportunity to stay and experience new places. It can be nerve wrecking when we draw, as we keep playing until there’s a winner.”

Last February, we launched our Life in Colour project. A colour is chosen every week to explore what the colour means to us by using different materials and artistic expressions.

Two very experienced Occupational Therapist and Artistic Expression volunteers at Paul’s Place will facilitate the Life in Colour project. They said, “the achievements will be endless. The project will show that our members have stories, which are worth sharing through their creative expression, so they can learn from each other and educate the general public.” They continued saying, “our project is about creative expression through art, words and people. It will open doors for sharing our emotions, thoughts and ideas, so we can support each other. We will use the colour spectrum to speak about ourselves in a creative way and share our mutual experiences in life.”

Quote “what you did, what colours have you explored, what was your favourite week and why?” Ian,

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A massive ‘thank you’ to Quartet Community Foundation, it kick started our What Matters Group in June 2023. The funding supported six members at Paul’s Place to meet every six to eight weeks to discuss the matters arising from the ‘comments’ box in our day facility.

For example, some comments suggested starting our day facility activities at 10.30am. They also advised we shouldn’t share our sensory and music rooms with the general public when we move to our own building in Shire Way. Paul’s Place member, Ben, says, “although our meetings are efficient, we make sure we hear, consider and discuss every comment. After everything’s discussed, we then approach the office, where our decisions, opinions and discussions are heard by senior staff and the board. Therefore, we have an important part to play in the indecisions and actions that Paul’s Place take”.

Our life changing grant equipped our members in the What Matters Group with the following training:

• Confidentiality, Safeguarding and GDPR
• Disability and Equality

The training empowered our members to run the What Matters Group and to take turns in chairing the meetings.

Fully accessing our website is also important for empowering our members. We worked with UserWay to update the accessibility menu on our website, where you can change the screen to suit your individual needs.

Kevin joined Paul’s Place fifteen years ago, following a severe stroke, which made Kevin rely on his wheelchair to move around.

Kevin loves getting involved with local politics, and working with university students so they gain a deeper knowledge, awareness and understanding about physically disabled people. Kevin actively campaigns for disability rights, for example to promote inclusive travel and independent living.

It was only natural that Kevin became a Trustee at Paul’s Place, to represent our members voices and feedback. Kevin has an interest in policies, governance and finance, so he can link our members aspirations with what our Trustees can implement.

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In recent years, more and more employers are giving its staff paid leave to volunteer. It ticks many boxes, from lifting staff morale and motivation, provoking ideas and imagination to improving teamwork.

So far in 2024, we’ve warmly welcomed staff from Vaultex, Trident Building Consultancy Ltd, Motability Operations and Mister B and Friends. Our corporate volunteers embraced spending time with our members and (getting stuck into) our day facility activities. The wonderful team from Trident Building Consultancy Ltd did a smashing job in clearing, organising and dismantling our storage sheds. Their tremendous help got us move ready from Coalpit Heath Cricket Club to our very own building in Shires Way.

Our recent corporate volunteer Jane from Motability says, “I had an amazing day. The staff do an amazing job. I had a great experience. We enjoyed playing giant Jenga in the garden and building sculptures with tin foil during the brilliant Life in Colour project. It was all very humbling.”

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Finance accountant, Steph, was actively looking for a golden opportunity to step out of her office and to give back with no financial reward. Steph has a physically disabled niece where she noticed the charities and organisations that make a massive difference. This inspired Steph to start volunteering at Paul’s Place since February 2023, and she never looked back.

Steph says, “I was blown away by Paul’s Place. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming. The value I feel as a volunteer is different from my paid work. The difference I can make to someone’s day is very rewarding.”

Steph said she looks forward to volunteering at Paul’s Place every week. She loves talking to our members and learning about their lives. The ‘can do’ attitude at Paul’s Place is very motivating, and Steph feels like a better person from the experience. It also optimises her ability to work as a team-player when she’s back in the office.

A typical day involves, putting lunch boxes into the fridge, welcoming members as they arrive, chatting over a cup of tea. Our team leaders set the activities for the day ahead, and Steph is guided in where she’s needed. Steph enjoys making the activities fun and engaging. She enjoys witnessing our members going outside their comfort zone to achieve the change they need in their life, when perhaps previously they refused. For example, a member with Spina Bifida, joined Paul’s Place over fifteen years ago. She recently experienced her first gym session at aged 53. She felt extremely proud and plans to go every week.

Steph says, “physically disabled adults can face extra barriers, I do my best to make life easier or find the tools they need to excel in life, to empower and make choices.”

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The much-loved Shire Way Community Centre, in Yate, has sat untouched since 2022. We heard your fond memories in using the centre and your sense of loss when it closed. With thanks to an extremely generous legacy donation, Paul’s Place will take over the building and breathe new life into the centre.

We’re currently signing contracts, and as soon as we have the keys, we’ll upgrade the building and make it fit for purpose. We already have volunteers and corporate volunteers lining up to support the renovations. But as you can imagine our budget is tight and a burst water pipe earlier this year caused flooding and structural damage. Therefore, we would love to hear from anyone who can help us.

Initially our community hub will support our members (service users) with the activities and services they’ll need to fulfil their support plans. This may include opening a community allotment to running a community café. Our Global’s Make Some Noise grant will finance a Volunteer Development Officer, who will make these life enhancing opportunities possible for our members.

Our Plans for the building are based on what our members say. We can’t wait to build our new community hub that truly reflect who we are in 2024. After we settle in, we’ll then open our doors for the public to hire space for their activities and events.

We rely on donations during the year for making our day facility and events special for physically disabled adults.

It also opens a door for a possible raffle to raise much needed funds for Paul’s Place.

• Westerleigh Crematorium recycling metal to raise money for us.
• Grant giving charity Global’s Make Some Noise awarded us £66,000 to launch a brand new in-house volunteering service for our members.

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Since January 2024, we received the following amazing donations, every £5 makes a massive difference.

• Downend Roundtable – £2000 from their annual fireworks fundraising
• Knit and natter, downend group – £623
• Emersons Green ladies group – £567
• Lorraine Jones – joint birthday and anniversary party – £739.20
• Chipping Sodbury Lions – donated easter egg for raffle which went on to raise £300.

We also received donated items from Slimming World in Sea Mills, Patchway, Little Stock and Yate. We’re so grateful to Janice, Sarah and Sharron for personally delivery them.

And Jeremy Price. He posted on the Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath Facebook page, calling all art enthusiasts to donate their unused art supplies. Jeremey received an enormous response, as we received carrier after carrier bags of artistic goods, which supported our Life in Colour project.

We rely on donations during the year for making our day facility and events special for physically disabled adults.

It also opens a door for a possible raffle to raise much needed funds for Paul’s Place.

• Westerleigh Crematorium recycling metal to raise money for us.
• Grant giving charity Global’s Make Some Noise awarded us £66,000 to launch a brand new in-house volunteering service for our members.

Meet Nigel, who joined Paul’s Place eighteen months ago as a volunteer. Nigel saw our Support Worker vacancy, applied and got the job.

When Nigel was only eighteen, he had a severe accident, which left him in a coma, and it caused a stroke. Nigel was told he would never work or walk again. Nigel defied all odds by working as a carpenter for thirty-seven years after rehabilitating. Sadly, the difficulties Nigel has in his right leg caused Nigel to stop his carpentry work.

Nigel loves working at Paul’s Place, as he can empathise how our members experience everyday life. Nigel’s typical day involves setting up the facilities and supporting our members to realise their full potential. Nigel enjoys creating a report with our members and making them laugh. Nigel says, we’re only here for a short time, so having fun and laughing is really important.

If you feel inspired, let’s chat:

• join our team as a volunteer
• choose us for your corporate volunteering days
• fundraise or sponsor us to directly enhance life for physically disabled adults

Contact us