We are constantly searching for new activities, day trips or experiences for our Service Users in order to aid their rehabilitation. Here is an example of one such day where two of our Service Users chose what they would like to do in London for the day.

They caught the train to London and worked out which underground line they needed to get to the Dungeons. They had a lovely lunch at a pub nearby and after planning what they would like to do, they made their way to the Dungeons (following a tourist map). The Service Users relayed back to us that they had great fun in the Dungeons and had a good giggle at the skeletons in the dark alleys and on the boat ride. They enjoyed seeing different genres of “spooky” including Sweeny Todd; Judges; and the Fire of London…to name a few. They had just enough time to grab the proverbial touristy shot (see below), buy a take-away and hop back on the train to Northampton.

There are great benefits to Service Users taking part in choosing activities they would like to do, plan their day including travel events and holidays. Some of our Service Users prefer to go on outings on a one-to-one basis whereas others prefer group outings and holidays. The experience not only gives them choices but enables them to make decisions in all aspects of their lives promoting their independence which also gives the opportunity of flexing the skills of planning and making journeys…being aware of locations; the value of money; as well as safety and social skills interaction when out in the community. All of this means that from a rehabilitation perspective, the Service User is being able to make decisions promoting their independence to plan forward and achieve goals.

A big thank you to Wendy Coleman (Homes Manager at Duston Rd) for sharing this lovely day out with us, in order that we can provide you, our readers, with some insights into the valuable breadth of our rehabilitation efforts for our Service Users.