Testimonials
Ordinary Lifestyles continually seeks feedback from everybody who has a connection to the organisation, whether than be the individuals receiving a service, their families, our employees or our partner agencies/ commissioners. We do this in order to ensure that the services we provide are the best that they can be….but don’t just take our word for it; here are some excerpts from our ‘extended family’
“They doing a great job, they take me to Whetherspoons, I like the disco” (excerpt from family/individual questionnaire 2022)
“Good leadership with happy environment promoted. Has supported well to move into post lockdown activity mode! Planned, organised (and supported) holiday that was much needed. Good recruitment of new staff with good blend of youth and experience. Supported well throughout the anxieties of covid testing, changes to routine and particularly with varied levels of client support needs, anxieties etc. Excellent at looking for and supporting clients to overcome barriers and extend their comfort zone. Special mention and thanks to one member of staff who acquired information and knowledge about a specific autism type and uses this to personalise client approach and offer very positive support experiences” (excerpt from family/individual questionnaire 2022)
“It makes such a difference working for an organisation who show they appreciate your contribution” (recently appointed employee 2022)
“THE PEOPLE I SUPPORT AND MY LOVELY COLLEAGUES HAVE MADE THE LAST 8 YEARS SOME OF THE HAPPIEST TIMES OF MY WORKING LIFE” (outgoing Team Leader May 2022)
“Excellent team leadership which cascades down and produces informed and caring staff. Current pandemic has tested the organisation at every level and OL have met the challenge with organisational skills, diligence, patience and empathy and maintained a calm and supportive atmosphere. Flexibility and a creative approach to client issues absolutely brilliant” (excerpt from family questionnaire 2021)
“Well managed, caring, person centred organisation” (excerpt from family questionnaire 2021)
I have been meaning to write to you for a long time to express my gratitude and appreciation for the excellent service Clodagh McGurrin and her team have been and are providing for my client , a 22 year old young with severe physical disabilities whose long-term hopes and goals are to live as independently as possible and to be a songwriter/music producer.
When he secured a place to study at the BIMM Institute from September 2021, it was a big challenge to find the right accommodation and then the day time support for him to make his dream come true.
I had been emailing, phoning and pleading a lot to no avail, it seemed I was getting nowhere and that all would fail because we could not find the day time support this young man needed.
Then I came across Clodagh who from her first reply to my email was committed to make things work for this young man.
Her creativity, flexibility and out-of- the box thinking in addition to her being 100% reliable, has made a huge difference to this young man’s life and without her and her team, he would not have been able to commit to his studies. Finding the nearest changing room facility to the college was only the first challenge she overcame.
There have been big stumbling blocks along the way. Transport was a big issue at some point, nothing seemed to work out until Clodagh came up with the idea to use her team and the young man’s mobility car to transport him to and from college. The TA support in college became a problem and again, Clodagh and her team stepped in.
Chris, who has been the support for this young man at college, is equally committed and has build up such a good relationship with him that the young man asked if he could “move in with Chris” .
He creates an atmosphere of confidence and support which allows for constructive work with the young man, taking into consideration his feeling of insecurity, vulnerability and lack of confidence at times.
Clodagh and her team act as an excellent advocate for this young man, helping to maximise his life opportunities in an anti-discriminatory manner, and liaising and joint working with partner agencies for the benefit of him.
I wanted to thank them for their creative, thoughtful and thorough planning. Each challenge up to now has been problem solved with a very positive ‘can do’ approach.
This is a fantastic example of collaborative working to get an excellent outcome for this young man.
Having met someone like Clodagh gives me hope that there are others out there equally committed to improve this young man’s life.
I wanted to give a compliment to the support stafff of Ordinary Lifestyles.
I have seen them on numerous occasions at numerous activities such as bowling at Altrincham Atlantic Bowl and Bramley Farm with the people you support.
The staff are always happy and actively engaging with the people being supported, always promoting choices and positive encouragement and the people being supported always appear happy. On many occasions everyone is sat laughing and there appears to be no staff/supported individual divide.
It is lovely seeing the people you support out in the community and always at a range of events and with such a happy staff team.
The staff are a credit to Ordinary Lifestyles!
(Training Provider/former organiser of LD disco)
