24th – 28th March 2025
✪ This week, we welcomed a new worker in our office, Natalia! We have all enjoyed meeting Nat and getting to know her, and we are excited for the upcoming pieces of work she will be doing! Here is a few words from her…
Hi, my name is Nat. I have recently joined People First Keighley and Craven as a Social Work student. I will be doing my placement here and I am really looking forward to working with such a passionate team.
I am originally from Poland, I love the outdoors and I don’t like clowns! I have worked in the care sector for a few years, and for as long as I can remember, working with people has always been what I wanted. I consider myself very lucky to be doing my placement here and learning everything related to my course of study.
One thing is for sure – you can be yourself here at PFKC!
✪ Across the week, we spent time exploring hidden disabilities and the meaning behind the sunflower lanyard. We talked about how it offers a quiet way to signal that you may need support, and how wearing it is a choice, you do not have to explain to anyone why you wear it if you do not want to.
✪ Our Podcast team had an incredibly interesting interview on Monday with Tiffany Yu, an American disability activist and founder of the Diversability organisation! She has recently released a book called The Anti-Ableist Manifesto in the UK and has been doing a book tour in London, so she was able to Zoom in to talk to us about her new book and what it is about, as well as giving us more information about her!
The episode released on Wednesday, so make sure to check it out HERE!
✪ On Tuesday, we did a session of work reviewing and discussing the website for Healthwatch, a nationwide service that supports people to get support with their healthcare. We were looking at the website to see if it was accessible for people with learning disabilities, and our members made suggestions if there were any changes they wanted to make.
After the session, our podcast hosts Stephen W and Benjamin spoke to the Accessible Information Standard Officer at Healthwatch Leeds, Tatum, on the podcast about the importance of accessible information as well as learning more about Healthwatch!
✪ And on Tuesday evening, we were out at the Leeds Grand Theatre for our March social night to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! The trip was organised by our member Owen who wanted to go see a theatre show with People First, and everyone had a good time singing along at the show!
✪ Wednesday saw the release of our video review of the accessible Yorkshire Dales National Park trail from earlier in the month! During our walk a few members gave their feedback about their experiences with the walk. The video also features Makaton interpretations from our Communications Lead, Martin!
✪ Jane W also filmed the first 2 episodes of her new TV Show interview series! She spoke to Tom and Oliver about the work they do at People First and on the podcast team. Keep your eyes on our social media pages for the upcoming releases of these interviews!
✪ And we started off our Friday by going downstairs in Central Hall to a morning breakfast event run by Sammie from Healthwatch Bradford & District! The fundraiser was part of the “Brilliant Breakfast to Change a Girl’s life” project, which is run by the King’s Trust and supports young women who are facing adversity the support they need to get back on their feet and into work, so they can build a better future for themselves. It was a really lovely morning and we were glad to support and donate to such an incredible cause!
