The Helping Hands York Care Team have made one of their customer’s wishes come true by taking her to a Little Mix concert.
Katie, who lives with cerebral palsy, was surprised by the tickets after branch Care Coordinator, Nik, managed to acquire tickets generously provided by the First Direct Arena in Leeds. This enabled Katie and her mum, Sam, to have extra support from the team whilst enjoying singing along to the band’s hits.
It was Katie’s first ever concert and also a 21st birthday present – so there was lots to celebrate!
Katie has been a Helping Hands customer since 2016 after turning 18. The York team support her on a daily basis with personal care and taking her to a local college for young adults with additional needs. They also enjoy plenty of days out with Katie and of course, listening to the latest Little Mix single.
Branch Manager, Donna Brittain, explains: “Katie has such a special outlook on life. She is a very funny lady and loves her independence. Katie is non-verbal but communicates extremely well. She’s very bright and keep us on our toes!”
The Wishing Well initiative was set up in March 2019 by the branch after discovering that many of their customers hadn’t done some simple activities for quite a while. Most of the requests have been things like going to the park to feed the ducks or having an ice cream on a sunny afternoon. It’s enabled many of the York customers to build their confidence and keep in touch with their local community.
Donna says: “I wanted to create a project that could offer our customers something, so they can do at least one thing with their carers or a member of the office team. Our carers embraced the idea and have offered their free time.
She continues: “It’s important for our branch to support our customers with positive outcomes; it’s very evident that there is a huge demand for social needs. The moment you see the smile and happiness that we can create, is the moment you know why you get up on a Monday morning.”
