What would Dickens say today?

What would Dickens say today?

In the last few days my youngest daughter (Alex) and I had the privilege of meeting Matthew in London. Matthew is homeless, he grew up in care, left care at 16, went to college and successfully became a plumber. Matthew felt he’d achieved something, he told us he was proud of who he’d become. He met a young lady and had a daughter. Life seemed perfect for Matthew, life couldn’t get any better! His young daughter became ill and Matthew couldn’t cope with the prospect of this and after his daughter passed away aged 6 years, his partner asked him to leave the family home. She couldn’t deal with her own grief and Matthews too so Matthew found himself homeless, on the streets with no one to support him! He lost the job he’d worked so hard to get and was proud of, he’d lost his daughter and his home! Matthew felt low. He’s contemplated giving up on life but despite everything he wants to prove he can achieve once again.

He told us that two years ago while he was still in grief he had a brief relationship with a homeless girl who had his son. She got off the streets and has a home. She didn’t want Matthew to live with her because he was still not emotionally ready and the authorities wouldn’t let Matthew move with her and so she now brings his son to visit London once a month.

Matthew is desperate for someone to give him a chance. He can’t get a job, claim benefits or register with a GP/Dentist because he has no home! He told us that he doesn’t want to claim benefits, he desperately wants to work! He wants to be someone, a someone who helps others! It struck us that despite what life had thrown at him, here he was wanting to give to others. We admired that strength and courage.

Alex and I took him to somewhere to eat as our guest. The server looked at Matthew and started to say “we don’t serve ….” I stopped her and told her that Matthew was my guest, I was spending my money and she was going to serve me or I would make a scene! I reminded her that Matthew is a person and he deserves the same respect and customer service as any other customer! Needless to say she could tell, I meant it! She continued to stare as did many others but we didn’t care.

Matthew had a drink, a burger and fries. He ate everything including the garnish salad and pickle! I’ve never seen a human devour food like he did, a starving dog but not a human being. Matthew told us very few people were kind to him, even those who give him money don’t speak to him! People walked past every day. It got me thinking about each of us in our daily lives, how many of us walk past people not ever knowing or caring what life is about for them. Have we really become a society that doesn’t care? I’d like to think not!

Matthew told us how well meaning people are giving out items like soap, toothbrushes, food etc. I learnt from him that without a place to go these items although well meaning were useless but that he could sell them for money for food.

Matthew also shared the horror stories of life on the streets. How he’s seen friends die, of the people who encourage the homeless to deal drugs for more money and a place to stay, how people abuse those who are homeless by kicking them or throwing buckets of cold water over them, to listen to Matthew was heart breaking and it was difficult to hold back the tears! He was determined that the drugs people weren’t going to ‘use him’ and to avoid them he moves around! He’d thought about getting a dog because they help keep the homeless warm, they offer companionship and because friends who had dogs were given more money from people passing. Matthew went to Battersea but they said no! Matthew shared how he’d asked local gyms if he could use their showers to wash, even offering to pay, he was turned down! You didn’t need much to realise that Matthew probably hadn’t washed in weeks even months but Alex and I didn’t care.

We gave Matthew food, our small change and most importantly we gave him our time! On these cold nights, I’ve thought about Matthew often and all those whose lives are just like him. We all live on the edge in life and in an instance any one of us could find ourselves facing adversity. Imagine what would happen if each one of us helped someone like Matthew every single day? A word of kindness, companionship, support, these things aren’t big but to someone like Matthew they mean the world.

Matthew would love to get out of London and start afresh but let’s face it, he’s never going to be able to. He’s trapped on a never ending merry go round of poverty and despair! Moved on from tourist places because heaven forbid they see the reality of our country!

Matthew is looking forward to Christmas Eve because then Church Halls and community centres across London open their doors and give the homeless, fresh clothes, bathing facilities, a piece of foam to lay their sleeping bags on, new sleeping bags and clothes if they need it and three hot meals a day. On January 2nd Matthew will be back on the streets, living an unbearable life but hoping that someone, one day will just give him a chance!

Why do I do what I do? Why did I set up HEALS of Malmesbury? To help all those like Matthew, those who struggle, those whose lives are difficult. If there were no HEALS I’d still help when I could. My mother tells me, it’s been who I am all my life!

Both Alex and I left Matthew with tears in our eyes and sadness in our hearts. No one should have to endure this hardship, not in this country in 2016! This is why HEALS exists! You can help by donating your time or money to HEALS or any other charity helping today!

What would Dickens say today? I think he’d be horrified! At least in his day there were places for the poor! These no longer exist and where they do they are over subscribed with people to help! So the next time you walk down the street, think about those you pass. We all live on the edge, in an instance we can be like Matthew, let’s hope unlike Matthew, there’s someone there to help!

http://www.healsmalmesbury.com

Every small action today will build a brighter tomorrow.

Every small action today will build a brighter tomorrow.

For a very long while we’ve been aware of the war in Syria and the horrors people face. We’ve seen the growing number of refugees/migrants in Calais and other places for even longer. The world stood by, perhaps we felt helpless, maybe we thought it was their problem, some might have not cared or maybe we buried our heads in the sand hoping someone else would do something. Whatever our view point, little has been done and the problem has escalated and now we are faced with an unimaginable crisis.

Recently we’ve seen scenes on social media and in the papers that have shown things we probably never thought we’d ever see. We’ve seen pictures of a small innocent child smiling with so much hope for the future and that same small child’s lifeless body with all hope gone. My heart goes out to all those who’s lives are so horrendous they are willing to risk their own safety and that of their children in the hope of a better life. We’ve heard about unscrupulous people taking money from these desperate people with the promise that they will take them to safety. These accounts are comparable to stories told by many Jewish people during the 1930’s and 40’s where families paid individuals to take them to safety too so that they could escape the horrors from the Nazis. Just like the stories emerging today, many lost their lives because the money was taken and they were abandoned. The images we’ve seen and the stories we’re hearing, mean that the world is no longer willing to stand by and let these people suffer. They’ve brought the reality home and many are doing the things they can to help.

I’ve heard people say “these people should fight back” would we given the same circumstances? We’d do what they are doing, we’d run to have a chance of living. Would we stay, fight and face certain death? Of course we wouldn’t! Man’s basic instinct is to survive. Others say we should fight but this means committing the lives of our brave service men and women.

Some say don’t help these people, instead we should focus on helping those at home. Some of those saying this won’t help those at home, they’ll use the ‘helping those at home’ argument to justify not helping at all.

For me, what’s happened cannot be changed, it can be learnt by and I hope those in governance and power across the world do learn from this. I doubt they will but hope they will.

As individuals we can all should reach out to those in need be they from home or away. Each and everyone of us must follow our heart and our conscience to do what we can in whatever way we can to help. No matter what everyone will have a ‘view’ on how to solve this crisis.

There are many selfless people going out to Calais and other places to do what they can. Who are we to judge what they are doing? I’ve heard it said that those in Calais are dressed in designer clothes with iPhones! I’ve heard first hand from those ‘processing’ refugees that the reality is those they come across are frightened, dirty, starving individuals who have scabies and lice because of the terrible prolonged conditions they’ve been living in. Perhaps those suggesting otherwise come from the school of thinking that now says the plight of the Jewish people in the second world war was made up! People say this and some believe it! Thank goodness many more know this is complete rubbish! There may be a small minority of people taking advantage of this crisis with iPhones, wearing designer clothes but the majority are people who need our compassion and kindness. Thankfully, there are people doing just that and I’m proud to say I know some of these incredible people.

Is there a definitive answer to this crisis? I’m not sure there is and I know whatever the answer is it will take a huge and combined world effort. My Nan used to say words are meaningless actions speak louder. So make your actions count by supporting those in need at home or away and if you can’t, use your actions to support those who are, in the end we can all only do what we can and give hope to some.

In the words of a Michael Jackson song written for a different plight but nevertheless relevant to this crisis,
“Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race, there are people dying
if you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me …”

Every small action today will build a brighter tomorrow.

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com

Is it fair? ~ Do you care?

Is it fair? Do you care?

The Disability Discrimination Act and the Equality Legislation are there to protect the most vulnerable people and ensure fairness. Why then does it appear that some are falling through the cracks? Why is it that some people with a learning disability and Autism seem to be being penalised for their disability? Some are even having their benefits sanctioned leaving them without an income for long periods of time. Why, because their disability hasn’t been recognised properly or has gone unrecognised.

Life is difficult enough for these individuals. Many are living a life of isolation right under our noses in our communities. Life in the community goes on and they go unnoticed. The consequences can be devastating and some are not here today as a result! How can this be happening in the 21st century in our towns and villages?

What can be done to change this? Getting a diagnosis is a good place to start! However, this is not something provided by the NHS because it’s not a health issue. Learning disability can only be diagnosed by Educational Pyscologists and therefore, it’s an education issue. The cost of an assessment ranges from £500 to £750 per person!

Wear the shoes of someone with a learning disability or Autism. Imagine being given the impossible task of proving your disability, when day to day living is enough of a challenge in itself. All they need is reasonable adjustments made to ensure they get the right daily support, the right benefits, the proper housing support and the best path into work or volunteering!

Where does anyone start? There are so few charities and organisations being able to offer support in getting a diagnosis but HEALS of Malmesbury is one doing just that! Enabling and supporting people to get a diagnosis is important but with numbers of people needing this growing, funds need to grow too in order that some of the most vulnerable get the help to live the best life they can.

“Never believe that a few caring people can change the world. For indeed, that’s all who ever have” Margaret Mead

Are you one of the few who can change the world for those who need help, empowerment and support in our communities today? Ask yourself is it fair? Do you care? If the answer is yes then maybe you can help by making a donation.

http://www.healsmalmesbury.com

“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already…” -J.K. Rowling

“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already…”

As I look around it’s clear to see that the countdown to Christmas has begun. Growing up I loved watching the Christmas Films, my all time favourite being A Christmas Carol. I think this film, my family and growing up in Cardiff made me realise at a young age that there are those in need. I’d often be Christmas shopping and we’d pass by someone who was homeless and it affected me. It still does and today I realise and understand even more.

Only recently on a trip home to Cardiff I passed someone homeless. I bought them a coffee and some food. You’d have thought I’d have given them the lottery winnings. However, need does not stay with the those who are homeless. For a huge number of people Christmas isn’t a time of happiness. We all have the power just like Scrooge to change because “we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already …”

Working at HEALS I seem to spend half my time crying or feeling frustrated (especially when I know I could help but am unable due to resources) and the rest happy knowing that in some small way a difference has been made.

A long time ago a wonderful gift arrived that first Christmas, one that gave humanity a yard stick to follow. As we all move towards Christmas let’s think of those who need help, let’s all do what we can no matter how big or small. We can all make a difference and we should remember that Christmas is about reaching out, it’s about sharing and it’s about love and remember no matter how hard things look, “we do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already…”

Merry Christmas to one and all.

http://www.healsmalmesbury.com

http://www.healsuk.co.uk

Those we fail today, we continue to fail time and time again!

Those we fail today, we continue to fail time and time again!

In the course of my work it never ceases to amaze me how we as society have and continue to fail others! We don’t seem to see it or are we choosing not to? On the outside we portray a society that cares, a society that accepts everyone ~ yet I see a different side of the coin!

Let me tell you about Dylan (named changed).

Some time ago I went to the jobcentre with someone I was supporting. On arrival I was aware of Dylan, he was shouting asking for help to fill in a form. Time and time again Dylan went to the desk to ask or help in completing a form so he could apply for money. Time and time again he was told that no-one could help him. Staff told him to go and call the advice line. Dylan tried to explain (in his own unique way) that he’d spent the two hours a day for the past two days on the phone getting nowhere! He wasn’t believed and the Jobcentre staff asked him to leave, the security guard was at the ready too!

What they saw was an angry young man, a nuisance, someone they could do without!

What I saw was someone desperate for help, someone trying to get their message across ~ should I offer my help was a question I didn’t have to answer, I knew already I would! I made a ‘deal’ that once I’d finished what I came to do, I’d sit down and help him with the form. The smile on Dylan’s face and the look of gratefulness in his eyes said everything.

He kept to his word and so did I!

Whilst filling in the form I realised that this wasn’t just a form filling situation, it was about much more.

Dylan was someone who’d been failed his whole life! His learning disability had failed to be recognised at school, except it had been but he had no clear diagnosis (label) and without this he and his family had failed to get the support they needed. Did Dylan’s disability go undiagnosed because of lack of money or was it he was deemed not worth investing in? I realised this was a young man who’s gone through the system failing at every step, thinking it was him when all the time it wasn’t! What cut through me was when Dylan said that dying seemed his best option! I tell you how I didn’t cry there and then! I knew that I had to do everything in my power to change this even if it meant more work, Dylan was far too important!

I stopped the form filling and arranged for him to come and see me as he didn’t have any money himself (because he hadn’t been paid benefits, because he couldn’t fill in the form), I gave him the money from my own pocket.

Since that first meeting I’ve got to know Dylan and what a great young man he is! He has a strong work ethic, he really wants to do something and be somebody. His issues have gone far beyond form filling or his undiagnosed disability, there’s debt, a feeling of worthlessness, the list seemed endless ~ if I felt this was it any wonder he felt as he did?

Overtime we’re putting his life puzzle together, it’s going to take a while and we’re both in it for the long haul but working together, we’ll make the changes we need to ensure that Dylan’s future is much brighter than his past.

At our last meeting Dylan and I cried tears of sorrow and laughter and he told me that he now feels lucky he met me that day because his life is changing, he doesn’t feel alone anymore! He said he now wants to live! That for me means everything and says it all! It’s exactly the reason why I do what I do everyday!

Things could have turned differently that day had Dylan and I not met. It’s likely he’d have been removed from the jobcentre, arrested, his form would have remained uncompleted, he’d have no money and would have continued in the spiral of being failed! Thankfully, we did meet and HEALS is able to help him and failure is now part of Dylan’s past.

Our next huge challenge is to try and get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, because Dylan is an adult, some of the tests he could have had done on the NHS or by experts as a child (under 16)are no longer available and cost. I’ve managed to persuade two of the top UK Specialists to see Dylan for £1,350 instead of their usual £3,000 fee. Of course they’ll be accommodation and travel on cost bringing it to just under £2,000.

He shouldn’t have to pay! I can hear you say. You’re right he shouldn’t but he does because Dylan has been failed and I for one have no intention of failing him anymore. How and where to find the money is my challenge but I face it with passion and determination!

Dylan has so to offer and I plan to give him his dream of being someone and he’s going to help and inspire others and show them that where you start out in life doesn’t determine where we end our journey! And he’ll show them that disability is no obstacle!

Dylan is just one example, I’m helping more like him everyday, all needing assessments costing between £350 and £1,500 each and everyone just as deserving.

Those we fail today, we continue to fail time and time again ~ except on my watch!

If you would like to help please donate via: http://localgiving.com/charity/healsmalmesbury

Name has been changed to protect identity.

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude” ~ Scott Hamilton

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude” ~ Scott Hamilton

This is true! It amazes me that we legislate against discrimination against those with a disability and things such as malicious communications. We live in an age where our children are educated about equality and diversity and even study citizenship. We’re considered to be an inclusive society or at least that’s what we like to think. The notion of community and caring is something we understand. How wrong can we be?

Over the years I’ve come across people who’ve said that at school their child had a diagnosis of a hidden disability but they’ve outgrown it! Can you believe that some people actually think that hidden disabilities suddenly disappear in adulthood! If you are born with a hidden disability then you’ll always have that disability ~ how it affects the person might change and the challenges in life will be different but it’s still there ~ no miracle cure exists.

Parenting a child with their own challenges is a whole new ball game ~ the rule book is totally different. I know when my own daughter was small how frustrated I’d become because I struggled to come to terms with the fact she was different. Then I started to think what it must be like for her, how can she be dealing with life. Susan Hampshire says “it is a lonely existance to be a child with a disability which no-one can see or understand, you exasperate your teachers, you disappoint your parents and worst of all you know you are not stupid.” This says it how it is, I made the choice that my daughter would not disappoint me because I would always do my best to try and see things from her perspective ~ although life will always hold challenges for both of us we’ve succeeded. In helping her, we can use our experience to help and give hope to others.

Many adults with hidden disabilities go on to have children of their own who face their own challenges because they too have a hidden disability. How much harder is it for these parents to navigate life? It’s a bit like having a bicycle kit to fix a car ~ no matter what you do it’ll never be enough. Is any of it the parents fault, whether they have a disability or not? Of course it isn’t!

Why is it that there are those who take delight in bullying those who are vulnerable? Those who make vulnerable people with a learning disability think that they are friends and then coerce them into behaving in a certain way?

NEWSFLASH! People with hidden disbilities cery often are unable to read the signs, they have difficulty distinguishing, banter, jokes, sarcasm, etc because they take life at face value.

Shame on those who know these individuals are vulnerable and still persist in making them think that they are their friends so that they’ll behave in an inapproriate way or do something wrong. What makes it worse is that these same individuals will then take pleasure in publicly humiliating the vulnerable because they have behaved and done exactly what those coercing them had wanted.

I’ve witnessed such behaviour over social media and I’ve also seen the posts by those vulnerable individuals. Maybe those doing the humiliating should think about them, just once! All they want to do is fit in, have friends, be like everyone else ~ don’t we all want that? It’s because they want to fit in that makes them an easy target!

“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone” ~ Martina Navratilova. This is exactly one of the reasons why Heals – Help Empowerment And Local Support was set up. We help those who are vulnerable to have a voice, to find the things they are good at and encourage them, so that they can feel part of the community and avoid leading an isolated life.

What would I say to those being negative to those with hidden disabilities? I’d say start looking at the person in the mirror and ask them to change their ways because no message could be any clearer. Take a look at yourself and make a change ~ the world will be a better place and you’ll be a better person too because “the only disability in life is a bad attitude” ~ Scott Hamilton.

http://www.healsmalmesbury.com

http://localgiving.com/charity/healsmalmesbury

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com/

Keeping life simple – the advice of a tree!

Keeping life simple – the advice of a tree!

Can life be simple or do we complicate it?

Think of a tree, most stand for years and years, they lead a simple life requiring water and sunshine. If a tree were on some TV chat show what advice would it give? Perhaps it would be ~ stand tall and proud ~ go out on a limb ~ remember your roots ~ drink plenty of water ~ be content with your natural beauty and enjoy the view. Sounds like great advice to me.

What about the advice of the tree?

Stand tall and proud ~ so many people lack confidence yet what they do is admired by others? When we put pressure on ourselves, we complicate our lives. Anyone wanting to be successful in business needs to believe in themselves, focus on their goal and be proud of who they are and be proud of their journey. Where you start out does not determine your destination, anything is possible and when you see and believe that, you’ll achieve.

Go out on a limb ~ take chances, sure you have to plan and consider risks but you also have to take yourself out of your comfort zone, push your own boundaries. Growing up I was forever pushing boundaries and although back then it got me into heaps of trouble, I’ve come to realise that the lessons I learnt have given me the tools to help others in their lives. Successful people are always pushing boundaries, finding out how far they can go in any direction. Sometimes they fail but the destination is still success.

Remember your roots ~ there is a saying in Wales “you can take the girl out of Wales but you’ll never take the welsh out of the girl”. I’m proud of who I am and where I’ve come from but it wasn’t always the case. When I first moved to England I became aware of the differences and sometimes I felt like I didn’t belong. Over time I’ve become a ‘local’ and it’s a good feeling. However, my experience has made me even more aware of the need to make sure that the roots of the charity (my business) are firm. Too many people have a great business idea but it never goes anywhere because they forget to spend time making sure their roots are firm. Making sure the roots of your business are firm, will certainly keep life simple!

Drink plenty of water ~ without us there is no business so looking after ourselves is vital. Our bodies are mostly water and although we can lives without food, we can’t go without water. So we need to make sure that we look after our bodies. For me this is the biggest challenge, I constantly make time for everyone else except me! It complicates my life because I’m forever playing catch up, so the lesson for me today is to give myself time, likewise I pass this onto you because you are the central point of your business and it’ll help you keep life simple!

Be content with your natural beauty ~ beauty is not about the external package, it’s about what’s on the inside too and each one of us is beautiful. The challenge for the majority of us is believing this. The media today sets a standard which most of us never reach. Perfection does not exist so why keep striving for it. Happiness comes from within, so accept yourself, see your natural beauty because when you see it, so will others.

Enjoy the view ~ we all forget our own achievements in life. I recently sat down after what had a difficult day and reflected on my own life. I began writing a list of all the things I had done well in life. I was amazed! We all have the capacity to achieve and we all need to enjoy the view of those achievements.

Remember, everything in life is possible if you decide on it, plan for it, focus on it and go for it!

Keep life simple and start to follow the advice of a tree because when you do, life will be simple!

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com

http://www.heals.btck.co.uk

“Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones. Never regret. If it’s good it’s wonderful, if it’s bad it’s experience.”

“Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones. Never regret. If it’s good it’s wonderful, if it’s bad it’s experience.”

Over the years I’ve met a number of individuals who seem unable to move their lives forward because of their mistakes or something that went wrong or because something they had no control over has made them feel inadequate. The truth is it’s life, everyone faces these situations at sometime or other.

No-one is perfect and until we accept and learn to love ourselves for who we are, moving forward for some will remain an uphill struggle.

So how is it some people do and become successful? What sets those people apart is the ability to learn from every situation whether they be positive or negative.

There have been a number of times in my life when I’ve felt that was it, I couldn’t go on and I couldn’t see how I’d ever get back up but I did. I look at my life today and realise that I’m more resilient than I thought I was. I could have accepted the stereotypical ‘label’ placed on me by society – I was a single mother therefore, I wasn’t going to succeed and neither were my children. For many years this is what I expected and this is what I got! I now realise that whatever you strive for you can achieve but you have to be motivated, want it, see it and plan for it. You may not reach it the first time but you will achieve and you will be successful.

I am always amazed when I speak to successful people because the result isn’t always what they expected, in many cases it’s better! This is exactly how I feel! I knew I’d be doing the kind of work I do now but I didn’t think that starting and building a charity would be quite so exciting and rewarding.

Carrying your mistakes around with you weighs you down. I often liken it to Marley in the Dickens classic Scrooge. In death he carried around this huge chain, not being able to move forward. Carrying our mistakes is a bit like that too because we can end up carrying around our own invisable chain, which prevents us from being happy and it makes those around us unhappy too.

So, look at your own life and don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones. Never regret. If it’s good it’s wonderful, if it’s bad it’s experience.

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com

http://www.heals.btck.co.uk

“Where everybody matters…” but is this the impossible dream?

“Where everybody matters…” but is this the impossible dream? ‘Where everybody matters…’ is a strapline of a council – but is this the impossible dream? It shouldn’t be, caring about others and for others is what sets us apart as human beings.

Unfortunately, there are many people in our communities that are falling through the cracks, those who’s needs are not being met, where care in the community is failing them! It’s the twenty-first century, have we really moved so little in certain aspects of community life?

Care in the Community came about under the Thatcher Government. Was the aim to save money by closing down the institutions that cared for the vulnerable (young and older)? Was it to ‘enable’ people to be cared for at home and be a part of their community? The reality is the system has failed. Care companies can’t provide the levels of support that individuals need. Supported living funding is dwindling and unlike times gone by people are caught up in their own busy lives to really care or have the time to care about those in the community in need. Those in need may be living in the community but they are isolated and lonely.

The idea of community today seems to some to be talking about great initiatives that go no further than the talk. Some ideas halt either because of a lack of interest or due to in-fighting between the community ‘big fish!’.

Gone are the days when everyone in the community would ‘muck in’ and look out for one another. Technology has made great advancements while community appears to be doing a ‘moonwalk!’ facing forward but walking backwards.

One example of how care has failed is Tom. Is it right that an individual under fifty five with a brain injury is given a tenancy when they struggle to live everyday doing basic tasks? Is it right that this same person is supported for just two hours in the morning by workers from a care agency (contracted by the council) and one hour every night – leaving them alone for twenty one hours! Is it right that no-one in the community cares enough to support this individual? Is it right that this person is on the receiving end of verbal abuse by some in the community (including children)? Is it right for the care agency to respond with verbal aggression to acts of kindness and care towards this individual? How can this all be okay? Of course it isn’t but this is a description of just one of many the cases that charities like HEALS (Help Encouragement And Local Support) see increasingly and alarmingly!

Who is wrong? The Government for the Care in the Community Policy in the first place and then reducing funding? Perhaps it’s the care agency who’ve got the local council’s care contract for not giving enough care and support? Could it be the council’s Social Service Department for not putting in place the right care package? Is it the housing policy of the council and local housing providers for this person not being eligible for supported housing due to the fact they are below fifty five? Is it the community for not offering support? The reality is it’s all of the above – this is where partnership, social and moral responsibility for one another and a true sense of care for one another and community will and can change lives!

Today, no-one should be left alone and everyone deserves to live the life they deserve to live. No-one should believe that death is a better propect than living!

Care in the Community – without care or community is an impossible dream!

It’s not an impossible dream, HEALS wants to make this a reality one day, it can happen, if we believe, if we care, if we work in partnership and collaboration, everybody will really matter!

HEALS believes that “you never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obselete” – Buckminster Fuller. We’re planning to build a network of help, encouragement and local support across the UK. You can be a part of this too – start 2014 by doing something amazing ~ form a local Heals charity. Together we can give hope to those in need and those who fall through the gaps and who the system fails. This what community is all about and what HEALS aims to achieve.

“Where everybody matters …..” is not the impossible dream, it can be a reality.

http://www.alisoncross-jones.com

http://www.heals.btck.co.uk

When you dance to your own rhythm …..

We all have our own path to follow in life. For some the path to be taken is obvious from an early age, for others it comes via their career path and through job opportunities. Some people ‘like me’ take a while longer to work out where they need to be. No matter how we come to realise our chosen path, it takes courage to be successful because successful people recognise their own strengths, gifts and abilities as well as weaknesses, opportunities challenges to overcome.

Attitude is a key factor in achieving our own goal in life. If you think you’ll fail, you probably will, those who believe in who they are and what they do, will succeed eventually. Maybe not the first time and it may take many more times of trying but they’ll believe in themselves and strive for success.

My work within social housing and adult education, together with my voluntary work has been a solid foundation for me finding my personal and professional path. In turn this has helped me lead and take HEALS (Help Empowerment And Local Support) over the last two and a half years to the next level. It’s meant facing all kinds of personal and professional challenges, all of which have tested my belief in the organisation, my personal resilience and has at times meant rethinking the goals. However, giving up has never been an option because what HEALS does and the effect and impact it has on people’s lives, is far too important

HEALS started as an idea and from a recognised missing need. Over time, through events, talking and listening to those who come to us for help, encouragement and support and through our developing and increasing partnerships, we’ve developed projects that are unique and innovative.

It’s not been all plain sailing, nothing ever is, there have been those who for their own reasons have not supported or seen the benefits of what HEALS does and at the start I used to find this difficult to cope with but not anymore.

As we approach a New Year, we each have the chance to write a new chapter; the future is what we choose to write. We can begin positively or in doubt, it’s our choice. I’ll be starting 2014 on a positive note and attitude. Who knows where it will lead? One thing’s for sure it can only lead to success for everyone but most importantly for those who are helped, encouraged and supported.

I now realise that when people become negative about something that delivers positive results, it says much more about their attitude and self belief because “When you dance to your own rhythm, people may not understand you; they may even hate you but mostly they’ll wish they had the courage to do the same!”