County Care Independent Living Celebrates its 10th Birthday

Staff member and service user wearing ppe masks, with support worker signing the number 10 with fingers over service users head.

County Care Independent Living has turned 10 and despite celebrations being cancelled they still celebrated, lockdown style!

County Care, who have offices in Lincolnshire and Surrey provide support for many individuals with learning disabilities, autism and mental health, so have been thinking of ways they could celebrate their upcoming birthday over the past year.

Their birthday, which was on Friday 21^{s t} August was due to be honoured in true County Care style with celebrations throughout the month in all their offices and community and even a whisper of a party was heard. So when the government announced lockdown, their plans were sent into disarray. Lockdown has been particular hard for outreach support agencies.

Director of Care, Alex Noakes, has been at the forefront of the team during Covid, trying to keep the balance of staff safety whilst continuing to support the clients. Alex said “The outbreak of Covid brought with it the biggest challenge I have had to face as a registered manager to date. Thankfully our hardworking team and collaborative approach which are core values we pride ourselves on meant we were able to continue providing the high level of care to our service users.

County Care would not see a birthday go by without marking the occasion though and especially one as big as their 10^th. Working with both service users and support workers, individuals sent in photos of themselves in various locations signing the number 10 which was then put into a collage.

Alex went on to say “It’s fantastic that County Care are celebrating their 10th birthday and I’m delighted to have had the pleasure of sharing 7 years of that time. Here’s looking forward to the next 10 years

So whilst the festivities might not have been what they wanted or expected, they continue to put smiles on everyone’s faces and at the end of the day that is all you can ask for.

So across the country people are raising glasses to say ‘Happy 10^th Birthday’ to County Care.

Written By: Victoria-Jayne Scholes

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