Emily has been working for Optivo housing association for the past six months. As her contract came to an end on Friday, the staff organised a tea party for Emily & all the residents at the Orangery in Bexhill. The lounge area quickly filled up as people arrived to say farewell to their much loved ‘activities assistant’, sharing tea & cake. Emily has an interest in writing & often told others about the stories she is working on. The staff presented Emily with a thoughtful leaving gift, a journal, a pen & chocolates! Emily was overjoyed with her cards & gift; I took lots of photos during the morning so that she can create a memory box.
Emily’s paid employment began in February, her role as the activities assistant included running the arts & craft sessions, leading the armchair exercises & calling the bingo numbers during the popular Thursday afternoon Bingo event where other locals join the residents for a few games. Whilst making the refreshments, Emily had many opportunities to practice her social skills, chatting with the residents & they soon got to know her, commenting on how friendly & kind natured she is.
The opportunity arose for Emily to shadow the customer service team at the Watch Oak in Battle, where Emily tasks involved: Printing, Scanning, indexing, mail merge, sorting the post & franking. The team were incredibly welcoming & Emily displayed a real talent when using the computer.
As Emily’s job coach, it has been a real pleasure to watch her confidence grow as she learnt lots of new skills. We are currently supporting Emily to find new employment, I’m sure it won’t be long before a suitable placement is found!
Sarah Fletton
