A DAY centre providing vital help to adults with learning disabilities has been nominated in our Health and Care Awards.

Freedom Day Centre, in Badsey, is a centre for adults which opened in July 2017 providing support to vulnerable and elderly people in the county.

Freedom’s aims are to provide person-centred care to the people they support and to make the lives of their service users as fulfilling as possible.

During the past 12 months, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the centre has worked every day to ensure their service users have had vital daily interaction, helping to combat isolation and loneliness in the community. Freedom also ran a community care scheme prior to Covid, which helped many elderly people in the community to feel involved and meet people.

Since the pandemic started, members have been helping with lunches and shopping while service users self-isolate and shield. One service user praised the centre, saying: “Words really can't describe the level of care and support they provide.

“You only have to spend a few moments at Freedom to realise what a family environment it is and the great relationship between the staff and service users. It truly is a wonderful place to be and they deserve all of the recognition they get.”

Staff from Freedom help their service users with company and interaction, which helps them develop confidence and build life skills. Some service users hadn’t been on holiday for more than 10 years, so Freedom is fundraising to buy a caravan to help people go on holiday who wouldn’t normally be able to due to costs.

One service user said before getting in touch with Freedom she felt alone living by herself and that joining had helped her make new friends, helping her build her confidence and self esteem to the point she is now planning a trip to America - something she did not think was possible before.

For more about the Freedom Day Centre, go to www.freedomdaycentre.co.uk/ - The Health and Social Care Awards 2021 celebrate the wonderful work of carers in Worcestershire. For more information, go to https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/awards/whsc-awards-2021/