Andrew’s story – Crawley.
Andrew lives with his elderly mum, who has reduced mobility due to a past stroke. Andrew has schizophrenia which impacts his daily life in many ways. Andrew loves nature and the outdoors – but finds it challenging to mix with his local community, as it can be overstimulating and therefore quite overwhelming.
Finding a way to enjoy the outdoors has been a key challenge.
Especially, as Andrew’s mum also has a significant deformity to her foot that impacts her walking and her ability to get out in the community. Both Andrew and his mum were struggling when they got in touch with Circles Network.
Andrew’s mum used to enjoy their garden, sitting outdoors, looking at the flowers, listening to the birds, and enjoying the fresh air. But neither of them were able to do this as their garden was very run down and overgrown.
Following a few detailed discussions, the facilitators at Circles Network were set on a mission to tackle this challenge for Andrew and his mum. It was agreed that tools, gardening equipment and a bird bath, which Andrew chose, would be purchased. Andrew was encouraged to get involved in the gardening, which he found to enjoy very much!
The end result, was a safe, garden space returned to its former glory, and most importantly, a place of their own that they could both enjoy. “We were delighted to see the local wildlife return to our garden. It really is a space we can continue to maintain now, and, that we hope to improve with a little help along the way!”
The impact on their emotional and mental wellbeing has been extremely positive. They are now able to step outside and not face the enormous task of clearing the garden. Andrew feels a huge sense of accomplishment as his time and effort played a part in creating this space for both himself and his mum – with a strong circle of support around them.
“I’m so proud” Andrew told us at the end of the project!
