Leonard Cheshire Disability is the UK’s leading charity supporting people with disability. Every year, we support thousands of people in the UK and around the world with physical and learning disabilities to fulfill their potential and live the lives they choose. We work for a society in which every person is equally valued. We believe that people with disabilities should have the freedom to live their lives the way they choose - with the opportunity and support to live independently, to contribute economically and to participate fully in society. In order to achieve this, we rely on well-trained, committed volunteers to provide high quality support to the people we work with. The overall aim of the project is to ensure that the activities programme at Bradbury House is diverse, simulating and in line with our organisational goal. The volunteers will be supporting the activities team in planning and delivering the activities programme. The ideas is that the volunteers will provide new ideas and energy to the programme which will generate change and diversity and in turn allow for "out of the box" thinking among staff and residents. The volunteers will also be able to support residents and day care users on a one-to-one basis, which will allow for more independent and individual living. In order to achieve the overall aim, the following objectives will be at the core of the project. 1. To introduce new activities to the activities programme 2. To support residents with the activities they wish to do inside and outside Bradbury House 3. To support residents in fulfilling personal long-term goals 4. To support fundraising efforts to raise funds that will support the above mentioned aim 5. To raise disability awareness for the volunteers and in the local community The project will be carried out by two volunteers, one male and one female from two different European countries. To ensure the success of the project, it is necessary that the volunteers have some exposure to or experience with disability issues, and have a good command of English prior to the project start. The main activities of the project are: - Occupational activities in the life skills room - Assisting residents in the community - Individual support to residents - Escorting residents on trips - Designing and coordinating sensory garden project Bradbury House is based in small village of Crook, 10 miles south west of Durham city. Bradbury House is within walking distance of all local amenities such as banks, post office, shops and a weekly market. There are good transport links in to the city,which in turn has a main line station making it easy to travel North to Newcastle and Edinburgh or South to York and London. Durham is a stunning county with a lot of historical places to visit and beautiful landscapes. The volunteers will have their own space within Bradbury House located on the second floor of the building, separate from the working environment. The volunteers will get their own room which includes bed/sofa, wardrobe, drawers and a sink. Kettle and tea/coffee facilities are also available within the rooms. There is a shared bathroom with bath/shower and separate toilets all are allocated near bedrooms on the seconded floor. The volunteers also have a shared communal area that has facility’s to make hot drinks and food. It has a microwave, fridge and toaster in the small kitchen area. The volunteers will be provided with 3 meals a day as well as snacks. Pocket money is £200 per month. The volunteers will be volunteering a maximum of 35 hours per week, and they are entitled to 2 days off per week. In addition, the volunteers will have 2 days of leave per month volunteering as well as all bank holidays. The expected impact of project on the residents is that the diversity of activities and enhanced individual support will encourage residents to set new goals and be more open to try new things and in particular to contribute more to the local community. This will improve residents' confidence which we envisage will lead to long term benefits of getting residents to do things like volunteering, organising events, talking about disability issues in the local community and be more involved in decisions made locally and nationally in regards to the care sector and disability issues. The expected impact of the project for the volunteers is to become ambassadors for disability issues. It is expected that the participants will continue to promote disability rights and work towards a society that values disabled and non-disabled people equally. In addition, participants will improve their social skills through working and communicating with diverse people and gaining a better understanding and solidarity with people who face barriers to participate in society. The placement will provide the volunteers with the opportunity to gain insight into the social services sector, which may help them decide on a career path.