The inspirational achievements of people who are supported by learning disability care provider CMG were celebrated at an awards ceremony recently.
People supported by CMG, staff and family members gathered at Imber Court Sports and Social Club in East Molesey, Surrey, for the annual evening. The ceremony provides the opportunity for celebration and reflection on the successes in the lives of the people CMG supports. The awards also give individuals a real sense of pride and in many cases increase their confidence to continue their achievements still further.
The event highlighted a range of stories, from individuals conquering health difficulties to those succeeding in arts and education. For example, third place in the Most Inspirational Health Outcomes prize was handed to David (pictured) from one of CMG’s services in Surrey.
David, who is registered blind, a wheelchair user, is non-verbal and has a rare condition which means he has poor health and had been disengaged from life. But through his own determination, and that of staff and the external health team support, David now participates in daily activities and even went clubbing in recent months. His family said they can’t believe his improvement.
In the Best Achievement in Sports category, accomplishments ranged from individuals who were training with professional football teams to those who were using their skills to help others. For example, first prize in this category went to Mark from one of CMG’s Herefordshire services. Aside from regularly participating in sporting activities from aqua aerobics to boxercise, cycling, swimming, basketball, cricket and football, Mark is also responsible for coaching sport and exercise classes and has set up exercise sessions for other local service users.
This was the fourth time CMG has held the Service User Awards Ceremony. The idea for the event came out of CMG’s Service User Parliament – a group of people CMG supports who are elected to represent their peers.
There were 12 award categories and 48 finalists, including Best Achievement in Education, Most Inspiring Positive Risk Taking and Excellence in Advocacy and Rights Promotion.
Many individuals took to the microphone after receiving their awards and thanked CMG, staff at the service they lived in and often their family members for helping them to accomplish their achievements, which was quite emotional.
Peter Kinsey, chief executive of CMG, said: “The people we support continue to inspire us with the incredible things they are able to achieve year after year. We are honoured to celebrate their achievements together with their families and the staff who have provided amazing support to them throughout the year.
“CMG is committed to providing individuals with ongoing opportunities to break down any barriers in the way of their ability to exceed. We will be back here in 12 months’ time marking another year of huge successes.”
