case studies > Good Companions

“Let me tell you a bit about our group:  We are a self-help disabled group.  Our users are blind, deaf, suffering from MS, ME, wheelchair bound and adults with learning disabilities. Our ages ranges from 20-72 years old.

Our aims are:

• To give our families a rest from caring for us up to 12 hours at a time.
• For us the disabled to go out, into and use the community.
• To learn life-skills, confidence building and be as independent as we can be.
• To have the use of volunteer drivers and carers.

Once a month we do a bag full of toiletries and a few other goods like toys for our families (carers) so they can have pamper days with other members of their families who often get left out while they care.

So this is where Giving World Online come in with the toys, toiletries, clothes etc for the bags and to use for the group as well which means our money goes further.  It also teaches our members to use the computers, sort things and to think of other people who are not as well off.

While we give our families a rest from caring we go out into the community by going to the pictures, bowling, picnics, bingo, we have an allotment, meals, training with Bolton CVS.

All this learns us bookkeeping, banking, pay bills, phoning, adding, reading/writing, making friends, grow veg/flowers, independence, shopping.

We all run our group and everyone has a vote and a job to do.

We are very grateful for the goods. Thank you," Marg and Julie, Good Companions, Bolton.