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C 1) Llanfyllin Area Resource - MENCAP
Llanfyllin
Area Resource is a Mencap project which currently offers people with
learning disabilities the opportunity to develop skills in
conservation work, woodland management and green woodworking crafts
to improve social integration and provide meaningful activities.
In
1998 a group of local parents of people with learning disabilities
got together and campaigned for the provision of opportunities for
their sons and daughters based in and around Llanfyllin. Over the
following three years they were successful in securing funding from
the Welsh Office to establish a local base from which to co-ordinate
day services for people with learning disabilities. This service is a
partnership between Mencap Cymru, the Llanfyllin Mencap Support Group
and Powys County Council which is now its principal funder.
The
woodland activities project initiated in 1992 and was known as
Trackside Charcoal. A trainer was appointed and training was offered
in the Open College Network. They began work by coppicing wood from
the track of the Welshpool to Llanfair Light Railway and producing
charcoal from the resultant pole wood. Beneficiaries grew from three
to seven Service Users. As the project developed Mencap Cymru
successfully applied to the European Social Fund, (ESF). When
activities and venues diversified it became known as the North Powys
Woodland Management Project, eventually offering places for 14
people. Some of the money from the E.S.F. was put towards equipping a
woodworking shop on the Llanfyllin industrial estate where greenwood
craft items such as stools, chairs and hurdles are made using
traditional methods and equipment.
To
date, the project has established extensive collaborations with Powys
Castle Estate, a local private woodland, the Forestry Commission and
the RSPB at lake Vyrnwy where they have undertaken activities such as
coppicing, firewood production and other woodland management and
conservation work. The project’s service users also act as
volunteer wardens with the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust at Severn
Farm Pond. One member has worked as a volunteer, one day a week for
10 years with the RSPB at Lake Vyrnwy.
The
initiative has received considerable recognition. In 1997, the
Prince’s Trust nominated the Project as a Highly Commended
Award Finalist, sighting it as “an exemplar of local
sustainable development in Wales”. In 1998 the North Powys
Woodland Management Project won the BT Countryside for All Award for
Wales. A presentation of a commemorative plaque was made in January
1999 by local MP for Montgomeryshire, Lembit Öpik.
Specific
Benefits
Many
of the Service Users live in dispersed, rural areas. Their parental
carers are aging and there was a need for them to develop better
levels of social integration, leading to greater independence. The
woodland activities help the beneficiaries develop social skills and
a sense of pride and achievement by creating saleable products. They
also enjoy the physical exertion of coppicing and other woodland
management activities. They particularly enjoy repetitive activities
such as fire wood stacking. There is no drop out rate from the
project and Service Users often specifically request to work in the
woods rather than opt for other activities offered by the Day Centre,
such as computer skills or cookery.
Special
Considerations
The
project adheres to all health and safety, insurance and first aid
provision requirements. All staff and Service Users wear appropriate
Personal Protective Equipment and have the required vaccinations
relevant to manual work in the outdoors.
Together
with these considerations the project is aware of the Service Users’
specific needs. They are often unable to assess the effects that the
environment is having on them, making themselves susceptible to
sunstroke and hypothermia. In some cases their medication can also
make them more susceptible to sun burn. While conducting risk
assessments, team leaders have to make special considerations for
trip hazards which the Service Users are less able to avoid.
Size of Groups
The
total number of Service Users is 24, coming from as far away as
Newtown. The maximum size of a working party is 13 but this depends
on the individual Service User, as some need one-on-one support.
Duration and Frequency
The
Centre is open for 4 days a week from 10 am to 3pm. If there are no
toilet facilities at the woodland site, work has to be restricted to
four hours. To overcome this, the Montgomery Wildlife Trust is fund
raising for a compost loo. At Powys Castle Estate, Mencap pays £60
/month for a Portaloo.
Factors that have contributed to
the Project’s Success
Undoubtedly
one of the main contributing factors of the project’s success
was the inspiration and drive of Dan Grove, who initiated the
woodland activities and the commitment of the current staff. While no
official partnership agreements were made, the use of woodland sites
was secured through personal contacts and confidence building with
owners and agencies. Once the Service Users had proven their worth as
woodland workers, permission to use the woodlands was extended. It
would have been easier for the staff to have concentrated activities
at the day centre or the workshop yet the benefits they saw being
reaped by the Service Users meant the effort of getting them to the
site was worthwhile. The lack of a project vehicle to transport
Service Users to the site has been a persistent problem.
As
the Service Users have a range of learning disabilities, it has been
vital that the project offers a variety of activities ranging from
stacking morning stick bundles to heavy manual labour. While one of
the aims of the project is to promote physical activity, it was the
creative and rewarding nature of the work that has driven this
project. Social interaction was a major project aim and the lunch
break was one of the most important parts of the day for developing
this.
The
provision of training for the staff was also important through willow
weaving, chainsaw and first aid courses. Peer support from Nanteos
Woodland Group, who have well established woodland management and
green wood working skills as well as experience in working with
socially excluded groups, was also seen as very important. The
ability of experienced carers to learn and teach practical skills has
enabled them to deliver additional benefits without the need to
contract in specialists who may not have these initial social
aptitudes. |
