Winter is on the way at Boscawen Farm! ❄️ As the days gets shorter and the weather gets colder, some of the people we support at the farm have been hard at work on essential maintenance jobs.

It’s finally Friday, so take a moment to enjoy this feel-good video created by the talented Cabaret group at our college. It's guaranteed to lift your spirits and send you into the weekend with a smile! 🤩

United Response York attended the Aesthetica Short Film Fest, gathering ideas for their own filmmaking projects. 🎬 The group enjoyed a programme of short films exploring themes of identity, body & friendship. Lots of creativity & inspiration in the room. We can’t wait to see what they create next

Joseph was supported by United Response Job Coach, Sameena Ahmed, to find a meaningful position that would help him follow his passion to support his community. This led him to the African Caribbean Achievement Project, where he has achieved some amazing things. Read the full blog:

At United Response, our Supported Employment Service helps disabled people and people with learning disabilities gain work experience, prepare for work, and thrive in meaningful employment. Read about it here: buff.ly/2OaBMZp

Happy Halloween 🎃 Take a look at some of the spooktacular creativity on display this year from the people we support across our Abbotswood and Cornwall services. They’ve been busy carving pumpkins and making some incredible Autumn-themed artwork that’s full of colour, imagination, and spooky fun!

As Black History Month comes to a close, we’re looking back at our celebration earlier this month at The Old Eight Bells in Mansfield 🎉 Read all about it here: buff.ly/LAejKUK

As October is ADHD Awareness Month, we’re highlighting some of our incredible colleagues who’ve shared their journeys and experiences with ADHD, and how neurodiversity has shaped their lives and work. Read their stories here: www.unitedresponse.org.uk/news-item/ad...

If you're using our Free Wills service through Farewill, please consider leaving a legacy gift to United Response in your Will 💛 Read how one gift changed lives in Dorothy’s story: “Plant some seeds, and every time you look at them, remember me.” buff.ly/mZaqV1Y

Our Fun Friday Group at York Media have been busy bringing the classic fairytale of Cinderella to life in their own unique way – with a digital flipbook! Read it here: buff.ly/sX0aTtI

Earlier this month, we held our annual Celebration Day, bringing together colleagues and people we support at Bestwood Lodge in Nottingham. 🎉 The day recognised outstanding achievements, dedication, and the incredible spirit of social care. Read more about it here:

One of our London Marathon runners, Kat, will be taking on the race in support of United Response. She says: 'Every step I take will be powered by purpose, and every donation will make a real difference.’ Best of luck Kat! 🙌

Read our latest blog which explores why recent Home Office figures, which show a drop in recorded disability hate crimes, may actually reflect changes in how these crimes are recorded - rather than a real reduction in incidents.

Harrison, supported by us at York Media, is the host of his very own weekly radio show, with 188 episodes to date! 🎵 Stream all episodes for free: buff.ly/InumcDO He's also created a YouTube series on the history of Disney - watch it here: buff.ly/KlpeZ5K

This week is #NationalHateCrimeAwarenessWeek, and at United Response, we’ve heard first-hand from people we support about their experiences of disability hate crime. Watch our short video to hear some of those voices, and check out our full report here: buff.ly/RxANgTM

October is Free Wills Month, and to mark the occasion, we’ve partnered with Farewill to offer 50 free Simple Wills💛 You can also choose to pledge a gift to United Response, helping us create more opportunities for the people we support. Make your Will now in just four simple steps:

Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay 💚 This year’s theme shines a light on the importance of access to mental health support during global crises and emergencies. Read more in our latest blog 👉

Check out the latest issue of Care Talk, which features our CEO, Kate Terroni, who sat down for an insightful conversation about EDI at United Response, and what real inclusion means in practice. Flip through to page 33 to read what she had to say!

Liv Quigley, who we support at York Media, is a talented songwriter and performer. And her recently-released track, Our Story, is extra special as it’s been written to be used for the ‘Our Life Stories’ project. Listen to it here:

Thanks to support from the Clothworkers’ Foundation, our redeveloped People’s Fund is back and better than ever. This funding helps people we support bring their own creative projects to life. Read more about the People’s Fund in our latest blog here: buff.ly/OZQVuiO

Meet Robert from Ipswich. This year has been full of firsts – from his first holiday at Butlins to VR darts and even Nando’s hot wings. He’s also now a pub quiz regular, winning 1st and 2nd place several times! 🏆 Here’s to many more firsts!

Jamie Wilkinson had a fantastic night out recently at Pictureville, enjoying newly restored silent Sherlock Holmes films with live music. After the films, Jamie even got to thank the musicians & BFI’s Bryony Dixon personally! 👏

It's apple pressing season at Boscawen Farm 🍎 Some of the people we support have been busy making 100% natural apple juice with our traditional fruit press, using apples that have fallen from the trees in our orchard!

Last week, Sheila, Celia & Bill enjoyed a trip to the Aldingbourne Country Centre service users & staff get-together. They caught up with friends, watched sports, enjoyed a BBQ, explored arts & crafts, and Bill even discovered a potential new volunteering opportunity! 🎉

Following a move to a new location our York service, The Boot Shop, has seen lots of positive outcomes. Read the full article by clicking the link below. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all members of The Boot Shop for embracing this change.

Pete applied to our People’s Fund, to realise his ambition to take a boat trip. Using the money he was given he was able to share this experience with lots of his friends, making an unforgettable day Big thanks to WetWheels Foundation for making the day possible, and making Pete's dream come true

Welcome to The Old Eight Bells – our new Supported Living service/hub space in the heart of Mansfield Officially opened on 16th September, The Old Eight Bells is a testament to community and partnership working leading to something truly incredible. Click below to read more buff.ly/57UCYOb

We’re very proud to share that Abigail Stephenson has been shortlisted for Registered Manager of the Year at the Leaders in Care Awards! 🎉 Abigail manages four United Response services in the South Tyneside area as well as an outreach service. Cast your vote for her here: buff.ly/poTJsOJ

Our team at Café West in York are proud to announce they have retained their 5 star Food Hygiene Standards rating. Team Manager Sarah Dixon said: “The team is absolutely thrilled, and I’m especially proud of our small but dedicated group for maintaining high standards and achieving this award.”

Our Mansfield team officially opened our new Supported Living service, The Old Eight Bells, yesterday (16th September) and the BBC were there as well. Watch some highlights of a fantastic day by clicking the link (starting at 14:48) buff.ly/7m91KBY

Our York services support people to learn media skills including music production, photography and in Luka’s case, video creation/editing. Check out Luka’s YouTube channel where she posts regular new content including top ten countdowns and game reviews.

Did you catch our feature on @itvnews.bsky.social last month about our research on disability hate crime on public transport? We're calling for a new charter to help deal with the problem. You can catch up here:

Did you know we're also on TikTok? Drop us a follow ➡️ @united_response

Sameena and Omar, two of our job coaches from Bradford, launched a powerful 6-week programme aimed at boosting confidence and self-esteem for people we support. Hear more from Sameena and Kevin, one of the programme participants, about the course:

A look back at a blog written by United Response Media Contributor, Ben Stone, giving his thoughts on the reduction of the voting age in the UK to 16. With some great points about increased voter accessibility and the future of elections.

Are you interested in working for United Response one day? Don't let your dream role pass you by! Sign up for job alerts ⬇️ buff.ly/9r5tRkP

Did you know we have an online shop where you can buy personalised gifts and locally sourced crafts? Every purchase you make helps to create opportunities for young people and adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs. Shop here:

"It’s not just about delivering tasks, it’s about a sense of belonging, a sense of being a part of somebody else’s growth, sowing seeds every day." That's what Ollie, one of our dedicated Service Managers, said about providing outstanding support. Read the blog here:

Have you heard of Our Life Stories? We believe it's the first peer-to-peer oral history project in the learning disabilities space. You can hear some abridged interviews from the project here:

The @electoralcommission.org.uk want to hear your views on updated guidance to support Returning Officers (the people that ensure that the election is administered effectively) in making accessibility arrangements that can have a positive impact for disabled voters. Have your say:

Kevin recently completed our 'Keys to Success' aimed at boosting confidence and self-esteem for people we support, and the best thing? Kevin will now be supporting others by becoming a tutor for the course! Read the full story:

United Response Media Contributor Ben Stone has written our latest blog, looking at the reduction of the UK voting age to 16 - the benefits for young people and some hopes for the future including increased accessibility to voting. Read Ben's blog: buff.ly/XWZFOEP #Elections #Blog #SocialCare

As part of Our Life Stories we have published snippets of Teresa's interview, sharing her powerful story from her long stay hospital to living independently. You can hear her story here, ahead of the full launch touring exhibition coming soon.

We're committed to ensuring quality and suitability of services through co-production. Our new blog, written by Media Contributor Hannah Molloy, reports on the latest meeting of our Quality Checkers, delivering the best, safest, happiest services buff.ly/GdSx006 #SocialCare #Quality #Safety

Created by the Cabaret Group at United Response’s ROC College, This video is all about celebrating what matters—connection, love, and friendship. The group said: “We hope it brings a smile and reminds everyone of the good that still exists around us” #SocialCare #AdultLearning buff.ly/DWEgqQk

Our latest blog reports on our People's Forum, led by people we support. The forum recently met over two days to vote on applications for our People’s Fund, elect a new Chair and provide crucial input into our future plans. Click to read more:

As we come to the end of July’s ‘Good Care Month’, our latest blog from Service Manager Ollie Loveridge explores what good care looks like and what makes social care such invaluable and rewarding work. Read the article here:

Last night we featured on ITV News, discussing our latest research on disability hate crimes on public transport. Watch the feature (08:58–12:14): 🔗 buff.ly/GnRjsBq

Here’s Julian and Julie enjoying one of their many days together, with lunch at the Boathouse, West Sussex, a favourite spot for Julian. Great support comes from great relationships – Julie and Julian love spending time together and it truly shows

Thank you to The Grower, who are part of our Supported Employment Scheme, who supported AJ with a placement where he got to learn a range of new skills AND further his love of tractors! Read the story here: