A fabulous post from @openfuturelearning.bsky.social inspired me this week. In social care, we rely so much on people capturing all this critical detail in written form - who we are, what we love/loathe. But what happens when things change? Blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Something that made me smile this week from lovely Jo: 'Over lunch, I was thinking about how we can link our own emotions to people we support…we're not separate!' We're not separate – what a beauty. 🔗 www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

'What would it take?' is my favourite question. I'm not much interested in 'Is it possible?' After last week's blog, I worked out a way to help Ciaran explain who all the fabulous people in his life are. I had an a-ha moment! Read what we did ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Birthdays are HUGELY important to Ciaran. Presents, food, cake, and people are key. But his support team doesn't know everyone in his life. When his support worker left, that knowledge left with her. What we're doing now: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

I’ve been inspired by a call last week where we got chatting about the idea of ‘third places’, first coined by Ray Oldenburg. I haven’t used the words third place since the 1990s, but the idea is just as relevant today. Here are my thoughts ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

🎙️Gloriously Ordinary Education: what inclusion looks and feels like In this episode, I indulge myself a bit by going back to the time when my two were at school and reflecting on what great inclusion looked and felt like to us. Listen here: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

You all know me as Tricia Nicoll – Gloriously Ordinary Lives. I have found myself a bit Alice in Wonderland-ish over the past few weeks - several occasions where I've wondered who I am. I talk about this, and Black Cat Syndrome, in the blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

I ran a lovely Gloriously Ordinary Lives session this week with friends from Social Care Future and we had a bit of a moment. People sometimes struggle with the idea of gloriously ordinary. So what is it? Read this week's blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Lately, I've been facilitating three different Gloriously Ordinary Lives programmes, and lucky enough to hang out with some really thoughtful folk. Here are some of the things they've said: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-ordinary-sundays-blog/insights-from-gloriously-ordinary-lives

Going out for a meal is one of the most Gloriously Ordinary things I can think of - but if you need blended food, that experience isn't often available. Tim from the Percy Hedley Foundation tells us about a café getting it right. Listen: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Language matters. I know you know that, or you wouldn’t be reading this. I stumbled upon a new one for me last week, ‘additional support needs’. Here are my thoughts: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o... #GloriouslyOrdinaryLives #LanguageMatters #NotSpecialNeeds

Test One for Gloriously Ordinary Lives is about whether the support someone is getting is what we'd want for ourselves or someone we love. The detail of how we live is critically important to how gloriously ordinary our life is. BLOG: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

🎙️ Myth Buster: 'We need a glossary' Good intentions get lost. It becomes 'the place I go to find out whether I'm allowed to say that?' We want lightbulb moments when people recognise the power of words. Episode 3: open.spotify.com/episode/1QcC... @bryonyshannon.bsky.social

Full disclosure: I've never been to a Toby Carvery. The server's face when I asked how it worked: priceless. There's a point to this story about heart sing moments and why one person's bliss is another person's dread. On the blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Myth: "We have to use this language - it's in the legislation." Service user. Vulnerable. Complex. Non-compliant. None of these words are in the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Human Rights Act or Equality Act. LISTEN HERE: open.spotify.com/episode/63BG...

There's a reason @socialcarefuture.bsky.social vision is about living in a place we call home with people and things we love - social care is about the support we need to live our Gloriously Ordinary Lives. The Lens and three great stories ⬇️ BLOG: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Test Three of Gloriously Ordinary Lives started out as quite a straightforward one in my head, I think. Take a mental image – what does it tell you? However... I’m coming to realise it’s hugely more than that. ⬇️ Read this week's blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

🎙️In podcast episode 14, you'll hear that I am thrilled to introduce you to the lovely ⁠⁠⁠Marianne Selby-Boothroyd⁠⁠⁠, who's joining the Gloriously Ordinary Lives team... that's right, the *team*! How exciting is that? Listen here: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

#SocialCareFuture 2025 gathering: Support workers, commissioners, disabled people, policy makers, older people... united by a shared passion for creating a Social Care Future where we get live our Gloriously Ordinary Lives. Some reflections ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Reflecting on unregulated versus regulated care and support. What can regulated organisations learn from personal assistants and micro enterprises so that good people don't get caught up in processes that get in the way of gloriously ordinary lives? www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

BLOG: There’s been a lot of noise about the supposed danger of unregulated care. I share my experience of employing personal assistants and working with micro-providers. Choosing who supports us, based on what matters to us, works. Take a look ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

The more I reflect on what it takes to keep things gloriously ordinary, the more I’m inclined to go back to our education system and how we choose to segregate and ‘other’ children from the youngest of ages. 🔗 Read this week's blog here: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

I’ve been thinking again about the power and impact of all our children going to school together. How this is a great starting point for creating and supporting Gloriously Ordinary Lives. This week I share some stories. Watch the video here: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Thanks to brilliant @MaffPotts I had an ah-ha moment in this week's blog. In Test Four, I make a big deal about the importance of supporting and nurturing real friendships and I stick by that... but now I’d like to add something else ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

On the podcast I chat with ⁠Maff Potts, @camerados-org.bsky.social founder. We explore Maff's concept of front of house versus back of house - how we bring dehumanising policies and procedures into spaces where people should feel human and valued. www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

People keep asking about Gloriously Ordinary Lives in accessible formats, so I recorded a garden video explaining it all! Perfect when someone asks "What is this Gloriously Ordinary Lives thing that you keep banging on about?!" Hope it's useful ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/what-is-a-gl...

Dear lovely supporters of Gloriously Ordinary Lives, I promised you a postcard and here it is! Click the link 🔗⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

I'm off to Kefalonia but Ciaran usually comes for Sunday dinner. Serviceland solution? Extra paid support, maybe a temporary hours adjustment via his social worker... Why is that the starting point? Ciaran sorted his own dinner plans instead. Blog: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Sharing a story for the final part of my musings on connections - I hope it makes you smile. Sometimes we get to remember that Test Four - ‘Would it strengthen and support the person’s connections and relationships?’ - is for all of us. www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Sign up for the next course, in June! ‘Getting curious about creating Gloriously Ordinary Lives’ is for everyone: - Understand the #GloriouslyOrdinaryLives concept - Reflect on what's happening now - Create a plan Curious? Come and find out more: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/training-cur...

Ciaran Cameron turned 30! We've been planning celebrations for months - which I share in this week's blog. It shows: - the gloriousness of Test One - my mundane is your heart sing - my heart sing is your 'not in a million years, thank you' Blog ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

So, it's the end of the #IOpenMyOwnFrontDoor, Do You? campaign… but don’t think it’s gone away. In this blog I reflect on a couple of things that have really hit home for me since the campaign - come and look ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o... @learningdiseng.bsky.social

I Open My Own Front Door, Do You? Week has been fantastic! 💫 Send us stories of people opening their own front door, why they don’t get to and what you’re doing about it. Take a look ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/i-open-my-ow... @learningdiseng.bsky.social #IOpenMyOwnFrontDoor

In preparation for ‘I Open My Own Front Door, Do You?’ launched today, I asked people to share what ‘front door’ means to them. The blog is about what people told me - beautiful, heartfelt, thoughtful quotes. www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o... @learningdiseng.bsky.social

This week, I share a new campaign - I Open My Own Front Door – Do You? - by Gloriously Ordinary Lives in partnership with @learningdiseng.bsky.social ⬇️ Have a look and let me know if you're in. www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Me and @bryonyshannon.bsky.social have been scheming for a while about this, so super happy that its here. Take a look and maybe come and join us? www.gloriouslyordinarylanguage.co.uk

This week, I explore what happens when dreams and aspirations, the things we want to do in our gloriously ordinary lives, are turned into outcomes by Serviceland. Have a read - I'd love to hear your thoughts 💭 🔗 www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

This week on the #GloriouslyOrdinarySundaysPodcast: Musings on the concept of caring - with James Townsend from Mobilise. Shout out to ⁠the Association of Camerados who we reference. 🎙️LISTEN HERE: open.spotify.com/episode/5ciJ...

Really looking forward to getting going with #GloriouslyOrdinaryLanguage with @bryonyshannon.bsky.social

This week on the blog, I reflect on how we truly support people to live their own Gloriously Ordinary Lives — even when it doesn't match our idea of 'gloriously ordinary'. Does this bring anything up for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 🔗 www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Bringing #gloriouslyordinarylives to @ncasc ….come and find me for a chat if you’re here 😊

PSA 🎙️ It's a quick one on the Gloriously Ordinary Sundays blog this week. Consider it a public service announcement (and in no way a rant, not at all). Gloriously Ordinary Lives is in danger of becoming GOL. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Here are my thoughts: www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

We will be presenting in Liverpool next week for #NCASC24. Wed 9.05 Exhibition Hall @mroutled.bsky.social @tricianicoll.bsky.social Thurs 11am 2F Anna Severwright and don’t forget SCF Tapas Wed 7:30

I’m getting increasingly clear that the essence of Gloriously Ordinary Lives is paying attention to the mundane and the heart sing - and after a recent conversation, I’ve realised… that heart ZING plays an important role, too! 💫 This week's blog ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Much scheming was done

5 Top Tips: Making Direct Payments and Personal Assistants work On the podcast I chat with the wonderful Mary Gardner. We discuss how Direct Payments and personal assistants are a key route to Gloriously Ordinary Lives. ➡️🔗 www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

"‘What would happen if we didn’t do that?’ I think this was his real genius." This week, I’m reflecting on the incredible journey my son’s social worker, James, helped us navigate as my son moved into his own place. 🔗⬇️ https:// www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

Over the past month I have been sharing #GloriouslyOrdinaryLives with different groups of social workers... and I’ve got a niggle: the 'yes buts'. So this week, I come back again to my ‘What would it take?’ question. Read this week's blog ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

I’m talking all about what it takes to get great support that creates Gloriously Ordinary Lives …and what gets in the way. 🎥 This week a video felt like the best way to share a little about my mum's story when she needed support from social care ⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...

'OBVIOUSLY'. @bryonyshannon.bsky.social and I have been thinking about the word ‘obviously’. In this week's blog I reflect on the need to question ourselves when we start a sentence with ‘obviously’ in social care. Let me know what you think⬇️ www.gloriouslyordinarylives.co.uk/gloriously-o...