DISC News Spot - Updated 27/03/08

GOALS celebrates friendships between people with learning disabilities and volunteer befrienders at House of Commons event
Members of a Co Durham support group for people with learning disabilities spoke at a House of Commons event on Thursday January 31 about how befriending schemes change people’s lives for the better.

Val Morante and Beverley Lynn from GOALS (Go Out and Live), a community-based day care service run by northern social inclusion charity DISC (Developing Initiatives Supporting Communities), told their stories at a national celebration organised by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.

GOALS member Beverley, who lives near Durham City, spoke to MPs about how important her friendship with volunteer befrienders Peter and Gwen Young has been to her over the past 10 years. She said: “I really enjoy going out with them, chatting, having lunch and visiting different places. They have really helped me to turn my life round.”

Volunteer befriender Gwen Young, who lives in Chester le Street, said: “Beverley is a lovely person who has become a friend for life. When we first got to know her she was living with her elderly mother and rarely got out of the house. We started taking her to the countryside, to the theatre, and for bar meals, and chatted to her about her interests and her feelings. She’s now much fitter and happier, has a great social life, and knows all of our friends and family.”

Gwen and her husband Peter got to know Beverley through the GOALS volunteer befriending programme, which matches trained volunteer befrienders - people offering supportive professional friendship – with people with learning disabilities.

Gwen’s husband Peter said: “When we retired we wanted to do some voluntary work, spotted the advert for GOALS volunteers in the paper, did the training, met Beverley and haven’t looked back. We’ve also had some wonderful nights at GOALS social events with other volunteers and people with learning disabilities.

GOALS project leader Margaret Hall said: “Befriending helps our members to Go Out And Live which is what we stand for. Our volunteer befrienders open up wonderful opportunities for people with learning disabilities, whose lives are sometimes very restricted. Our volunteers also grow and learn and really enjoy the friendships they develop with our members.”

GOALS support worker Val Morante told MPs in the House of Commons how DISC runs its befriending schemes. She said: “Our visit to London is a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak to MPs about the importance of befriending and about social inclusion for people with learning disabilities and others in the community.”

GOALS works with 140 service users and their families and friends in Durham and Chester le Street, and always welcomes new volunteer befrienders. GOALS also runs peer friendship schemes which bring together young people with and without disabilities together in Sedgefield, Durham and Easington Anyone interested in finding out more and undertaking training should ring DISC in Durham City on 0191 384 2785.

DISC is one of the North East’s largest homegrown charities with a turnover of £12m a year and 400 staff working across Northern England on a wide variety of programmes to promote social inclusion and strengthen communities. Various DISC projects have won accredited national awards from the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation in recognition for the way their volunteering schemes benefit staff and service users. For further information visit www.disc-vol.org.uk.

The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation is the national body for mentoring – structured one to one relationships – and befriending – professional supportive friendships. It is funded by the Cabinet Office and supports 3,000 projects across England. For further information visit www.mandbf.org.uk.

Updated 26/03/08