June is the 40th anniversary month of Workbridge. Our original celebrations to celebrate were unfortunately curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, however, we were still able to celebrate with our service users on Zoom!
On 17th June, Workbridge staff hosted an online disco for all of our community service users who are currently unable to attend Workbridge sessions. Our zoom disco, run by Phil Cox, Office Skills workshop Senior Vocational Skills Instructor, included over 30 service users and carers on the call! Staff dressed up in fancy dress to welcome service users virtually to the party. Thank you everyone for joining in. It was great to see you!
The zoom party was also organised around Learning Disability Week. For many of our service users, being in lockdown has limited their opportunities to socialise and have a usual routine. As a vocational centre, Workbridge supports around 250 people each week to access workshops with us here at our centre in Northampton. Alex Simmons, Marketing and Digital Media Coordinator at Workbridge says that access to online, has helped reduce social isolation and sustain friendships throughout lockdown:
“With service users currently unable to attend Workbridge, we felt that taking part in an online video call like Zoom, would be a great way to involve them in our 40th celebrations. It was lovely to see so many people logging on, saying hello to friends they hadn't seen for a while and chatting away on the other side of the screen!”
Re-opening Workbridge for service users - a message from our team:
We are working hard behind the scenes to plan and re-open sessions at Workbridge. We will be contacting everyone soon with further information on a proposed start date back and information on how we will be supporting service users to stay safe.
A thank you from Helen Wright, Head of Workbridge:
“Thank you to all of my colleagues and to our amazing service users for participating in our 40th anniversary online party. Workbridge is proud to support so many people across Northamptonshire to learn new skills and make lasting friendships with us here. Yesterday’s zoom call was heart-warming for me, and a reminder of how important friendships are amongst our service users during lockdown. We can’t wait to welcome you back to Workbridge very soon!” - Helen Wright, Head of Workbridge.
A final thank you from Becky Phillips, Service Manager at Workbridge:
“Thank you to all of our carers and service users for making the zoom call on Wednesday. We had a great time, and it was lovely to see so many people on the call. We are currently working really hard to re-open sessions. We look forward to welcoming you all back to our centre again soon.” - Becky Phillips, Service Manager at Workbridge.
