Threshold South Lanarkshire

Meet the Service Users

My name is Graham Bell, I am twenty-six years of age and my birthday is very soon on the second of July. I live with my mum, dad, and also my younger brother Ian in Rutherglen. My hobbies are music like dance, pop, rock e.g. Ministry of Sound, Kylie Minogue, and Linkin Park and also enjoys spending time on the computer using my broadband internet and also emailing using my Telewest digi-box. I have done various courses including cooking & personal hygiene to assist me in developing independent living skills. I work as a volunteer for Radio Lollipop in Yorkhill Childrens Hospital as a disc jockey. I have been doing this for the past two years and also hope to do community radio in the future. I chill out at my Tuesday night clun at Trinity High School in Rutherglen. I have been going on short breaks with Threshold since September 2001 to places like Blackpool and Craig Tara. This year I will be with Threshold for four short breaks and I really enjoy them because it also gives me a break. I think the staff are great and its good that the service users are given choices that they would like to take part in. This year I have been at Blackpool twice this year and the hotel has been great with good food, good entertainment and very friendly staff and I am really looking forward to my other two short breaks this year.
Graham

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Peter Burns

One of our service users was asked to take part in an educational video for Strathclyde University. Have a look at the result.
Click Here
This video clip contains language that some might find offensive.

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Gary McVicar

Duke Of Edinburgh Information!

Bronze Award!

During my final year at Sanderson High School, East Kilbride I was selected for the D.O.E (Duke Of Edinburgh) group. We were given talks about the Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, which covered everything that we were going to be doing. There were 4 sections to the award that had to be covered, so here are the 4 sections: -
·        Service which you have to work on for 6 months
·        Skills which you have to work on for 3 months
·        Physical Recreation which you have to work on for 3 months
·        Expeditions, which you have to plan, prepare for and undertake a 2-day/1-night venture.

My Service part was Budding at a local primary school. I was Budding Primary pupils at Greenburn. They were getting ready for the transition to Secondary school. It was very challenging and very rewarding. We had to play playground games with them and also make them feel ready for secondary school. We were also took on a 3 day budding training week which was very hard because you were given situations to deal with and you had to think how you would deal with that situation. For Example say you were looking after a child and he/she said to you that I killed somebody, you could not keep that to yourself so were told to go and tell a member of staff what that person told you. There was a lot of work involved in that section. So that is my service part.

I started working with these pupils on the 1/10.04 and finished working with them on the 17/06/05.

My Skills Section was to complete an Assertiveness training and anger management Course. I personally found this challenging, as this was new to me. We were working on this with friends and staff from school. I can’t really remember a lot of this so I can’t put down anything else sorry. I started this course on 23/11/04 and finished this on the 31/3/05.

My Physical Recreation Section was very tiring because we were working on our fitness in Athletics, Swimming, basketball and badminton. This section of the Duke Of Edinburgh course was entirely challenging. I am quite a fast runner but not a good swimmer. I enjoy playing Basketball and playing badminton. Some of these events were through S.L.C and through the school. I enjoyed this section but as I say it was very tiring and sore.

My Expedition Section was very demanding and very sore and tiring. I was very nervous about doing this as it sounded very hard indeed. We walked 10 miles over a period of 2 days. I am very chuffed with my-self for doing this but when I got back I was out for the count in my bed. I had blisters all over my feet and I could hardly walk. We walked most of the West Highland Way. We were up and down mountains and through very mucky forests so thank god I had my reliable boots on my feet or they would have been soaking. We were cooking on stoves outside using Mentholated Sprits and matches. We slept in a Youth Hostel. The food we had to take away with us was very basic like Cupa soups and noodles. We covered everything to: -

·        First aid and emergency procedures
·        Awareness of risk and health/safety issues
·        Navigation and route planning
·        Campcraft, equipment and hygiene
·        Food and Cooking
·        Country, Highway & water sports
·        Observation, recording and presentation
·        Team building exercises
·        Proficiency in the mode of chosen travel

We were all shattered and very tried when we returned.

I started my Expedition on the 21/6/05 and finished on the 22/6/05. My assessors report was: -

" Gary participated fully in the expedition. He displayed all aspects of the skills required and worked well with the other members of the group supporting them when required. Gary deserves Congratulation for completing what was a very physically demanding route."
WELL DONE says my assessor.

The Awards Ceremony!
The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Awards Ceremony was on Friday 2^nd December 2005 in South Lanarkshire Council’s Banqueting and Conference suite. There were around 100 people at the Awards Ceremony. We had to go up individually to receive our awards. There were only 4 pupils who turned up from Sanderson High. My dad was really proud of me and so was the rest of the family. We got our Main Duke Of Edinburgh Certificate and a bag of goodies (yeah ha). When we were there we got a professional photograph taken, which will be in the Hamilton Advertiser and/or the East Kilbride News (I think). The actual Ceremony went on for about 2 and half hours which I thought was not bad. Anyway it was a really good night and I am pleased that it is all over and done with.

I hope you enjoyed reading my experience of doing the Duke Of Edinburgh. I certainly found it hard but good fun, and especially getting out of school to do activities as well.

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Tony Laurie

My name is Tony Laurie, I have Asperger’s Syndrome. I live with my Mum and Dad in Cambuslang. I was born in Bellshill. I had two Border Collie dogs.

I really like buses, as my Grandpa had a bus company called Chieftain. The buses were Cream and Green, and could be seen all round Glasgow and East Kilbride. I collect magazines and books on the subject, and I have a lot of bus models.

When I was at school I wasn’t particularly good at football, so I started going in goals. Over the years I became a competent goalkeeper. When I watch football on the television I always watch the goalkeepers, and I especially like Stefan Klos.

Growing up I used to visit hospital a lot, and I was in Yorkhill, Arran, and Hairmyres. The food was especially good in Arran. I was always on my feet in the hospitals and wasn’t a ‘bed-guy’.

I enjoy reading books and magazines, and I have hundreds of videos and DVDs and even a Playstation 2.

I have been going out with Threshold for a number of years. I used to go every week to play football, and I was, of course, the goalie. I also went swimming regularly and occasionally went on holiday to Craig Tara in Ayr.

Last year, I stopped going out, and stayed most of the time in the house. I am now trying to get out and about again, and I have three support workers helping me. Peter Ramsay, Alan Gibson, and Paul Jarvie are helping me to do these things again.
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Margaret Marshall

I, Margaret Marshall, have been going out with Threshold for 6 years and I love it. I like going out with Pat, Lorraine, and Ruth, and I enjoy going out with Hazel and all the rest of the girls that come for me. I love to help in the office. I also love going to the happy hour in the church in Larkhall after church. I sometimes get my hair done, and then go to Carrigan’s for my dinner.

After my dinner, I sometimes go to my friends’ house. I love to spend time with their babies and last week I got to bath one of them and feed the other.

I also love going to the church on Sunday. I help to clean up after the tea and I love going on Threshold holidays.

I like going to the Ozanam Club with Ailie and I also love playing the piano and singing and I also love drawing.

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