At Shaftesbury, we’ve learned that a sense of wellbeing comes from a bunch of things that are added together. We call this a ‘life sum’ and Ashley, who is supported by a Shaftesbury service, talks us through his.
What is your life sum Ashley?
+ Calm
It’s nice and calm living here. I feel safe. I’m in good health generally. I walk a lot, I don’t know how far, but I can walk all day. It’s peaceful. I walk on the seafront to see my mum – it’s not far. I’m close to my mum. It makes me feel good, living near her. My sister is near too. It’s nice to have family nearby. I’ve lived here (Southend-on-Sea) for 13 years and I like having my own space. I can have things as I want them.
+ Creativity
I grow flowers and herbs on my balcony. I love gardening. I’ve got a lot of pots and I water them every day. I read a book about plants to learn how to look after them.
+ Bees
I love bees too. When I lived in Birmingham, I had two hives. I’ve known about bees since I was a little boy, when I used to go to a farm. They’re very calm. The honey was nice – we had pear blossom honey and apple blossom honey. I’d like to do this again if I got the chance. Yes, I did get stung sometimes! I had a swarm inside the house once. I got a big box and put a feather inside – they like that – left it overnight, and when they went in the box, I put the lid on.
+ Happy
It’s fine here. Good care. If I’m worried, I can come and talk to staff and they listen. Oh yes. Covid has been a pain. I’ve been able to chat to staff about it. Not going out was hard. I was in my room a lot of the time but we could be together in the lounge too. But it’s not the same. I wasn’t worried about catching it though. I felt very safe with what the staff did [to protect us] during Covid.
+ Joy
I didn’t feel lonely because I have friends here and my mum. I couldn’t see them at all for three months during Covid but then we could meet outside.
+ Baking
I’ve got an oven and cook cakes in my room. I like lemon drizzle cake best. And honey cake. I can make posh cakes – I once made a wedding cake. Fruit and brandy with four layers, with flowers too and a bride and groom on top. I made the flowers in sugar paste. The wedding cake took me four weeks. It was for my friend in Birmingham’s wedding.