I had an enjoyable visit to ARC England member the Lodge Trust recently where I was able to see first-hand how Chief Executive Ramsey Pigott and his team have responded to the challenges of the pandemic, how supported people have been helped to connect with nature as a way to manage the impact of restrictions on their lives and how, as these begin to lift, the community is moving towards the new normal.
What struck me most about my time at Lodge Trust was the peaceful, calming atmosphere. Whilst some of this is to do with the amount of space that surrounds the services within which supported people can walk and enjoy the wildlife, much of this sense of peace came from the interactions I observed between staff and supported people.
In each case, the care and compassion of the people who work at Lodge Trust was clear, as was the depth of knowledge and understanding they have for the people they support and every staff member I met modelled these skills and behaviours.
When Ramsey talked me through the history of the Trust, where they are now and plans for the future, the topic of the registration of new services and the Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture guidance came up. This topic has been raised during a number of recent member visits so we will be talking about this during one of our forthcoming member CEO calls.
I want to thank Ramsey, Jo and the team for a wonderful and inspiring afternoon, for taking the time to show me round (especially the time we spent in the woodworking workshop where I saw the machines supported people operate) and for helping me to better understand the journey that Lodge Trust is on. The sense of peace and calm I picked up on during this visit was very noticeable and it was clear to me how this links in with the way people are supported in relation to any anxieties they may experience.
Clive Parry
ARC England Director
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