A fun day at one of our houses in Guildford

Hard times in life are unavoidable; the only thing we have control over is how we deal with them.

After a tough few months at our Guildford house, the staff found the perfect solution to raise the spirits of our customers – a Fun Day!

Walking into the modern home and seeing smiling customers drawing, making jewellery and having a laugh – while the smell of spaghetti bolognaise wafts through the air – it’s clear that the Fun Day is living up to its name.

Chatting to support worker Aaron, he explains that it’s been a busy time for staff and customers.

“All our attention was going towards a customer who had passed away and other customers that are sick and unwell and I think it impacted the rest of the customers here because they weren’t getting all the attention they should,” he says.

“When the staff aren’t in a positive mood it affects the customers and their day-to-day lives. So we wanted to get everyone together, be silly, have a bit of fun and just kind of remind them that it’s not always going to be upsetting and we’ll get through it as a little family.”

Customer Julianne – who has a wicked sense of humour, which is in full force as she chases staff around the room with a can of whipped cream – tells me that she’s having fun getting involved in the activities.

“I’ve been beading and doing nail polish and face makeup – not that my face wasn’t pretty itself,” she says.

“I’m looking forward to having a nice BBQ and I hope everyone has a good day.”

Social activities are a regular part of the Guildford house schedule. As Aaron explains to me, he coordinates a range of events for the customers to take part in.

“On the weekend we might do an activity, a BBQ with music, or have a little group family lunch.”

For Aaron and his fellow staff members, days like this are an important part of providing customers with more than just a place to stay.

“I think disability housing has this stereotype of people being bored and just sitting at home doing nothing,” Aaron says.

“I mean, I don’t do nothing when I have time off. I like to do as much as I can, so why can’t the customers?”

As I leave to return to the office, both customers and staff are enjoying warm scones with cream and jam and gearing up for the afternoon’s activities.

“I’m going to jump on the BBQ soon and get started on lunch. I might get Julianne out here to help me – she’ll like doing a bit of cooking with me,” Aaron says.

“We also might do karaoke – although I’m sure nobody wants to hear me singing. Some of them are quite hesitant, but I’ll jump on the microphone first and then they’ll see how bad I am and get involved,” he laughs.