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Surrey Choices Celebrates Disabled and Neurodivergent people and Partners at their Celebrating Success Awards 2024

24th May 2024

On Wednesday 15 May 2024 Surrey Choices celebrated disabled and neurodivergent
people and partners at their annual Celebrating Success Awards at Denbies Wine Estate,
Dorking. Family, friends, and colleagues came together to recognise this year’s winners in
beautiful surroundings.

Celebrating Success
The Celebrating Success Awards highlight the achievements of people supported by Surrey
Choices. The judging panel was comprised of colleagues across each service from Surrey
Choices and the winners from the 2023 awards. They were impressed by how each of the
winners had overcome challenges, achieved new goals and were inspired by the way they
demonstrated the values at Surrey Choices.

The awards also recognised employers and organisations Surrey Choices works with in the
community who have created supportive and inclusive environments, where the winners
and many others have improved their skills and wellbeing.

Winners
Winners were recognised in one of four award categories: Health and Wellbeing,
Independent Living and Life Skills, Friends Relationships and Communities, and
Employment, Volunteering and Vocational Learning.

Kimberley was one of the winners for the Independent Living and Life Skills Award. She has
turned her life around with the support of her Shared Lives family. Despite past challenges,
she had now found happiness, stability and security This sense of belonging has not only
boosted her confidence but has also deepened her understanding of herself, paving the
way for personal growth and fulfilment. she has embraced new opportunities and
challenges such as attending college and completing a functional skills course in English,
where she has thrived academically.

Patricia Shared Lives Carer said: “My philosophy on Shared Lives is what it’s called.
You’re sharing your life with somebody”

The awards also recognise partners that Surrey Choices work with. Ashford and St Peter’s
Hospitals won our Working in Partnership with Employers Award. Rebecca, one of Surrey
Choices’ volunteers needed extra space to work due to the electric wheelchair to support
her mobility, reasonable adjustments were necessary on site. The Head of Volunteering at
the hospital identified a suitable office space that could accommodate her safely whilst
ensuring she had the necessary support from staff to maintain productivity.

The hospital’s willingness to accommodate and provide opportunities to individuals from
diverse backgrounds underscores their commitment to inclusivity and community support.
You can watch all the winners on the Surrey Choices YouTube channel
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Martin Farrow, Managing Director of Surrey Choices, closed the event with a speech where
he expressed his feelings about what he had heard and seen:

“These outcomes make me very proud of our teams, but we know, that whilst can create
the environment to support our ethos of Every Life, Every Chance, it is the people we
support who make great things happen, whether that be a large or a small thing, it is a
victory for human spirit which in turn provides all of us at Surrey Choices, with daily
inspiration and motivation. We have heard so many inspiring outcomes for the people we support”