A CENTRE for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities has helped a man be able to live a fulfilled life and take part in activities.

Ben, aged 26, is blind and lives with epilepsy, autism and severe learning difficulties. Ben struggles to communicate and interact with others which means that it’s sometimes difficult for him to express his needs and wishes. But with recent funding from a local community organisations, professionals from the Myriad Centre are now able to take Ben to a new hydrotherapy pool once a week and work with him on a one-to-one basis. His support worker: Caroline, says: “In the pool we see a new Ben. Within days he learnt to swim underwater – it gives him a sense of freedom not experienced on dry land, he is happy, laughing and able to express himself so much more freely”

The Myriad Centre’s passion is to ensure that profoundly disabled young people have days full of fun, learning and stimulation, as they make the transition from school to adulthood ,and beyond. However, local authority funding does not cover the cost of meals, transport, or our individually-tailored programme of activities and therapies.

Each year, as the personal budgets of the centre’s clients are cut, it becomes more difficult to fund the activities that they enjoy. The centre requires help to continue to expand the range of opportunities on offer, to meet the individual needs of each and every client.

Each year the Myriad Centre drives 150,000 miles to collect young people to and from home, makes 300 nutritious, home-cooked meals, provides 250 physiotherapy sessions and takes 150 visits to local swimming pools. It also provides 7,000 hours of respite care at home and makes 30 trips to local attractions such as West Midlands Safari Park, Gloucester canal boat centre and Worcester Warriors Rugby Club.

The Myriad Centre provides essential respite services to support local families and young people living with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).

Staff do this by providing a week-day activity centre and collecting young people to and from home every day in a specially-adapted fleet of minibuses. The address is The Myriad Centre, St George’s Walk, Worcester WR1 1QY. For more informations call 01905 729 190 or email: info@myriadcentre.co.uk.