May–Aug 2025
Welcome to our prayer diary
Dear friends
I hope you are enjoying the longer and lighter days. I am reminded that the Bible has so many references to light dawning. Bringing light to the lives of the children, young people and adults we support is something Shaftesbury strives to achieve. We do this through our outstanding, person-centred care. You can confirm this through our ratings with Ofsted and CQC but, of course, our care goes much further than regulatory frameworks.
I often hear from people who are supported by a Shaftesbury service and who tell us their lives are
significantly brighter as a result – you can read Malcolm and Eileen’s story (p18) for just one example of this.
Thank you for praying for Shaftesbury – together we can pray for more of God’s help as we expand our fabulous services. I hope you find much to encourage and inform you in this new edition.
Sally Chivers CEO
Dear God,
Thank you for the many ways your love and care shines through our work. We bring each person in the Shaftesbury family to you for more of your light and joy in their lives. Amen
May
From September, we will issue the Prayer Diary as an autumn/ winter edition (Sep-Feb) and a spring/summer edition (March-Aug). This will provide the same number of prayer points, but split into two editions instead of three. We are making this change to make the best use of our charity resources. You will always be able to access the prayer diary online at www.shaftesburygroup.org/getinvolved/resources/prayer-diary/
Let us pray
Lord, we thank you for all the gifts and abilities of the people we support and we pray that each one would be supported to find a way to use those gifts. Amen
Week 1
We pray for young people who will leave our education services this summer and are looking for a suitable place to live. We ask that each person will find somewhere that is ideal for their needs and where they can flourish. Amen
Week 2
Thank you for donations which have enabled Shaftesbury to renovate many services’ gardens. We pray that these outdoor spaces will bring brightness, wellness and relaxation into the lives of the people we support. Amen
Week 3
Lord, please encourage the members of our Changes for the Future Forum in their work, as they represent the people who, like them, use a Shaftesbury service. Thank you for all the contributions and expertise they have shared since this group was formed. Amen
Week 4
We thank you for all the fun that cooking sessions create in our services. We particularly pray for the catering skills that students at Shaftesbury Millie College are learning and ask that this will open doors to work in this sector. Amen
You can read the Changes for the Future Forum's Cost of Living Guide, written to share their experience and advice with people with disabilities: www.shaftesburygroup.org/the-cost-of-livingguidance
Why our work is needed
Research is increasingly proving that ‘exposure to plants and green space, and particularly to gardening, is beneficial to mental and physical health, and so could reduce the pressure on NHS services’.* Wherever possible, Shaftesbury services encourage the people they support to get outside and get gardening and Shaftesbury invests in making our services’ outdoor spaces accessible and inviting, with suitable paving, raised beds and sensory planting.
*www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470211824017056?via%3Dihub
Support
Please help us provide lifechanging care and support for people living with disabilities.
You can donate online at www.shaftesburygroup.org/ donate
Real life story
Claire loves the garden at her Shaftesbury house, which she shares with three others. Service delivery lead Kay Mills felt, with a little investment, the housemates could make even better use of the outdoor space. ‘I researched the physical and mental benefits of gardening, including reduction in anxiety and anger, lower blood pressure and increased vitamin D levels. Plus improved strength and dexterity – I notice that Claire’s mobility is better after a gardening session. And her mood lifts, just coming out into the garden and doing some tasks.’ Kay also finds that gardening tasks can increase a sense of agency: ‘We bought some new garden furniture and without prompting, Claire was using an allen key to put together some of the items.’
Read more at www.shaftesburygroup.org/ blooming-wonderful/
June
Let us pray
This month, we bring our wide range of summer activities across Shaftesbury to you, Lord, and ask that these months may bring renewal, opportunity and joy for the people we support. Amen
Week 1
Lord, we thank you for all the support local communities give to Shaftesbury services. We especially pray for the Shaftesbury Big Lunch this weekend, that it may bring communities together and raise significant funds for our work. Amen
Visit www.shaftesburygroup.org/biglunch to sign up
Week 2
Thank you for the holidays and day trips that people we support will be taking this summer. We ask you for safety and health for each person and energy for staff who will plan the outings and accompany the people we support. Amen
Week 3
We pray for the volunteers in the new role of Shaftesbury Ambassador and ask that they will find fruitful opportunities for sharing the work and needs of our charity. Amen
Week 4
Lord, we thank you for the student councils that represent learners at our education centres. Thank you for their desire to serve and for the impact their work has on school and college life. Amen
Why our work is needed
Aneurotypical people, which includes those with autism, need safe spaces to get away from social input or negative sensory input. Safe spaces can help with recovery from overload and the kind of space needed varies for individuals. It could be indoors, with controllable lights, sounds and smells, or outdoors, with space to think clearly or enjoyable sensory input, such as scents or natural beauty.
www.autismawarenesscentre.com/
Shaftesbury Victoria School
Last year Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council launched a ‘Make your Mark’ initiative, supporting student councils in the area. In response, Shaftesbury Victoria School’s student council proposed the creation of a quiet area on the school premises, away from hustle and bustle, to support students in developing emotional awareness. The student council was successful and was awarded a £250 grant by BCP to make this happen.
Support
Please support us so we can continue to provide the best possible start in life for children and young people with disabilities.
Donate today online at www.shaftesburygroup. org/donate. Thank you
July
Let us pray
Lord, please use our work to bring light and hope for the future of the people with support, with their wide range of abilities and needs. Amen
Week 1
Lord, we thank you for the new dementia and memory service, now onstream at Shaftesbury Suffolk. We pray that many individuals and carers will find support, understanding and strategies to live life well. Amen
Week 2
As our final-year students at Shaftesbury Nash College and Shaftesbury Victoria School prepare to say goodbye to their classmates and familiar routines, we pray for peace and hope for their families and carers as they adjust to a new phase of life with their young person. Amen
Week 3
We pray that you would encourage the people we support who are learning life skills to increase their independence, such as home admin and managing money. May they take pride in their achievements and enjoy a growing confidence. Amen
Week 4
We pray for more UK provision for people with profound autism who need appropriate places to live. We ask for resources and opportunity for Shaftesbury to develop more services for autistic people. Amen
Why our work is needed
If you are autistic or have profound learning disabilities, you are more likely than people with any other main type of disability to be living with your parents (76.0% and 65.9% respectively*). This reflects a concerning shortage of care provision for young autistic people, who may prefer to live with their peer group. Shaftesbury is tackling this issue by providing an increasing number of services for those with autism.
Find out more at: www.shaftesburygroup.org/home-advantage/ *researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9602/CBP-9602.pdf
Real life story
Already experienced in this field, our Northern Ireland services’ excellence was recently enhanced by specialist autism training for the 50-strong staff team. This gained the service an autismfriendly employer award from Autism Northern Ireland. The right care setting for people with autism along with other disabilities can be hard to
find, across the UK. There is concern that soaring diagnosis rates for autism mean while there is increasing provision, it is largely for those with milder forms of autism, who can live much more independent lives.
Read about the difference our support makes for people like Jamie and Aaron www.shaftesburygroup. org/award-winning-autism-care/
Please email Michelle at MCarillo@shaftesburygroup.org to find out how you can remember Shaftesbury’s work in your will, or visit shaftesburygroup.org/help
Thank you.
August
Let us pray
Thank you for all the ways our services enable people to make their own choices and the fulfilment this brings to individuals. Amen
Week 1
We pray for all staff who have recently started work with Shaftesbury, or are about to join, that they would find the work rewarding, and quickly bond with colleagues and the people we support. Amen
Week 2
We thank you that work has started on our specialised accessible playground at Shaftesbury Victoria School, designed in collaboration with our occupational therapists. We pray it will provide great fun as well as therapy for the students. Amen
Week 3
We pray for the online Carers’ Café hosted by Shaftesbury Icanho. May all who attend gain understanding, strength and camaraderie as they support those affected by acquired brain injury. Amen
To join the online Carers’ Café, please book here: enquiries.icanho@shaftesburygroup.org
Why our work is needed
Many carers desperately need support. Over three-quarters (79%) feel stressed or anxious, and half (49%) feel depressed. 54% of carers said their physical health had suffered.* Shaftesbury Icanho, our brain injury rehab centre, offers expert therapy and a listening ear to carers, with support including a specialist social worker and the online Carers Café.
* Carer’s UK State of Caring survey 2023
Week 4
Lord, we thank you for our patron, HRH The Princess Royal, and her commitment to and care for people with disabilities. We pray that her work with us would illuminate the challenges of disability to our supporters and to wider society. Amen
Real life story
Older couple Malcolm and Eileen lived healthy and active lives until Eileen experienced a stroke, followed by a devastating second stroke two years later. Covid meant Malcolm, in his late 70s, had
to be Eileen’s sole carer. As well as the physical demands, Malcolm found that emotionally ‘things felt much worse after the second stroke. She felt very distant’. With Shaftesbury Icanho’s support and therapies, Eileen recovered sufficiently to return to the couple’s beloved home, Malcolm was helped to understand Eileen’s emotional state, and as things improved, Malcolm felt he’d ‘got “my” Eileen back – significantly more of the Eileen I knew before her first stroke. Emotionally now she’s much more connected to me.’
Read more at www.shaftesburygroup.org/ homeagain/
Together, we can make a difference
At Shaftesbury, we believe every person should live a life that adds up for them – regardless of ability. Inspired by the Christian faith, our vision is of a barrier-free society where the people with disabilities we support can live independently, access essential support, and feel a true sense of belonging. That is why we rely on the generosity of donors to continue offering life-changing care to those living with disabilities.
Support
Why your support matters
Every day, people with disabilities face barriers that prevent them from living full, flourishing lives. From a lack of specialist personalised care to loneliness and financial hardship – these challenges are real and pressing. With your support, we can begin to dismantle those barriers and help build a more inclusive, hopeful future.
Join us and make an impact
To help us support people with disabilities, you can make a one-off gift or set up a monthly donation. Please complete the enclosed form and return it in the envelope provided. You can donate by calling us on 0191 500 9176 or visiting shaftesburygroup.org/ help
How your donation could help
Your generosity could help us to continue our wide range of services supporting people with disabilities by:
• providing homes and care for people with complex needs
• helping people to adapt to life after a sudden brain or spinal injury, through specialist rehabilitation centres
• teaching and empowering children and young people to achieve their full potential at our specialist education centres
Together, we can transform the lives of people with disabilities to live the lives they deserve.
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is the disability charity that enables each child, young person and adult to live a life that adds up for them.
What makes life add up is different for everyone. It’s the sum of many things and many people – from friendship to fun; from companionship to community; from a great chat to a challenge overcome.
‘All together better for disability’ means working with the people we support, promoting inclusion, independence and opportunity.
All together we are better; it’s why we work to see people take part, contribute and be valued. We do this through our wide range of disability care, special education and rehabilitation services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Email: info@shaftesburygroup.org
www.shaftesburygroup.org ShaftesburyGroupUK
Shaftesbury is the operating name of Livability which is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee in England and Wales. Charity No: 1116530 and Company No: 5967087.
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