Prayer Diary
Sep 2025 – Feb 2026
Prayers for YOU
If you are bereaved or in low spirits…
Heavenly Father, I come before You with a heavy heart. I pray that as I go through this season of sorrow, You would show me Your love and grace. Help me to find peace in Your presence. Wipe my tears, Lord, and carry me through this season of mourning and deep sadness. Help me to trust in Your unfailing love and bring me comfort, strength and courage to accept this loss. Amen.
Lord in Heaven, I pray that my discomforts will turn to comforts, my pains to gains, my deprivation to blessings, my losses to profits, my tears to smiles, my sorrows to pleasures, my illness to wellness, my debts to credits, and my dreams to realities. Amen.
Welcome to our Prayer Diary
Dear friends,
Welcome to our new, twiceyearly Prayer Diary where we share what is happening at Shaftesbury with you, our valued prayer partners. We have decided to produce our Prayer Diary every six months as it makes the best use of our resources. Additionally, we have added a page of prayers just for you; we recognise that we all need the power of prayer in our lives.
This autumn, we are reflecting on God’s promise of help in all we do and the way this works across our charity – help from God, help
from each other, help from other organisations and churches we work with. Then, for the winter months (December to February), we focus on working from the heart and the difference this makes as we seek to enable people with disabilities to flourish. Thank you for continuing to support us in prayer.
Until next time,
Sally Chivers CEO
PS Have you seen the online Prayer Diary on our website? It includes the same content, but saves us a considerable amount in print and mail costs. If you would like to receive your Prayer Diary digitally, go to www.shaftesburygroup.org/ prayer or scan the QR code.
Café lunch
Friends
Our theme for autumn: ‘I will help you’ Isaiah 41:1
Week 1
We pray for new students and staff arriving at our three education centres for the autumn term. We ask that each person will quickly feel included and settled and we pray for peace for anyone who is feeling nervous or finds change difficult. Amen.
Week 2
We pray for members of our Changes for the Future Forum who represent people supported by Shaftesbury. May their lived experience be used to inform the way the charity delivers its services, to be the best it can be. Amen.
Week 3
We bring young people with disabilities who are part of our supported living services to you. We ask that they might make firm friendships and be welcomed in their local community. Amen.
Week 4
We thank you for your promise of help when we face challenges. Please give courage and reassurance to Shaftesbury staff who are dealing with distress behaviours from people they support. We pray that the compassionate care provided will foster trust and calm in the person cared for. Amen.
Why our work matters
Many care placements for people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are a long way from their home.*
Increasingly, Shaftesbury is being approached by local commissioners and health professionals to provide care for people with disabilities who exhibit distress behaviours. Typically, this could be someone with profound learning disabilities who feels their needs are not being met and expresses this through behaviour that is difficult to manage. Shaftesbury teams have developed expertise in this field and frequently see the person flourish beyond expectations. *nice.org.uk
Real life storyShaftesbury Somerset
Lily, 23, is non-verbal and has very complex needs including autism. She lives in a Shaftesbury supported living flat and her arrival was very testing for staff because her behaviours were aggressive and unpredictable.
Team leader Sharon realised consistent staffing was essential: ‘We’ve got a regular team so Lily is only supported by familiar faces.’
But however difficult it was, the team could see beyond the challenges. ‘We always felt there was something positive there,’ said Sharon. Lily is now flourishing. Local commissioners and professionals are full of praise for Shaftesbury Somerset and the changes they see in Lily.
Read more at www.shaftesburygroup.org/lily
Support
Please support us so we can continue to provide the best possible start in life for children and young people with disabilities.
Donate online at www. shaftesburygroup.org/ donate
Thank you.
October
Let us pray
We thank you, God, for the difference our wide range of services makes to so many lives. We ask for your help and blessing so we can provide support in existing and new settings. Amen.
Week 1
We pray for your guidance and help for our senior leadership team and board of trustees, as they oversee the charity’s current activities and plan for future growth. Amen.
Week 2
Thank you for the tremendous response to our new dementia support telephone service, launched by Shaftesbury Suffolk. We ask for your help in shaping and managing this service, which is proving to be much-needed. Amen.
Week 3
We pray that people we support who attend church and church groups would be made truly welcome, and their gifts and contribution would be included in church life. 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 matters
Suffolk County Council identified Suffolk as the fastest-ageing county in the country. In December 2024, there were an estimated 10,800 people living with dementia in Suffolk, a figure predicted to increase to 23,000 by 2040*. UK-wide, nearly one million people are estimated to have dementia**
* https://www.healthysuffolk.org.uk/jsna/state-of-suffolk
** https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/how-many-people-have-dementia-uk
Real life storyShaftesbury Suffolk
Shaftesbury has been funded by the NHS and Suffolk County Council to provide support for people with memory concerns, dementia and for those caring for people with a dementia diagnosis in Suffolk. From our base in Stowmarket, the Shaftesbury Suffolk Memory and Dementia Support telephone line provides practical information and support.
The new service is aimed at empowering people concerned about their memory or diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, to live independently, safely and well for as long as possible in the community. Anyone needing support can call free on 0808 281 5804.
Read more at www.shaftesburysuffolk.org
Your support means Shaftesbury can provide quality care that transforms people’s lives.
Please visit www.shaftesburygroup. org/donate
Opportunity Expertise Independence Community
November
Let us pray
Thank you that you are a God of hope and new starts, and we ask for you to be close to anyone who is starting a new season as they join a Shaftesbury service. Amen.
Week 1
Thank you for the massive difference our brain injury rehabilitation centre Shaftesbury Icanho makes to individuals’ and families’ lives. We pray for everyone receiving treatment this autumn and ask that they would leave with new hope for their future. Amen.
Week 2
We pray for the transitions teams at our colleges. These teams work closely with students and their families or carers to help establish the most supportive living arrangements for each young person as they prepare to leave college. Suitable placements can be difficult to find, so we ask for your guidance in identifying places where each individual can truly thrive. Amen.
Week 3
We pray for people like Irvine, who use our supported living service to run their lives largely independently. We ask that their confidence might grow, and their friendship circle expand. Amen.
Week 4
As Christmas preparations gather pace, we ask that the people we support might be truly welcomed and involved in celebrations in their local community. Please provide ways for them to contribute and be valued for their many gifts. Amen.
Why our work matters
People with disabilities are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people and three times as likely to be economically inactive.* Shaftesbury Education tackles this issue through its school and colleges’ curriculum, where students’ learning is tailored around their goals and capabilities for a rich life as young adults.
*Scope.org.uk
Real life story - Education
Our two colleges – Shaftesbury Nash College and Shaftesbury Millie College – equip students with skills for adult life. For some young people, this includes work-related skills, which lead to a flourishing life as they leave college.
Work experience is a stepping stone into the world of work, helping to connect learning to real-life situations. For young people with additional needs, it can be life-changing – building confidence, developing essential skills, and preparing them for their next steps.
At Shaftesbury Education, work experience is embedded in learning. Students transfer skills learned in class to work-related tasks on-site at college and external work experience.
Find out more at www.shaftesburygroup.org/work-experience-that-works
Support
Your donation means we can continue to provide an exceptional level of care, led by and centred around the person requesting support.
Please support our work by donating at www. shaftesburygroup.org/ donate
Thank you.
Week 1
Thank you for all the amazing extra work our staff put in to make Christmas super-special for those they support. May each service enjoy all they do together and with their local communities and may the people we support feel loved, valued and included. Amen.
Week 2
We pray for your protection against illness this winter for all the people we support, who may be extra-vulnerable because of their disability. Please give the gift of health to all our services, and guide staff who look after the health of those in their care. Amen.
Week 3
We pray for people we support who are able to visit their family over Christmas. We ask for plans to run smoothly and the time spent together to be full of joy. Please grant patience if challenges arise. Amen.
Week 4
Thank you, God, for the joyful message of Christmas – that you love us so much you were willing to be present with us on earth. May we find hope in this season and realise how deeply you understand us. Amen.
Why our work matters
People with a learning disability are seven times more likely to be lonely at Christmas*, something Shaftesbury deems unacceptable for anyone we support. Our amazing staff team pulls out all the stops to make Christmas joyful for those they support. Some staff literally go the extra mile in accompanying people to their family home or other venue, so they can see people they love.
*Mencap
Real life story - Shaftesbury Treetops
Many people we support, especially in high-dependency residential centres, spend their Christmas with Shaftesbury.
The spirit is in evidence aplenty at Shaftesbury Treetops, where everyone is supported to have the best Christmas possible.
‘As soon as it hits the end of November, we’re Christmas through and through’, said team leader Claire. 'The trees go up – there’s one in every room!’ Christmas dinner is extra-special for Beckii, who was able to eat by mouth, not via a peg feed last year, for the first time since suffering an acquired brain injury.
See how Shaftesbury Treetops celebrates at www.shaftesburygroup.org/beckii
Lifelong learning Skills Community
January
Let us pray
Lord, we start the new year confident in your presence and your blessing on Shaftesbury’s work. We trust in your guidance and provision for 2026. Amen.
Week 1
As term starts, we bring Shaftesbury Millie College to you with its enterprise curriculum, which equips students for the workplace. We pray each student will discover the area that motivates them and uses their gifts and passions, and we ask for great work experience opportunities. Amen.
Week 2
We bring all our supporters to you who start this new year facing bereavement, illness or are in need, whether themselves or those they love. Thank you that you understand grief and difficult times, and please bring your comfort and hope to each person. Amen.
Week 3
Thank you for the difference our early years provision at Shaftesbury Victoria School is making to young children and their families. We pray particularly that children who have struggled to settle in other placements will flourish at Victoria. Amen.
Week 4
We bring everyone who attends a Shaftesbury day centre to you, such as our service in Llandudno and thank you for the fun, friendship and learning this provides for people of different ages and abilities. We pray you would provide all the resources they need. Amen.
Why our work matters
The percentage of children with additional needs registering for early years provision in the UK rose by nearly one-third between 2020 and 2023 and continues to rise*. Special educational needs provision and funding for early years shows while children are now being identified as having additional needs at a younger age, the focus on SEND is almost exclusively on [primary and secondary] schools,** rather than early years education.
* nasen.org.uk/news/children-sen-accessing-early-years-rises-all-time-high ** www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/early-years-settings-struggle-toaccess-funding-for-rising-numbers-of-young-children-with-send/
Real life story - Shaftesbury Victoria School
Our Education settings continue to grow. Our Colleges and School now support more children and young people than ever. Some of our students have been out of education for some time and some are coming to school for the very first time. In February 2025, an additional early years class opened at Victoria School. Class Whitecliff has seven students, all with a primary diagnosis of autism. Staff use various communication techniques with the class, including symbols, pictures and signing with Makaton.
Want to know more? www.shaftesburygroup.org/autism
Support
We want to support as many people with disabilities as we can in 2026 – and we need your help.
Please donate to support our work – visit www.shaftesburygroup.org/ donate Thank you.
February
Let us pray
Thank you for the very early signs of spring appearing this month. Please bring hope to anyone in our services who struggles emotionally with the winter season. Amen.
Week 1
We pray for all our volunteers, whether helping in services, in office work, or other ways. Please would you encourage them and create strong links with the service they support. Volunteers bring so much to the people we support, so we ask for more volunteers to join us. Amen.
Week 2
Thank you for the difference our children’s service in north-east England is making to families, thanks to our dedicated staff team. We pray this service might grow so we can support families who are struggling alone. Amen.
Week 3
We pray for Shaftesbury services who are recruiting new staff this month. Please bring people to them who will ‘work from the heart’ and enable those they support to feel safe, well cared for and empowered. Amen.
Week 4
We thank you for the joy and self-expression that community partnerships with accessible music project OrchLab and the art project with the Royal Academy of Art have given to people we support in some of our residential contexts. Amen.
Why our work matters
Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. It can help counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on overall psychological wellbeing.* In a government survey, the vast majority of volunteers report a positive experience; 92% of formal volunteers surveyed stated they were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their volunteering experience**.
Real life story - Shaftesbury volunteers
Volunteering makes a hugely positive contribution to our services. We have volunteers across many spheres of our work, including office work – which can be done remotely – supporting activities and outings, joining a Friends group at a local Shaftesbury service and more. People we support build valuable relationships with volunteers, a connection that is especially appreciated when a disability limits their social circle. Our volunteers tell us how much they gain; as Katy, who volunteers at our Harlow residential home, said: ‘If I could bottle and sell the positive feeling you get from volunteering, I’d be a very rich lady!’
Interested? Read more of Katy’s story www.shaftesburygroup.org/time-of-their-livesvolunteering-at-livability/ * freepackers.com/en/ **commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0086/#:~:text= 92%25%20of%20formal%20volunteers%20surveyed,satisfied%20than%20their %20older%20counterparts
Support
Our brain injury rehabilitation service enables clients to see they have a future post-rehab.
Please support this work by donating at www. shaftesburygroup.org/donate Thank you.
L ife Sum Sunday S ecivre
It’s never just one moment, one person, or one achievement. It’s a sum made up of many things: faith, family, friendship, community and the seasons we walk through — together.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
This verse is a reminder that every experience, good and bad has its place in the bigger picture. Some people and things add to our lives, others take away. At Shaftesbury, we call this balance a ‘life sum’. Life sums are at the heart of how we support the people we work with – and the great thing is, they work for everyone.
It’s useful to take time to reflect on your life sum and keep track of what is making you happy and what might need adjusting.
Visit: lifesum.org/prayer for life sum resources for you and your church.
We encourage you to share this within your church and to consider incorporating Life Sums into a service on a suitable Sunday.
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