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Nathan is a 58-year-old male who was referred to the Beacon Service as he was experiencing low mood, anxiety, he was isolated and was feeling stuck.
Nathan had lived on the streets for 6 years after he experienced what he describes as a mental health breakdown. He had previously had 3 suicide attempts but is now in his own property and resides with his daughter who is also his carer.
One of our link workers supported Nathan over a 6-month period and worked on reducing his anxiety and building his confidence leaving his home.
Nathan has now taken control of his own finances and is managing to run his home independently, without the high level of support he was receiving from his daughter.
He has also started attending the gym twice a week and is finding the exercise and meditation has decreased his anxiety levels and helped him gain confidence to speak to new people.
Nathan has been offered a volunteering opportunity at Bury Hospice Warehouse and is actively looking for voluntary driving opportunities, he’s enrolled on a computer course to enhance his IT skills and to gain more confidence filling out application forms.
Since the support Nathan has not experienced any suicidal ideations and has stated that “I feel like a new man, and feel excited about my future and that I have a purpose”.

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Louise was referred to the Beacon Service with a number of support needs and medical problems –
When we initially spoke to her it was clear that she had limited knowledge of groups and services in Bury as her daughter in law who is one of her carers lived outside the borough and was not familiar with the area.
After our initial consultation our link worker was able to provide a number of suggestions to local support groups/services including telephone numbers and web links, which would enable the family to support their elderly parents.
The ‘local’ information provided to the client’s daughter in law was targeted to enable her to support her family and herself. This approach proved to be successful as during our follow up appointments our link worker discovered ALL suggestions and links had been actioned and she had followed up the local connections provided.
Louise was able to access some of the following services, including Bury Carers centre, Blue Badge information, transport for Greater Manchester – Ring and Ride, Dementia helpline, local library – (for book delivery)and the Borrow Box app, connections to local Dementia groups and practical support like getting rails fitted.
Louise and her Family were pleased with the support they received as she stated, ‘I would not have known where to start’, you made the ‘job’ so easy. Thank you – especially the carers hub contact who provided support and a small grant to enable the carers to ‘go away’ to the Lake District for a weekend of respite.

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H was referred to Beacon Service as he was experiencing social isolation
H has carers twice a day, his family live in Qatar H stated he was becoming increasingly isolated and wished to connect with a local community group, upon his initial telephone assessment H was not sure how and what he could connect to, we explored the range of groups offered around his local area and chatted about the Ramsbottom Anglers Fishing group at the Lido.
H was very interested in this group but was afraid that due to him using his mobility scooter he may struggle to access the group. After contact with Ramsbottom Anglers, they were happy to support H in adapting to his needs. Beacon Service-connected H to the group, H stated he had always wanted to try fishing and was delighted he had now found a new hobby that has allowed him to connect to his local community and meet new people. H had also attended Bury VCFA volunteer towards employment project, he had applied for numerous jobs but was unfortunately not successful, with support and encouragement H now volunteers for Bury VCFA social media support twice a week.
H wellbeing has now improved, and he no longer feels isolated, H continues to connect to the fishing group and has stated he has met some very nice people. H is enjoying his new role as a social media volunteer and is meeting new members of staff on the days he attends, this has given H more confidence, improving his mental health and well-being.

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Amanda is almost fully blind and is also struggling with her hearing. She has regular contact with her carers coming in 3 times daily to ensure she is taking correct medication.
I met with Amanda and we explored potential activities that she could engage with, taking into account her needs and circumstances, we took time to discuss any potential barriers to accessing groups and activities.
I was made aware of additional challenges with her accessing her GP practice as she is unable to access the building and she really needed to discuss her hearing aids which she is having some issues with.
I encouraged her to speak to her GP practice about this concern or I could do it on her behalf.
As a result Amanda spoke to her GP practice who have since organised a hearing assessment to be carried out in the comfort of her own home. Obviously was a great outcome for her and she admitted that she’d have not even considered that this would have been possible.
I asked if she’d be interested in a referral to Jigsaw as they have a befriending service and luncheon club. Jigsaw befrienders can also accompany service users to the luncheon club. She was really happy with this as it would go some way to help her get back out into the community.
She stated that she was very grateful for our interventions and enjoyed meeting our Beacon Buddy Volunteer Anna and feels a lot more independent.

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Rachel was suffering from low level mental health and felt very isolated. She used to be a very active person and wanted more structure to her week
We supported the referral to add structure to her week and eventually found ourselves exploring volunteering.
After several calls we decided to meet face to face so we could look more in-depth at the volunteering opportunities available and support the referral to complete the volunteering forms. The referral registered her interest with The Creative Living Centre and Bury Adult Learning Centre.
Bury Adult Learning have already been back in touch with a very positive response and the referral is set to start her journey back to volunteering and the hope is this will give her the structure she was after and something to look forward to each week.
We discussed becoming a beacon buddy further down the line as she was keen to explore how to support others. She mentioned this is something of interest to her but didn’t want to take on too much too soon’.

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As family of James, I just want to say a massive thank you for all your input and support. A has said how you made him feel comfortable enough to talk about his past housing situations which he found difficult due to embarrassment, but you put him at ease. He’s told me of the help you have given regarding his benefits and pinpointing him to local services to help with his mental health. I have seen a real positive change in how James is talking about his future prospects and you have a lot to do with that. The job you do is outstanding and I can’t thank you enough for your help