Clydebank charity holds open day to promote disability awareness

Improving Lives hosted the event in Dalmuir Barclay Church on Tuesday, April 23.

Over 50 organisations were in attendance to provide information and support in aid of disability awareness.

The charity held its first open day in November 2017 and they have put one on each year since.

Kevin Crawford is a co-founder of the organisation with wife Dhyani, and he oversees five other members of staff and 10 volunteers.

And he was keen to highlight that the open day is very much a team effort.

"The publicity of the event helps hundreds of people who cannot get down to the day as the phones are always busy with people getting in touch looking for support," he said.

"The one day allows us to reach a lot of people. We take on feedback from the local community and anyone who attends the open day.

"Everything that is on offer at the event is based on feedback we have received."

Kevin also opened up on the rewarding nature of the event and he feels that this year's open has been the biggest yet.

"There is a great buzz around the place when we have been able to help people get the support they need," he continued.

"It is something we look forward to every year. We get feedback for weeks and months after about what support is available.

"We give leaflets to everyone that is there with a stall, and we also ask members of the public who attend."

The open day aims to offer support across a variety of different areas.

And John MacDonald, services manager at the Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA), explained the importance of being given a platform to make it clear that support is available.

He said: "We have been active in Clydebank for over 40 years, and we offer a holistic service to people.

"We don’t just help people with their alcohol issues but also their mental and physical health.

"We offer a full package with things such as counselling, group work and outdoor activities.

"People can pick or choose what they want to do and make up a package.

"The event is great for networking and getting our message out there."

As well as offering support, the open day also aims to break down barriers and combat social isolation.

One of the groups doing this is Dates-n-Mates Glasgow, a friendship and dating organisation for adults with learning disabilities.

Heather Simpson, community engagement and event lead for the charity, explained how vital the service is that they provide.

"We support people to build relationships, we have a human rights-based approach where we want everyone to have the opportunity to build informal relationships," she said.

"We do this by running social events, we offer matchmaking, which is completely optional, and we offer open events to the community to decrease isolation.

"We now have around 170 members in Glasgow and over 500 nationwide."