Hi my name is Elisabeth I moved to Sunnyside in August 2009. I liked it at Sunnyside from the first day, but I was very shy and didn’t talk much.

I felt so comfortable here that I didn’t want to go out to the clubs, but the staff at Sunnyside explained to me how much fun I would have if I was to go to Zero 5 Club each Tuesday night.

I found it a bit scary as I wasn’t used to going there but by talking to staff, the other residents and Donna the counsellor, my confidence grew and going out to new places and meeting new people become less scary and I made new friends. Now I go to a club on Fridays too.

At first I needed help with personal hygiene like washing my hair but I soon was able to do this without support. I also learnt about healthy eating and now I’m able to choose healthy foods and need less help with preparing meals. I have also lost 2 Stone in weight because I am eating healthily and I’m doing more actively.

I have started the My L.I.F.E programme which is going to help me become more independent. At the moment I am working on Life Long Learning which shows me the opportunities to learn throughout my life. Because of this I have attended lots of College courses which I really enjoy.

There are many things that have changed in my life since I moved to Sunnyside but the biggest change is my confidence, now I have lots of friends and I’m looking forward to my future, being as independent as possible. I was very happy to hear that I won service user of the month in February.

Written by Elisabeth with the support of Katie (support worker)