Covid was a bad time for all of us, wasn’t it? My name is Christine and it had an impact on my confidence when I am out in the community.
So this year I wanted to make it my goal to work on my confidence again so that I am able to do more on my own and go out to the shops independently. One of the things I struggle with the most is road safety and making sure I know how to keep myself safe when I am crossing roads and walking on the path next to roads.
The staff and enablers helped me by putting me in touch with a man called Michael. One of the support staff knew about the scheme he is working on and thought it would help. He is an ex-policeman that is now working as a support worker, at the Middlesbrough council, to help create special projects to help his community.
He has taught me about looking left and right before crossing the roads and that I need to make sure I am crossing properly and not diagonally because that is more dangerous. I have learned that I need to slow down my walking because then I will be more aware of any dangers around me. He has also taught me about the different types of crossings, pelican, puffin, and island crossings, and how they are all different from each other – he has even taught the staff a thing or two about what they do wrong when they have been out with us.
This week he has asked me to be a part of the workbook he has put together to use when he is doing this course for other people as well as some people from ubu. He has taken some photos of me crossing the road and put me in the front of the booklets! I made sure I had my best looking hat on and I’m looking forward to all the fame I am going to get after I am seen by hundreds of people!
I am really proud of myself and I am so pleased that I am doing this course as it is really making a difference to me, and I have been told that there also might be a chance of me doing another course once I have finished this one to help me build confidence to get on the bus safely on my own too!
The world will soon be my playground!
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