St. Mungo's Penicuik Parish Church

The Spotlight talk during the service on Sunday 23 September featured Sarah Murphy from Equal Futures, a local charity that aims to reduce social isolation for people with disabilities, by reconnecting communities and building social networks.

Sarah opened by commenting how well she was welcomed into our church, and how our members also welcomed each other. How one small moment can mean so much to one person, especially if that might be the only time they speak to a person in a whole day.

Equal Futures is a small disabilities charity, set up by a group of parents who had children with disabilities, and they were worried for the future of their children when they could no longer be there.

To create that future Equal Futures groups create circles of friends, unpaid people who want to be in that persons life. Sarah went on to explain that Equal Futures helps that person, the focus person, by facilitating through a connector who links that focus person to their community, helping them to make friends.

The Scottish government are attempting to reduce socialised isolation, and Equal Futures works on other social isolation barriers that affect people with disabilities. By creating a relationship map linking family, friends, and paid people e.g. shopkeepers, who come in an out of our lives. For disabled people the relationships often end up being only family, and those with no family, have no one to talk to them.

Sarah asked that if anyone in our church has a couple of hours a week that they could give to somebody, to help them get out of their house and meet your friends, meet people that they once knew before they 'slipped of the radar' and lost touch with, would make such a big difference to their lives.

She finished by relating a story of a young man with autism, with support workers, a busy mum, and visit to a day centre twice a week. Outside of that he does nothing else. Equal Futures has matched him with a helper that will teach him how to get on a bus himself, use a mobile phone etc, providing the independence he is lacking in his life.

Sarah joined us for coffee after the service, chatting with many of the members, who took leaflets and asked more about this helping charity.

If you can offer 2 hours to help someone then contact Sarah at smurphy@equalfutures.org.uk, 07879 982292

For more information www.equalfutures.org.uk/