As we continue on our journey of connecting disabled people with local churches and communities, it is timely to reflect on Livability’s rich past and promising future.
Our rich past
Livability is an organisation with a rich Christian history. Our charity as we exist today began in 2007 when The Shaftesbury Society merged with another disability charity, John Groom’s. Both were Victorian charities founded by inspirational men who were motivated by their faith to improve life for those who were poor or disadvantaged. The two organisations were joined – and reinforced – by Prospects in 2016, with its own vibrant Christian ethos. The focus – to enable people with disabilities to live the lives they choose – is clear in the individual and collective histories of the organisations that became Livability.
Our values
We continue to place the person we support at the centre of all we do. Our “values” are both Christian and part of our charitable mission to support disabled people; they are relatable to people of all faiths and none. We are:
- Open
- Inclusive
- Enabling
- Courageous
We regularly seek evidence of these values in practice and our commitment to these support our new community engagement model.
Our Board of Trustees is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the people we support. The Coronavirus pandemic has underlined the need for a localised approach and we are now delighted to be on the road to delivering this as a reality.
We will re-focus our community engagement towards a chaplaincy and pastoral contribution in all of our services, to embellish the lives of the people we support directly. We believe by focusing on generating and strengthening relationships between our care services and their local religious communities, we will be able to achieve a more person-centred approach to spiritual needs based on each individual’s abilities and gifts.
We know that some of our services are already providing strong spiritual support but we seek to make this consistent across the organisation. Our new approach feeds into our internal way of working One Livability which enhances consistency, simplicity and unity across our multifaceted charity.
This is not the end of previous work, these have now been passed on to partners of Livability – who will continue to grow and develop these areas. You can find out more here.
Embracing the present
Some of you may know that during the Coronavirus lockdown months we have continued our weekly prayer meeting online, welcome to all. This currently takes place every Wed from 12.30 – 1pm. If you want to join us, email prayercircle@livabilty.org.uk
You can use the same email to send through your prayer requests if you cannot join the meeting in person.
More than 150 years ago, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury used the following words to describe his faith; they are equally applicable today:
‘The time is coming when matters will not be measured by the talent, or the ability, or by fine clothes, or by power to speak, or by being on platforms, or by listening to those upon platforms; but the time is coming when matters will be measured by those who have the truest faith, the deepest love, and the most sincere acts of obedience to their Lord and Saviour, and most devoted and strong imitation of his blessed example.’
We look forward to sharing our progress with you in the future. In the meantime, you will be in our prayers.
Sally Chivers
CEO