August 2026 update
August is always a quieter month, with children off school and families enjoying the summer holidays. But there was certainly no slowing down at Sunderland People First!
Throughout the month, we delivered countless Tier 1 and Tier 2 Oliver McGowan training sessions to health and social care staff across the North East. These sessions help improve understanding, awareness and confidence when it comes to supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
We also hosted an amazing card-making session towards the end of the month, where we had the pleasure of meeting some fantastic new people. It was a lovely opportunity to get creative, have a chat and spend time together. We really enjoyed meeting everyone and hope to see them again at our next session!
Oliver McGowan Tier 2 Training
Throughout August, we were proud to deliver four fantastic Tier 2 Oliver McGowan training sessions, bringing together medical and social care professionals to strengthen their knowledge, understanding and confidence when supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
The sessions provided an opportunity for staff to learn directly from experts with lived experience, challenge assumptions, explore barriers that people with learning disabilities and autistic people face, and reflect on how services can be made more accessible, inclusive and person-centred.
Our work is inspired by Oliver McGowan and his family, with the aim of helping to prevent avoidable deaths and ensuring that no one is left unheard, misunderstood or overlooked because of a learning disability or autism. 💜
A huge thank you to all the professionals who took part in our August sessions, and to our incredible facilitators, learning disability and autism advocates who continue to share their knowledge, expertise and lived experience so passionately.
On the left is one of our amazing learning disability experts, Erin, and on the right is one of our brilliant facilitators, Karen.
Monthly Drop-In
We had an amazing time at our most recent monthly drop-in, where everyone had the opportunity to get creative and make and decorate their very own shaker cards! 🎨✨
It was two hours of fun, creativity and sparkle! ✨
Our monthly drop-ins are a wonderful opportunity to come along, meet new people, catch up with familiar faces, enjoy some creative activities and, most importantly, have fun in a friendly and welcoming environment.
🎨 And don’t miss our next monthly drop-in!
Here is one of our amazing advocates Bryony, proudly showing off her chihuahua shaker card!