Introducing Leonard Cheshire Disability

Leonard Cheshire Disability supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries. We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way. Their services include care homes, supported living, domiciliary support, day services, resource centres, rehabilitation, respite care, personal support and training and assistance for those looking for work. We operate in all parts of the UK and are the largest voluntary sector provider of care and support services for disabled people.

Campaigning for the civil and human rights of disabled people is also a key activity for us. Our breadth of experience, knowledge and constituency of disabled people gives us a unique platform from which to engage in public debate and to campaign on the social policy and civil rights issues that have an impact on disabled people. In the UK, the charity is responsible for the award winning Creature Discomforts campaign - www.creaturediscomforts.org - which uses animations to highlight some of the barriers disabled people encounter.

The empowerment of disabled people who use Leonard Cheshire Disability services across the organisation is another important activity, through the work of the Service User Networking Association. This seeks to empower individuals, giving a powerful voice to our service users, ensuring that they are involved in the governance of the organisation at all levels, and that the services and support the charity provides are meeting the needs of the disabled people who use them.

In the UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability operates through 10 geographic regions, seven in England and one each for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each region is guided by a committee, chaired by a trustee, with members comprising senior regional management, service users, staff representatives and representatives of the volunteer support groups in the region.

Internationally Leonard Cheshire Disability has over 255 partners globally and is part of a Global Alliance of non-governmental organisations in 52 countries.

Facts

Leonard Cheshire Disability supports more than 21,000 disabled people in the UK, and a further 30,000 disabled people in 52 countries around the world.

In the last year:

• Around 21,000 disabled people in the UK used Leonard Cheshire services
• 1.4 million hours of care were provided by the UK Care at Home services
• Day services were provided to 1,570 disabled people
• 90% of all the disabled people using the charity's services live in their own home
• There were over 3,000 active volunteers in the UK
• There were 2,100 places in Leonard Cheshire residential services
• 720 people stayed at Park House Hotel on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the Leonard Cheshire hotel specifically for disabled people and their families.
• Over 7,000 staff were employed