To mark Learning Disability Week, held between 15-21 June, Salutem has launched a competition across its 120 services to design a colouring book.
The idea for the competition came from a resident at the company’s Greenfields Care Home in Coddington, who recently created his own colouring book to help himself and other residents combat the lockdown blues.
Peter Gascoigne, 51, who is living with learning difficulties and epilepsy, enjoys colouring in and wanted to share the happiness it brings him with other people in his service.
With help from his support worker Ben Rostance, Peter set to drawing different images to include in his colouring book, along with other activities such as a wordsearch and a place to share wishes.
Greenfields is a specialist care home for adults with learning difficulties and autism. Peter’s colouring book has also inspired the company-wide colouring book designing competition for Learning Disability Week. Service users across its services are being invited to design colouring patterns, the winners will be included in a published book.
Peter said: “I have always loved colouring, and I wanted to share how it makes me feel with the other service users.”
John Godden, CEO at Salutem, said: “Colouring in is a pastime enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. But it has particular benefits for people with learning disabilities, providing them with a stimulating outlet for creativity. So, what better time to launch our competition than during Learning Disability Week.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the winners of our national competition and turning it into a colouring book available to all the people we support."
