Meet Paul, or ‘Sunshine’ as he’s affectionately dubbed by the local shop owners of Queens Road in Llandudno. We got to meet Paul and his Shared Lives carer, Amanda. Here, we found out more about not just his arrangement, but also the community that Paul has taken pride of place in.
Life before and after Shared Lives
Before Paul found his Shared Lives home with Amanda and Paul he faced challenges with anxiety, looking after his health, and finding a sense of belonging. He didn’t go out much and didn’t share his full self with many people.
After taking a short break at Amanda and Paul’s house, he knew he’d found everything he needed to thrive. Soon after, they became a Shared Lives family as a full-time, live-in arrangement. Paul also came to discover a passion for delivering acts of service. Since then, Paul has gotten involved with the shops along Queens Road, helping with everything from painting the front to keeping the pavement looking neat and tidy.
Paul explains: ‘I started going to the shop with Amanda and realised I really liked it there and I was doing the cleaning and that.’
He went on to say: ‘I painted the shop the other day, and met other people as well’.
This isn’t just a bit of handy work here and there for Paul. He tells us that doing these odd jobs around the community gives him the sense of purpose and fulfilment he’s always wanted to get out of life. He’s taking pride in the place he’s called home for the last three years. Paul said: ‘This row of shops is my second home’.
The team at Scent With Love are head over heels for Paul who, just like the rest of the local business owners, refer to him as ‘Sunshine’. He helps out with things like washing their van but he’s also there at 12 o’clock every day to share his lunch with them. He even joins them on trips to deliver flowers to weddings. One team member said: ‘We all call him Sunshine because he makes you smile every day’.
The owner of antiques shop, The Treasure Chest, said: ‘He’s a good lad. He’s part of the community.’
The bond between Paul and the local businesses runs deep. To celebrate his 50th birthday, they came together to throw him a surprise party at Coffee V café, complete with a disco and football-themed birthday cake! For someone who’s experienced a lack of support at times in his life, the gesture was overwhelming.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe all these people were here for me.’
We think the value of Shared Lives can be summed up in Paul’s simple statement, ‘They love me, and I love them.’
Read more stories like these on our blog page