At 28, Ben was a keen member of the Swansea biker scene until a road accident left him with a serious brain injury.
After his accident Ben needed constant support and had to move from his own house into a long-stay residential home. 20 years passed and Ben lost contact with his biker friends.
But in 2013 Ben had a fresh start, moving into one of Walsingham Support’s new supported living services that was developed specifically for people with brain injuries.
His quality of life has improved dramatically. Previously, Ben would only receive one to one support in short time slots across a day. He didn’t really have a chance to be involved in his food shopping, cooking, or choosing when and where to go out.
His current service offers 24 hour, seven day a week cover which has allowed Ben to have flexible one to one support. With support, he is able to go shopping, cook his own meals, go to the pub and check out the Harleys at the local bike shop whenever he wants.
He told the team that he wanted to reconnect with his biker friends so staff supported him to track down an old friend and join a social network website. Now Ben is back in contact with many of his old friends who have even came to celebrate his 50th Birthday. The local biker scene has even begun to organise fund raising events to contribute to Walsingham Support.