Shaw Trust throws a lifeline to Adam and Nonn

When Shaw Trust first came into the lives of Adam Rice and his mother Nonn it was only just in the nick of time they were at rock bottom.

"It may sound like a cliché, but I felt like I was drowning and Shaw Trust threw me a lifeline. Our lives changed from that moment," says Nonn, whose son Adam, 26, has Downs Syndrome.

"Adam wouldn't leave the house and I couldn't leave him alone. After months of this I knew I was going under and was desperate," admits Nonn.

Shaw Trust acted quickly and innovatively. The answer it seemed lay in a newly launched Direct Payments Scheme, run from the Trust's Disability Action Centre in Neath.

Stephen Holloway, a trainee taking part in a new Personal Assistant training scheme there, quickly stepped in to help and proved to be the lifeline Nonn so desperately needed.

"He had an impact straight away. Adam took to him as a friend, trusted him and soon built up a great relationship with him. Their weekly snooker night is the highlight of Adam's week now," smiles Nonn, whose own life has also been transformed.

"It has given me back my life and my sanity and enabled me to perform normal functions again.”

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