Celebrating friendships

July 7, 2021

A group of people are posing for a picture in a room.

CRC developed the idea of a friendship group in 2020, and since then, it’s been going from strength to strength.

At CRC Ltd, it’s all about supporting and enabling independent living services for adults and youth with intellectual disabilities. So enriching the lives of the people we serve is really important. And we know that friendships can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing.

A man is playing pool in a room with other men.

A group of people are playing bowling in a room.

“Our friendship group is about creating friendships in safe and friendly environments, where people can share things in common and explore new interests,” says CRC General Manager Annie McNicol. “Some of our residents are quite isolated, so expanding their networks and helping them develop friendships has been a great way to get people involved in the community.”

CRC staff run the friendship group and offer a range of fun activities or skills sessions for friends to do together. For example, board games, pool or darts, feature alongside staff educating the group on subjects such as community services or how to use safety equipment.

The friendship group gathers for coffee or morning tea and also takes the form of a walking group at times, with visits to the beach or, in the winter months, the malls. It’s a great way to keep physically active while also learning about topics of interest, such as local news, voting or health issues.

The group meets once a month and has a regular attendance of around ten people. “It’s fantastic to see the group growing and people feeling nourished by it, both physically, mentally and socially,” says Annie.