POLLY BRADEN
& SALLY WILLIAMS

A Place For Me tells the stories of 50 people living in homes in the community. It is inspiring, moving, heartbreaking and motivating to read about real people’s lives – people who have finally found a home for life.

According to Mencap, 1.5m people in the UK have a learning disability. The National Autistic Society estimates that one in ten people are on the autistic spectrum and a Royal College of Psychiatrists report says that one in a hundred will suffer from an episode of schizophrenia at ‘some point during their life’. The pain and confusion that all this can cause is felt by millions of people and their families.

Since the 1980s, there has been a drive to move people from impersonal institutions and care for them in the community: with friends and family, in residential care, or in supported homes, where trained staff help them live free and fulfilled lives.

In the summer of 2021, Polly Braden and Sally Williams travelled throughout England and Wales to chronicle the lives of people too often over-looked: adults with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, living in the community. They visited day centres, self-contained flats in converted council blocks, house shares in family-style homes and a mansion in 4.5 acres. The oldest person was 69; the youngest 23.

£35.00 / $49.00 hardback
144 pages, 80 colour photographs
320mm x 220mm
ISBN: 978-1-911306-83-2

Supported by Civitas and The National Care Group