Kirstie’s apprenticeship journey at Southdown

Kirstie shares what motivated her to apply for an apprenticeship, what she’s learning, and how the experience is helping her grow while making a real difference across our services.

Meet Jo: 21 years of making a difference at Southdown

Jo, a colleague for 21 years, shares how a sense of care, connection, and shared purpose has given her a feeling of belonging here at Southdown.

“This work has given me an inner strength.”

For Mark, staying at Southdown is about shared values, real relationships, and the belief that everyone deserves to live with dignity, choice, and opportunity.

Images shows the Southdown staff who is haring her story.

“There is a career here if you want one”

You don’t have to have it all mapped out to take your next step. Leanne’s story shows how the right support and opportunities at Southdown can help your career progression.

“Our support gives people a road map to live independent, meaningful lives”

An Employment Specialist at Southdown reflects on helping people with mental health conditions take steps towards independence through meaningful employment and wraparound support.

A person sleeping rough on the street, lying against the wall of a stone building — a representative image highlighting homelessness.

“The best thing about my job is supporting clients to create positive change”

Rob, Team Manager for Southdown’s Assertive Outreach and Move On Team in East Sussex, shares how his team supports people sleeping rough to take steps towards positive change. His story highlights the compassion and persistence behind Southdown’s homelessness services.

A Southdown client with a learning disability sits on a sofa playing an acoustic guitar and smiling at the camera. Opposite him, Anita Beverton, Southdown’s Head of Learning Disability, wears a face mask and floral blouse while playing the violin. They are seated in a cosy, personalised living space filled with sports memorabilia, posters, and certificates, sharing a music practice session that reflects connection, confidence, and creativity.

“Building genuine connections is at the heart of what we do”

In this story, Anita Beverton, Head of Learning Disability services, shares what drives her passion for people to be listened to and to be at the centre of their own lives.

“Being understood at work is having a positive impact…”

One of our Service Managers, who is neurodiverse, describes her journey of applying for Access to Work support.

A woman with glasses and shoulder-length dark hair sits at a wooden table in a café. She is wearing a burgundy blouse with ruffled sleeves and a matching bow at the collar. She has a confident and calm expression as she looks directly at the camera. The background features large windows with reflections of the outside environment. In the upper right corner, there is a logo for Neurodiversity Celebration Week, consisting of a lightbulb icon with a colourful brain inside.

“I don’t know who I would be if I wasn’t autistic.”

Eden, a peer tutor at the Brighton & Hove Recovery College shares how embracing her neurodiversity has shaped her journey and why representation and understanding matter.

A woman with shoulder-length grey hair and light skin is standing in a kitchen, smiling warmly at the camera. She is wearing a white button-up t-shirt and holding an egg in her hand while washing it under the sink. The kitchen has wooden cabinets, a white tiled backsplash, and various kitchen items, including a slow cooker, bottles, and washing-up liquid, on the counter. The atmosphere is bright and homely.

“There is a huge need for services like this”

Diane, a Support Worker at one of our Supported Living Learning Disability services, shares what makes her role so meaningful and why she loves what she does.

A woman in white tshirt smiles looking at the camera. There is sea in the background, and pebbled beach in sight.

“Employment support bridges a gap”

Southdown’s Employment Specialist outlines what her role includes, what this job means to her.

A woman, dressed in pink cardigan and blue tshirt, smilingly looks while she kneels beside her pet dog.

“The adjustments have made an ENORMOUS impact on my wellbeing”

Deputy Team Manager for Work in Mind Employment service shares how reasonable adjustments at work has enormously helped her mental health and wellbeing.