Leonard Cheshire Disability is a disability charity that has been operating for 60 years, born out of the life experience and inspiring vision of one man: Leonard Cheshire VC. We support over 21,000 disabled people in the UK, providing innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live a life without barriers. We believe that disabled people should have the freedom to live their lives the way they choose - with the opportunity and support to live independently, to contribute economically, and to participate fully in society. LCD supports people with physical impairments, learning difficulties and long-term health conditions, as well as their carers, friends and families. The needs and aspirations of disabled people are at the heart of what we do. Gloucestershire House supports 36 adults with physical disabilities and is registered as a Care Home with Nursing. It is situated on the outskirts of Cheltenham Spa, which is an attractive Georgian town providing excellent access to cultural and retail opportunities. The home is situated within 2 miles of the town centre and is on a main bus route. Cheltenham is also ‘nestled’ in the beautiful Cotswold’s which are famous throughout the world. There is easy access via local train services to major cities like London, Birmingham, and Bath. Our members of staff provide the necessary care and assistance to enable service users to live as independent and full a life as possible. However, it is the volunteer who can give extra time and attention to the service users, encouraging and supporting disabled people to access facilities in their local area. The project promotes anti-discrimination, awareness of disability and the need to challenge prejudice. It achieves these aims through disabled people becoming more visible in the community, with the support and encouragement of overseas volunteers. Thanks to the assistance of EVS volunteers, service users are able to access services that non-disabled people take for granted. The volunteers develop solidarity with disabled people. They see the implication of what being disabled means and the inequalities. They become active citizens by overcoming prejudice and learn to recognise it in others. The project is for 12 months, 2 volunteers are required. The objective of our project is to empower and enable disabled people to access social, leisure and employment activities in Cheltenham. Our EVS volunteers support our staff teams in providing an active and stimulating environment for our residents. Through EVS Volunteers disabled people at Gloucestershire House are able to access their local services and social opportunities more easily and regularly, thus improving their confidence, independence and quality of life. Hours of work are flexible and some weekend/evening work is often required. Our volunteers are actively involved in shaping their EVS experiences and the activities plan for residents. We encourage volunteers to bring their own ideas, skills and passions to share with residents. As a result, the role is varied depending on the needs of clients and the activities our clients like to engage in. Our residents make sure their home has a lively atmosphere. At their request we offer lots of activities, including art classes, quizzes, computer classes and cooking. We also hold events in the home where we are joined by people from the local community. Volunteers also assist on social outings, day trips, LCD meetings and events. Hence the delivery of activities as part of our EVS program is heavily influenced by the skills and motivation of our volunteers to design a creative and fun activity program. EVS volunteers have lasting impact on many different aspects of our service users’ lives. Volunteers enable disabled people to be more independent, enjoy a greater choice of activities and form a healthy social relationship. The local community learn more about other cultures and disability. With support from EVS volunteers we are able to host more local social events that spread the EVS program and disability issues, as well as creates a warm and welcoming environment within our care homes. An active and varied social life for our residents is often key to their health, happiness and quality of life. Thus the impact of the EVS project at Gloucestershire House addresses a very basic human need of developing real and meaningful relationships, which is a fantastic result. LCD is a huge supporter of the EVS program due to the massive flow on effects this program has for our residents, local communities we work with, staff and our volunteers. EVS opens a dialogue between young people from from different countries about how different societies and cultures work with disabled people and works towards LCD's goal of challenging perceptions of disability internationally.