October 18, 2023

Paul, supported by PSS Shared Lives, is ‘Sunshine’ of Llandudno

Meet Paul, or ‘Sunshine’ as he’s affectionately dubbed by the local shop owners of Queens Road in Llandudno. Recently, we got to meet Paul and his Shared Lives carer, Amanda. Here, we found out more about not just his arrangement, but also the community that Paul has taken pride of place in.

Paul stands in front of Ballooning Marvellous, the shop owned by his Shared Lives carer, Andrea. It's sunny and he's in a t shirt, shorts, and cap

Paul stands in front of the craft shop owned by his Shared Lives carers.

Before Paul found his Shared Lives home with Amanda and Paul he faced challenges with anxiety, looking after his health, and finding a sense of belonging. He didn’t go out much and didn’t share his full self with many people.

After taking a short break at Amanda and Paul’s house, he knew he’d found everything he needed to thrive. Soon after, they became a Shared Lives family as a full-time, live-in arrangement. Paul also came to discover a passion for delivering acts of service. Since then, Paul has gotten involved with the shops along Queens Road, helping with everything from painting the front to keeping the pavement looking neat and tidy.

Paul explains: ‘I started going to the shop with Amanda and realised I really liked it there and I was doing the cleaning and that.’

He went on to say: ‘I painted the shop the other day, and met other people as well’.

This isn’t just a bit of handy work here and there for Paul. He tells us that doing these odd jobs around the community gives him the sense of purpose and fulfilment he’s always wanted to get out of life. He’s taking pride in the place he’s called home for the last three years. Paul said: ‘This row of shops is my second home’.

Paul stands between four of the team members at Scent With Love florist. They are huddled up close and Paul has his arms around them

Paul pictured with the team at Scent With Love

The team at Scent With Love are head over heels for Paul who, just like the rest of the local business owners, refer to him as ‘Sunshine’. He helps out with things like washing their van but he’s also there at 12 o’clock every day to share his lunch with them. He even joins them on trips to deliver flowers to weddings. One team member said: ‘We all call him Sunshine because he makes you smile every day’.

The owner of antiques shop, The Treasure Chest, said: ‘He’s a good lad. He’s part of the community.’

Paul stands in between two men who have their arms around his shoulders. They smile at the camera.

Paul pictured with The Treasure Chest owner and friend

The bond between Paul and the local businesses runs deep. To celebrate his 50th birthday, they came together to throw him a surprise party at Coffee V café, complete with a disco and football-themed birthday cake! For someone who’s experienced a lack of support at times in his life, the gesture was overwhelming.

He said: ‘I couldn’t believe all these people were here for me.’

A collage of Paul’s 50th birthday party. L-R top: Paul, his friends from Coffee V, L-L-R bottom: Paul and Shared Lives carer Andrea, Paul’s birthday cake, which is football themed

A collage of Paul’s 50th birthday party. L-R top: Paul, his friends from Coffee V, L-R bottom: Paul and Shared Lives carer Amanda, Paul’s birthday cake

We think the value of Shared Lives can be summed up in Paul’s simple statement, ‘They love me, and I love them.’

Shared Lives is about sharing your home, your daily life, even your favourite spot on the couch, just like you would with family. Learn more at www.sharedlivescarers.com