Jason with some of his treasured Stoke City memorabilia

Jason is passionate about football. He’s an avid Stoke City supporter and can tell you all there is to know about his team’s match results, in great detail! Becoming a season ticket holder is just one example of Jason’s progress towards greater independence, which has gathered momentum since he came to Lifeways.
After his parents died, Jason moved into a house in Stoke in 2003, sharing with two others and supported by Lifeways staff. The transition was not easy for him and there were issues to resolve surrounding his relationships with his housemates and support workers. But the time and effort spent working with Jason on his Person Centred Plan – identifying his ambitions, likes and dislikes – has really made a difference. Through the PCP process, Jason identified four goals for himself: to get a job, have a special relationship with a woman, have his own flat to share with that woman, and indulge his passion for Stoke City Football Club. Now that his life is going in the direction he so longed for, Jason is much more relaexed and now gets on well with everyone.
"What I’m most proud about is my part-time job," said Jason. "It’s at a Ford garage near where I live.  I go there every week and help to change wheels and tyres and do some of the maintenance." According to his employers, Jason has made his mark at the garage and become a popular and respected member of the team. The experience has clearly boosted Jason’s confidence.
During the last year Jason has steadily become more outgoing and developed quite an active social life. He enjoys evenings playing snooker, visits to clubs and the cinema and has also been to Spain on holiday. "I always hoped I would meet someone special," says Jason, "and now I have. I’ve got a girlfriend and we’ve been in a relationship for a year. I’m trying hard to learn more independent living skills because one day I want to be ready to take the biggest step of my life – to get married."