Embrace Wigan and Leigh

09/11/2025

Continuing our spotlight on our brilliant Trustees, read Barend’s thoughts on his role here at Embrace

“I had a long career in the NHS, working mainly in hospitals in the Wigan area. I also have extensive experience as a school governor and a trustee for a multi-academy trust. My family have enjoyed a long association with Embrace, having benefitted directly from its input. It is therefore a tremendous privilege to serve as a trustee. Over the years, I have continued to be impressed with the way in which the organisation has adapted and grown, in response to the wide-ranging needs of the disabled people it supports. At the heart of Embrace, is a team of extremely dedicated and talented individuals, who strive to ensure everyone achieves their maximum potential”

08/11/2025

Working as a Personal Assistant can be a really flexible way to work. Read Catherine’s thoughts on her work as a PA and how she’s built skills and gained confidence. Head over to our website to see what’s being advertised this week

https://www.embracewiganandleigh.org.uk/category/pa_advert/

07/11/2025

As comes to a close, please read our Trustee Martin’s thoughts on his role at Embrace

“I’m very much new on the scene at Embrace and was delighted to be asked to become a trustee.
I’m now semi retired, having been in business for approaching 40 years.
I was born and bred in the north-west and spent a lot of time working in and around the Wigan and Leigh area.
Notwithstanding the fact that my business career only involved a limited exposure to the charity sector, I’ve always have a strong interest in how my professional skills could be of use to an organisation such as Embrace.
Embrace is a very special charity, providing much needed care and advocacy to so many people within the Wigan and Leigh communities.
I have been bowled over by the hard work and tireless dedication that all the staff at Embrace bring to the organisation.
The quality of the operational and financial reporting has really impressed me and is akin to that of a much larger organisation.
Such a level of careful reporting detail, is the bedrock of the organisation, and enables Embrace to conduct its activities in a truly professional and strategic manner. This will remain critically important as the charity continues to grow

It’s very clear that so much positive help has been, and I’m sure will continue to be brought to those who need it most.
Whilst my contribution to Embrace is, by definition, limited, I do hope that I’m able to provide constructive and thoughtful guidance as the organisation continues to evolve”.

06/11/2025

It’s . Mike is one of our Trustees here at Embrace. You can read here what being a Trustee means to Mike

“I have lived and worked in the Wigan and Leigh area most of my life and this is where my family is from.
Having been relatively successful in business - and with a lot of training and experience related to business organisation and management (including the duties and responsibilities or a Trustee), as retirement approached I was looking at how I might continue to utilise my knowledge and “put something back” into the local area and community.
A friend suggested that I might be interested in Embrace and although I have very limited experience, knowledge and understanding of the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and their families, having met with Chris and one or two others at Embrace I felt that I could help develop and shape the management team at Embrace to make the organisation more stable, efficient, robust and enable the organisation to continue to work with and serve the ever expanding disabled community to whom there is such a fabulous commitment from all in the Embrace team.
I feel that I have been able to help develop the management team, have learned a lot about how work is done within the the charity sector, and have enjoyed seeing the organisation, Chris and other individuals develop and grow as the organisation grows. When I think about the number or people who are helped by Embrace it makes me very pleased and proud to have had a small part to play.
The future for Embrace is interesting and I feel there are many opportunities which we are now well positioned to investigate.”

05/11/2025

🌟 Interested in helping your child or young person become more confident with independent travel? 🌟

We’ve got two relaxed drop-in information sessions coming up in our community café in Platt Bridge:

📅 Tuesday 7 January
🕠 5.30pm – 7.30pm
👥 For parent/carers of young people aged 11–17

📅 Tuesday 21 January
🕠 5.30pm – 7.30pm
👥 For parent/carers of young people aged 18+

Pop in, have a chat, and find out more about independent travel training and how it could support your young person. ☕

We'll share more details closer to the time, but if you’d like to know more now, feel free to get in touch! 💬

04/11/2025

This week is Trustees Week 🌟
We’d like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to our own Trustees here at Embrace. Our Trustees support us through their commitment and leadership and are vital to the work we do
So here’s to celebrating all Trustees, our own, and those working hard right across the country, making a real difference in their communities 🎉

03/11/2025

We have a few spaces available for our hotpot and Elvis afternoon. Wednesday, November 12th, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. £5 a ticket hotpot included. If you're interested in joining us, please reserve your spot here: https://forms.office.com/e/p92Z4cAVye

02/11/2025

Thank you for your kind words, it’s a pleasure to work alongside you 🌟

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿… 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

🙏We’re thankful for for standing beside families with additional needs, and doing it with patience, passion and real heart.

At The Family Hub at The Meadows, your team helps us make sure every family feels welcome, supported, and understood. Whether it’s EHCP advice, Embrace Behaviours Circles or inclusive events, you help us build a space where every child can thrive. 💛

01/11/2025

Take a look at the Personal Assistant roles available this week by following the link

https://www.embracewiganandleigh.org.uk/category/pa_advert/

Pictured members of our Community Choir who meet every Friday at 11am at the Hidden Gem cafe WN2 5EG . All welcome

30/10/2025

Our Summer Art Group of young disabled people have been working hard on a beautiful textile piece all about inclusion — and today, it’s proudly on display at Wigan Library! 🎨🧵💛

This artwork represents their voices, creativity and experiences, and we’re thrilled they had the chance to share it with the local community and meet the brilliant library staff who welcomed them so warmly.

A huge well done to everyone involved — you should be incredibly proud 👏
Pop down and have a look if you're in town!

30/10/2025

🙈🙈 unfortunately, our Internet connection is down! This means our phones are offline. We're waiting for an engineer to fix the problem. For now, please contact us via social media or email to info@embracewiganandleigh.org.uk. We're hopeful this will be resolved shortly.

29/10/2025

Want a Christmas Wreath like this one? Why not book onto our workshop where you can make one just like this, supervised and supported by a professional florist! 19th November at 11.00am. To top it off, we'll be serving afternoon tea. Taking place in our community hub (: