THE team behind a specialist day centre in Dolgellau has been named as finalists in the Welsh heats of the 2018 National Learning Disability Awards.

Team Cerrig Camu who run the OWL (Outcomes With Learning) Centre in Dolgellau, is a finalist in the category of ‘Making A Difference’.

The OWL day-centre at Cerrig Camu is an initiative from Regard that provides therapeutic opportunities for people with learning disabilities, mental health and acquired brain injury, while Ros Redford, Amyleigh Normanton and the Cerrig Camu team are among an impressive total of 10 Regard nominees to have made it to the finals of the National Learning Disability awards this year.

The group also has finalists in the categories of ‘Supporting Older People,’ another ‘Making A Difference’ shortlisting (in the English heats), two more ‘Service Manager’ shortlistings, and for Regard itself recognition in the ‘Best Employer’ category, as well as inclusion as a finalist in both the English and the Welsh heats for ‘Breaking Down Barriers’.

The winners of the Welsh heats will be announced at a gala dinner in Cardiff on 28 September.

The National Learning Disability awards scheme, which is endorsed by the Department of Health, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), seeks to “celebrate excellence in the support for people with learning disabilities and aim to pay tribute to those individuals or organisation who excel in providing quality care.”

Carole Edmond, CEO of Regard, said: “It’s fantastic news that we’ve been named as finalists in so many categories, and very gratifying for our wonderful people to receive such public recognition for all the amazing work they do.”

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