Interviewer

Thanks. Well, perhaps could we start by me asking your name?

Brogan Bowers

Brogan Bowers

Interviewer

And Brogan. What organisation are we talking about today?

Brogan Bowers

BOPH.

Interviewer

And could I ask how old you are?

Brogan Bowers

Thirty one, thirty two. Tomorrow actually.

Interviewer

Oh, Happy Birthday, for tomorrow.

Brogan Bowers

Thank you.

Interviewer

So what got you involved here?

Brogan Bowers

Well, my Mum used to always work with special needs when I was a child. So, when we lived in London, she used to work for an organisation called Community Links. So when I was off school, I used to go to work with her, and that’s when I just took an interest to it. I enjoyed helping them and, I don’t know, I just took an interest.

Interviewer

So at some point the family moved from London down to Canvey? So how old were you when that happened?

Brogan Bowers

16 ish. Okay. Yes. Yes. 16.

Interviewer

And was this where you first started at 16, or did you do some other stuff before?

Brogan Bowers

Yes, so I first, I was a one-to-one* for Simon actually. So I used to take, bring him in here, and go to his other clubs and then that’s how I ended up here. Joan said come work for me full time.

Interviewer

Okay, so that was good?

Brogan Bowers

Yes, that’s how it all started, yes

Interviewer

So we talk about work. What sort of things do they do here?

Brogan Bowers

So they pack greeting cards. And then the hospital packs.

Interviewer

Yes. So the greetings cards, is that for a big company?

Brogan Bowers

So they go to Home Bargains.

Interviewer

Oh, okay. Yes. So you, who got that? Who made that work? Do you know?

Brogan Bowers

I don’t know, that was long before I was even here. They’ve been doing that for years.

Brogan Bowers

Joan probably Joan. Yes.

Interviewer

And how, how many cards do you do?

Brogan Bowers

I couldn’t even tell you. Thousands.

Interviewer

It is like every week you’ve got cards to do?

Brogan Bowers

Yes. Most weeks we have. Yes.

Interviewer

And do they enjoy doing that?

Brogan Bowers

Yes, they really do.

Interviewer

It’s probably something quite reassuring about, it’s a repetitive thing that they do?

Brogan Bowers

Because they think they’re coming to work. They think like they’ve got a proper job. Yes, they do. They all love all of it.

Interviewer

And then the hospital packs, they’re possibly a bit more complex?

Brogan Bowers

Yes. So not all of them can do that. So we’ll get one of them to just put the inserts in.  So we set it all up, so we know who can do what. We can leave some to it. Then we just sit with the others who can’t.

Interviewer

And how many clients do you have who come in?

Brogan Bowers

So I think there’s 32 or 33 on the list at the minute. But not every day. They don’t come every day.

Interviewer

So roughly how many do you have in on a daily basis?

Brogan Bowers

About 15 each day, I’d say.

Interviewer

Okay. And do they all live quite close to here?

Brogan Bowers

Most of them do. We have a couple from Rayleigh and Benfleet, but most of them are really local.

Interviewer

And how do they get here?

Brogan Bowers

So some of them can come by themselves, or their parents drop them, and some of them get transport.

Interviewer

Okay. And it seems a really friendly place. They all know each other. Yes?

Brogan Bowers

They’re all like family really.

Interviewer

And do you get many new ones join in or you know,  or is it always the same lot?

Brogan Bowers

So mainly it’s the same lot. We do get the odd one or two join, but we have some from the college doing work placements. Okay. So we’ve got four from the college at the minute, doing work placement, so that they might stay once they leave college.

Interviewer

Okay. So when you say they’re work placements, are they people with learning disability?

Brogan Bowers

Yes.

Interviewer

Okay.

Brogan Bowers

Yes. So they go to USP college on Canvey. And then, they’ve all got learning difficulties. So this is their work placement, that they do.

Interviewer

And how long are they on a work placement for?

Brogan Bowers

So they only come one day a week. I think that’s up until June. I think they’re due to leave college in June.

Interviewer

Okay. But they enjoy it, I assume?

Brogan Bowers

Yes, absolutely they do.

Interviewer

So do you have any favourite memories of anything that’s happened here?

Brogan Bowers

Oh Gosh, there’s loads.

Interviewer

You can talk about a couple?

Brogan Bowers

Yes. From the top of my head, my favourite one was, you know, the big hospital boxes that you put the hospice packs in? So the box was massive, well Dan climbed in one and Simon didn’t realise. They pulled the lid down, and then someone said, ‘Simon,  what’s in the box?’  So then Dan has jumped out from there, and Simon couldn’t stop laughing. But that was funny because no one knew he was there. I think he even got Karen, as well.

Interviewer

Okay.

Brogan Bowers

Yes. Just things like that. Every day something happens like that.

Interviewer

So they’ve got a good sense of humour.

Brogan Bowers

Oh Yes. All of them.

Interviewer

Yes, I picked that up. And they want to tell you about their lives, don’t they?

Brogan Bowers

Yes. Everything. Everything.

Interviewer

Excellent. So before I came today, was there anything you thought you might want to tell me you haven’t had the chance to say?

Brogan Bowers

I don’t know, really. No

Interviewer

We’ve done all right. Yes. Okay. Well, that’s good. Thank you.