Mickaela's Halloween Success

Activities Lead Mickaela hosts a Halloween Special

Huge congratulations to Mickaela Freeman, Epilepsy Society's Activites Lead, appointed earlier this year, for organising and hosting a joyful Halloween Party in the Recreation Hall on Saturday 31st. With a mixture of decoration and lighting, the old Hall looked fabulous, and our loved ones streamed into the building from 6pm, enjoying music, bites to eat, and a wonderfully happy atmosphere.

Earlier in the week, we caught up with Mickaela to find out a little more about her background, and her plans. Here's what she had to say.....

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Tell us a bit about your career before joining ES.

Before joining Epilepsy Society, I worked for a charity where I worked with children and young adults with complex needs and behaviours at a respite and short breaks service. Through this experience, I discovered how much I enjoyed supporting individuals with additional needs and developed a real passion for working in SEN. I particularly loved getting to know each individual, understanding their unique personalities and interests, and finding ways to support them to engage, develop and enjoy new experiences.

What appealed to you about the role at ES?

What really appealed to me about the role was the focus on activities and Active Support, as this is where my passion and creative strengths lie. I love coming up with new ideas and finding ways to make activities engaging, meaningful and enjoyable for everyone. When I came for my interview, I left feeling so positive about the environment at Epilepsy Society. Seeing residents around the site, experiencing how friendly and welcoming the staff were, and learning more about the incredible work being done here really stood out to me.

What has surprised you most since you started at Chalfont?

Although I’m still getting to know the area, I’ve been struck by the strong sense of community at Chalfont and love the beautiful natural surroundings. I’ve also really valued seeing the involvement of families and the important role they play in residents’ lives and wellbeing.

What’s been your biggest thrill or achievement so far?

One of my proudest achievements so far has been working with Bucks Council to organise free, tailored enrichment programmes for all our houses. I’ve also really enjoyed working with our team leaders to highlight the fantastic work they do. I’m excited to continue developing our About Me project, creating personalised posters that celebrate each resident’s personality, interests and preferences, with the aim of reaching every resident across our houses over time. Alongside this, bringing everyone together through events such as our Halloween celebrations has been a real highlight.

What are your main hopes and objectives for the next six months?

Over the next six months, I hope to continue developing our About Me project and supporting the review of individual residents’ goals. We are also working on our Quality of life review soon getting feedback from all the people we support and building on this. From the new year, I’m looking forward to introducing workshops around communication and Active Support for staff. I want to develop more on-site activities and events, creating more opportunities for meaningful engagement. A key focus will be getting to know residents as individuals, supporting their communication and involvement, and working closely with staff to build on their fantastic skills and confidence in delivering person-centred activities.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, walking my dog, going to the cinema and listening to music. I love watching films and discovering new music, so I enjoy anything that lets me combine those interests!

What is your favourite film, book or TV programme?

I love a bit of Disney, Marvel and musicals, so I’m always happy watching a good film! My favourite TV programme is Friends — it’s a classic that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching.

Tell us something about yourself that people might not know.

Something people might not know about me is that before moving into the charity sector, I worked in TV and film! I had the opportunity to work on a Netflix show and spend some time at the BBC, working on some amazing productions. It was a really exciting experience and a very different career path to the one I’m on today!

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