Bristol Foyer welcomes exotic reptiles and discovers more information about the variety of creatures in the animal kingdom.
Thanks to a visit from Little Party Heaven, our residents at the foyer met a variety of exotic creatures, such as snakes, spiders, lizards and tortoises.
The foyer is one of our supported housing schemes for young people which helps our residents on their journey towards safe and independent living.
Rhianna Selkridge-Carty, our Youth Development Worker, said: “It’s not every day you get to see these types of animals. It was a really enjoyable experience.
“We had all sorts of reptiles, like spiders, come in and it was really fun. It was great to see and we got lots of engagement and interest from our residents.
“It was brilliant because we were able to hold them and get really close to take pictures. The residents really enjoyed it.
“There were some really great facts for us to take away from the visit. We were learning new facts about nature, the wild, different continents, how long the animals live for, how big they can get, and more."
After joining the foyer last December, Rhianna reflected on her time at the foyer, she added: “I really enjoy working at the foyer. I have been here since last December and it’s great getting to know the young people and working with them.”
At LiveWest, we have three foyers across the South West in Bristol, Plymouth and Truro which all provide accommodation and support for young people between the ages of 16 and 21 years old.
Rhianna said: “We are very supportive of the young people who come into our supported housing at LiveWest and we want to make sure they are looked after. When a young person is nominated for a room in the foyer, we go through an assessment process and see how we can support them based on their needs.
“Our residents may need support with employment, education, budgeting, learning how to manage tenancy and lots of other life skills, like doing their own clothes wash.
“Everyone’s backgrounds can be so varied, and they all have different experiences so we try and support them in the best way we can as we work towards them being ready for independent living.
“It’s a really important life skill to be able to manage everyday stresses so we also develop coping mechanisms and strategies to help them with their thoughts and feelings.”
Helping our residents take one step closer on their career path, Rhianna reflects on her work with one of our residents.
“A young person I have worked with wants to be a paramedic, so she needs to get her GCSEs in Maths and English but she also needs to have one year of driving so, I’ve been working on getting her a provisional license. We are also looking at applying for grants and introducing her into the working world.
“The foyer is also about giving our young people the chance to be independent alongside our support of colleagues and others.”