Story by Dean

Hi my name is Dean, I have been supported by Hilton Care for about 10 years. Before coming to Hilton, I lived at home with my Mum and Dad. My Mum used to do everything for me. When I started being supported by Hilton, I had to start doing things for myself. The staff supported me to learn how to cook, do the cleaning, do my laundry, make my packed lunches for my day services, as well as other everyday tasks.
My first house with Hilton was shared with 3 other lads, it was quite small and crowded so we all moved to a larger house at Lavender Road. Because I was quite shy and quiet I would occasionally be lost in the crowd as my housemates could be pretty loud and boisterous. After being there for a while we decided to move again, this time just myself and one of the other lads, Matthew, moved to a bungalow in North Wootton. It was here that I began to become more confident and outgoing as I was more able to spend time socialising with Matthew, my support staff and other friends. This bungalow suited us well for about 3 years (we even had a room to play our games consoles), but after a while the property started to develop some issues, so Matthew and I decided to move again. We were supported to find a new house and I have lived here since 2015. It is since moving here that I have really started to thrive and come into my own. Living here I am closer to the town centre, so it is easier for me to go out without having to wait for buses or pay for taxis. I also live closer to my friends at Service X so I can socialise with them a lot more often. We often meet up for drinks, meals, bowling, playing pool, watching films at the cinema, parties, BBQs and days out together. Also, since living at my newest home I have been supported to improve my cooking skills, I love to make gluten free cakes and I am often looking for new recipes to try out.
In 2017 my Mum became ill and sadly passed away, this was an extremely sad time for me as I was very close to my Mum. My support staff helped me to get through this difficult time by talking to me about how I was feeling and encouraging me to talk about my Mum and remember the good times I had with her. I am still very close to my Dad, he visits me a couple of times a week and we often go to the cinema together as we both love movies. I also regularly see my Sister and her family. My two Nephews are very important to me and I love going to see what they are up to.
As well as movies I also love music, the staff often hear me singing in the shower. I especially like older music such as The Beatles, Elvis and Buddy Holly. I went to Liverpool to see all The Beatles sites and even saw Elvis in concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Birmingham. I can play the keyboard and I am currently learning to play the guitar. Staff supported me to find a tutor and also to attend my weekly lessons, you can often find me in my bedroom practising my chords.
As well as supporting me with day to day tasks, Hilton staff have also supported me to budget to pay my bills and be able to save to go on lots of days out and holidays. Before coming to Hilton I had never been on an aeroplane, but did this for the first time a few years ago when I went to Cyprus with Matthew and 2 of the staff. I have also been on holiday to Barcelona, where I saw all the sites and went to a theme park called Port Aventura and went on a really fast rollercoaster, and Disneyland Paris twice, where I loved the rollercoasters and the whole Disney experience. I have also been on short breaks in Liverpool and Sheffield where I went to an indoor adventure park and did ziplining and abseiling. As you can tell I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie! I am currently saving up to go to New York as it has always been a dream of mine to take a bite out of the Big Apple, to wake up in the city that never sleeps and to see a Broadway show.
I have also been on loads of days out including going to Bruges to eat lots of Belgian chocolate, I have done Go-Ape where I swung through the trees like Tarzan, I saw the magic of the movies at the Harry Potter studio Tour, I have driven a boat on the Norfolk Broads, raced my friends on a Go-Kart and been to see the animals at Monkey World Zoo. I love going to the theatre to watch shows and have done this both locally in King’s Lynn and Norwich as well as going to London to see Wicked, The Lion King and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have also seen several shows at The O2 and one time when I went to The O2 I even walked over the top of it before going to see The Impractical Jokers. I have also been on the London Eye and to the London Dungeons. As you already know I love movies, my favourites are Star Wars and the Marvel and DC comic’s movies. I have been to exhibitions for these movies where I got to see costumes, props and vehicles etc from the films. At one Star Wars exhibition I even got to create my own character which I called Chewie Deano!
Anyway, this is my story so far, I hope to do lots more exciting things in the future with the support of Hilton Care and the staff. I hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about me and the things that I like. As you can see Hilton Care and the staff have supported me to do so much as well as supporting me day-to-day and helping me to gain more confidence and become more independent.