As we mark Activities Co-Ordinators Week, we spoke with Jamie Devine who shared his experiences of working in the role at Victoria Gardens, a North West Elysium service, and the impact it’s had on the people we support and himself.
“I joined Elysium in 2020 as a Healthcare Assistant. I was working on one ward and I found that one of my key skills was supporting people to be motivated, getting people out and about and organising things.
“One particular person really sticks in my mind. We were supporting a young teenager with significant gang involvement and he was having lots of incidents. So I tried to work with him in a really positive and alternative way, getting him out into the fresh air, to the park, playing football, boxing and just helping him expend his energy. It had a really positive impact and the incidents he experienced reduced.
“At the time, there was no individual ‘role’ that focused on activities, but I was offered one of Social Activities Co-Ordinator, and I thought I would give it a go. My focus was – and remains always – on creating a therapeutic and meaningful choice of things for people to choose, centred on what people actually want to do, and what they enjoy.
“I work alongside people to create sessions in advance, always asking what they would like to do. I link with their families and carers. I focus on what people’s interests are and we build from there.
“Those interests are so varied; fishing, metal detecting, football, walking, shopping, bowls in the park, environmental work. It’s about what people want to do and what interests them – not everyone wants to go listen to a musician or go to a museum. We try to offer what they would like to do.
“Sometimes that might just be heading out for a walk first thing and grabbing a cup of tea on the way back, right through to multi-site football tournaments!
“The end goal is to help people get back out there, do things they enjoy, build confidence and have an improved quality of life. And my role is helping to build that pathway so they can do that.
“As well as having a positive impact on the people we support, this role is just so enjoyable. I have learned so many skills that I can apply elsewhere and have helped me take my career forward, too. It’s so varied! Seeing people’s health improve is so rewarding.”
Learn more about Activities Co-Ordinators Week 2026 here.