The future is looking bright for Megan. The walls of her new flat are covered in paint and material swatches as she ponders what colours to use to decorate and make it home. A home that, with the support of the team at Sunraye, she has been preparing herself for over the course of the last year.
Life changed dramatically for Megan when she was only 16. Following her parents’ separation she lived with her Dad who, after a short illness, tragically passed away. At that time she was living in the Orkney Islands in Scotland and, with no family left to support her, she had no choice but to move to Buckley in North Wales to live with her Nan.
Living in a one-bedroom flat was not ideal and Megan slept on the sofa for a number of months until her Nan was able to purchase a single bed for her. They lived together throughout the COVID pandemic and her Nan struggled to make ends meet supporting a teenager on a pension. Megan lived with her Nan for three years until she could no longer cope financially. It was then that Flintshire Council found a room for Megan in Sunraye.
Moving into Sunraye brought Megan mixed feelings. Although she finally had her own room and a safe place to live, she felt lonely and heavily displaced. It took some time for her to come to terms with the fact that she was alone for the first time in her life. The team at Sunraye surrounded Megan and made her feel welcome, encouraging her to take part in activities in the communal living space and to use the communal kitchen.
Megan had moved into Sunraye at the start of the summer holidays and so, to prevent her feeling isolated, they enrolled her into a group that ran craft activities and another that offered watersports activities that supported Megan with her mental health, personal wellbeing and social skills. Being autistic, this is something that Megan found particularly helpful.
One of the activities that she particularly enjoyed was a group for people to play Dungeons & Dragons. This really helped her to come out of her shell and she looked forward to the weekly sessions. This was a pivotal point in her life as it gave her a positive reason to leave the safety of Sunraye and to meet with people with similar interests.
The team at Sunraye built on this new found confidence and worked with Megan through the AIMS Skills Programme which is designed and written in conjunction with young people of a similar age and in a similar position to her. The programme focused on essential life skills to help her personal development, skills to stay safe and prepare her for independent living.
Megan has been in her own flat for six weeks now and, with the help of budgeting skills she developed at Sunraye, she is proud that she has managed her finances. Megan is excited to finally be in her own space and to be living independently. In September she hopes to begin a University course that will give her the skills and experience to work in the Games Industry.
Megan is very grateful for the year that she lived in Sunraye. She describes the year that she spent there as transformative and is very grateful for the opportunities that she was given and for the support and kindness that she was shown by staff.
