ADULTS with learning disabilities have ended this year on a high after coronavirus halted their plans for much of the year.

Fortune Works at the Enable Glasgow centre supports 118 adults with a learning disability from across the city to engage in meaningful work – but like many other vital support settings the Drumchapel-based social enterprise was forced to adapt during the pandemic.

Now up and running at almost full capacity, service users are hoping things can get back to normal soon but fears around new variants are still creating uncertainty.

Fortune Works staff managed to offer virtual support to service users with daily welfare calls and Zoom groups but nothing beats face to face interaction for those who rely on the service.

One such person is Sally Elfverson who has been attending Fortune Works for the last 28 years, she said she hopes the centre can stay open as Omicron continues to boom.

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow Times:

“The first lockdown was really hard. I was in Dundee with my sister but the staff from Fortune Works called me every day to check on me,” the 55-year-old said.

“But I really missed the centre and all my friends, it gives me somewhere to go and keeps me busy and I feel like I’m contributing by working.”

It’s not all work though, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative and learn new skills.

Sally added: “My favourite thing to do is to make things, so the crafting groups are my favourite. I also like going out and working in the garden centre as I have my gardening certificates.

“The staff let you try lots of different things and help you learn new skills.

“There are lots of younger people coming to Fortune Works now which is nice, it’s good that us people who have been here a while can help them settle in.”

Throughout the pandemic staff have worked tirelessly to make sure service users were not left feeling isolated.

Many of the sessions offered in the service, such as Zumba or knitting, were quickly transferred online, with service users taking part via Zoom with the help of their carers.

William McNee who has been attending Fortune Works for the last few years said the centre gives him and others a purpose.

The 33-year-old said: “Fortune Works is great because it gets people working and involved in loads of different things. I go out gardening and do things like cutting grass. I also really like getting involved in contract work.”

Now that service users are back in the building, the focus has returned to completing contact work for clients, such as Avec, William Johnston’s and McAlpines.

Fortune Works operations manager David Campbell heaped praise on staff who went above and beyond to help support service users during the pandemic.

READ MORE: TikTok star and podcast host raise £2500 for Glasgow homeless charity with sleep out

He said: “I can’t stress enough how quickly staff reacted to what was a very trying time for everyone.

They quickly adapted classes and sessions to make them work online to ensure service users were not missing out and to help reduce any feelings of isolation.

“Staff also reached out to service users individually to make sure they had everything they needed and made sure they were being supported properly at home. I want to say a huge thank you to them for their efforts throughout that period.

“I’d also really like to thank all of our volunteers and carers as well as

HSCP and other partner agencies who supported us through the lockdown period.”

He added: “We are unique in Glasgow in that we are a social enterprise. 

“Our service users carry out collation, light engineering and packaging for a range of businesses. 

“The work is meaningful and provides opportunities for our service users to learn and develop new skills, as well as contributing economically to their community.”

Fortune Works also has a garden centre which is open to the public five days a week and sells crafts made by service users. 

It’s operated and maintained by service users, who also carry out private gardening work such as grass cutting and hedge trimming at various sites.

Most recently, it helped take part in the highly anticipated and long-awaited Growchapel project.

The scheme was the brainchild of local police officers who noticed a spike in mental health related calls across Drumchapel.

It was hoped an allotment garden would help those struggling with issues, such as mental health or addiction, find something else to focus on.

David said: “Our Growing Together project focuses on gardening and all the therapeutic benefits it provides. 

“Being outside in nature has proven to reduce anxiety and improve health outcomes, which are unacceptably low for people with a learning disability.

“We are involved in the community garden at Growchapel where we hope to grow our own vegetables and produce, again, with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyle choices.”

Fortune Works, formerly the Thomas Fortune Centre, was founded in 1960 and supports people with a learning disability to make valuable economic contribution to the wider community through meaningful work.

It is part of Enable Glasgow which also runs two supported living centres in the city supporting people with disabilities.

To find out more about the services it offers visit the group’s website.