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Choice Support 40 years on
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To mark our 40th anniversary, we took a trip down memory lane and shared milestones and significant events from Choice Support’s history.
We shared these posts across our social media to show how much we have grown, and how much has changed since we were founded in 1984. At this time, we were part of the movement to help people with learning disabilities leave large, long-stay hospitals and live back in communities.
40 years is a long time. Our name changed from Southwark Consortium to Choice Support, and we have grown to an organisation supporting almost 2000 people and employing 2600 colleagues. In 2010, we were the first UK organisation to change a £6 million contract into individual budgets.
We have also overseen numerous mergers with other charities through the years, including: ONIS, the Blue River Project, the Lady Verdin Trust, Signature, Roy Kinnear Charitable Foundation, mcch, Burgess Autistic Trust, Byways, DGSM Your Choice, Autism London and the latest completed this year with Three Cs.
However, one thing that has not changed is our values; we care, we respect, we learn, we lead. And, after 40 years our purpose remains the same: creating opportunities for happiness for the people we support"
Mark Ferry, Choice Support’s Deputy Chief Executive, said: “I have worked with Choice Support for a quarter of a century and have seen us evolve and adapt to every challenge, so that we continue to deliver high quality, personalised services, to the people we support. This is thanks to the hard work and commitment of our skilled colleagues.
“I feel very proud to be associated with our achievements over the last 40 years. 2025 is an exciting time for us, with a new Chair, Jayne Kilgallen, and new Chief Executive. There’s also the roll out of our digital transformation programme, work to support more people to develop meaningful friendships and relationships, and our continued work to improve diversity and inclusion.
“The future will inevitably bring challenges, but also opportunities. Whatever it holds, I know that we will succeed thanks to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues, and that we will continue to keep the people we support at the centre of everything we do.”
Happy 40th Choice Support
As Choice Support celebrates our 40th anniversary, CEO Sarah Maguire looks back on our pursuit of happiness and independence for all.
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