Education & skills development

Cygnet Sherwood House makes full use of the Skills for Independent Living Programme, linked with the Adult and Community Learning Department of Sutton Community Academy. We also have community links with other vocational and educational service providers such as West Nottinghamshire College and volunteer work at food banks in the local area.

The residents at Cygnet Sherwood House have the opportunity to engage with Citizens Advice and have access to advocacy. We use the community links to complete assessments and identify goals and interventions needed in regard of community access. These can include; money management, social skills, travel awareness, road safety and possible educational/vocational needs. Onsite therapeutic earnings jobs are also on offer, which help service users understand the basic structures of responsibility and earning for themselves. Residents are able to maintain and improve skills such as; time management, punctuality, budgeting and physical skills.

Places of interest

Cygnet Sherwood House enjoys a fantastic location with access to a number of key areas that we use to help service users engage with the local community and to promote social inclusion. These include attractions such as; Rufford Park, Mansfield Town, Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park, local bowling and cinema facilities, sports centre and McArthur Glen shopping outlet.

We also provide a range of external trips that are further afield. These can include excursions to the coast, busy urban environments such as Lincoln and York as well as museums such as the National Space Centre. Residents are also encouraged to suggest and identify places of interest to the OT department and they take a key role in planning the excursion in detail. We provide activities to include service users’ religious needs where required and organise excursions to religious events.

Physical well-being

Within Cygnet Sherwood House we have access to an onsite fitness studio gym with a range of facilities. We always aim to improve physical fitness as part of a carefully considered therapy programme and promote the benefits of exercise to mental health such as boosting self-esteem and stabilising sleep patterns. Communication and co-operation skills are also observed and built on. As well as the on-site gym, Sherwood House provides other physical activities to improve health and well-being such as swimming, walking groups, cycling groups and entering teams in football tournaments.

Activities of interest

Cygnet Sherwood House provide a range of internal activities in order to improve Activities of Daily Living, communication and social skills, relationships and to observe current skills and to help provide a structured daily routine. These include supervised cooking sessions, computer sessions, arts and crafts, Tai Chi and creative writing, movie nights, coffee mornings and themed days are also regularly available.