autismcornwall

‘Difficult behaviours are messages which can tell us important things about a person and the quality of his or her life’ David Pitonyak Building on the success of their first in-house behaviour analyst, Green Light recently appointed a second behaviour analyst to help understand these messages and the support needed for a decent quality of life.

Stephen Buckley, who grew up in County Cork and studied an MSc in Applied Behaviour Science at Trinity College in Dublin, is working alongside Tizard Centre trained behaviour analyst, Ioanna Konstantinidou to create tailored programmes of support for individuals with autism and other conditions increasing the risk of the person displaying ‘challenging behaviour.’ Behaviour that is detrimental to their safety or ability to have a decent quality of life.



Green Light’s director, Jo Pyrah said “Many of the people that we support have long histories of being failed or let down by services. More often than not, this is due to people failing t…

Ex-service personnel looking for a new career are ideally suited to the care industry, says Marcel Ballinger, a former Royal Marine who recently joined Green Light. He’s no stranger to danger having spent 15 years with various units touring countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Sierra Leone. “People think that ex-military personnel are cold and hard-faced but I’m very passionate and caring. War operations are not just about fighting it’s about winning the hearts and minds of the local communities and finding commonality and building trust.”
Marcel left 30 Commando RM Plymouth in 2012 and was working as a bodyguard for the British Embassy in Baghdad when a chance encounter with a spider saw him return home to Cornwall for good. “I was bitten on the ankle and ended up in the American hospital. It was touch and go for a while as the poison spread through my leg. They threatened to amputate but thankfully I made a full recovery, it made me realise what was important in my life, my son…

Kerry & Sarah congratulating Calum on his recent appointment as Deputy Manager at Springfield House in Perrancoombe.
Springfield House, the latest home to be opened by Green Light, is currently home to two young men, with a third young man hoping to move in early next year.  Supported by a team of 12 plus staff it’s a busy household nestled in the picturesque Perrancoombe Valley on the outskirts of the popular beach resort of Perranporth.  
Calum Rollo joins the team as Deputy Manager. It’s a varied role and one that Calum is excited to have taken on: “My aim will be to maintain the great team spirit and morale amongst the team.  Having worked as a support worker at another Green Light home, The Pines, helps me relate to the team.  It’s good for them to know that I can do the job.  There was a great mix of skills at The Pines. Everyone had different needs that took patience and a flexible approach.  We used to walk on the coastal paths and we visited a theme park. For one young man …

Behaviour Expert Joins Autism Care Team in Cornwall

L-R Green Light’s head of recruitment, Sarah Miller, Ioanna Konstantinidou and Green Light’s managing director, Jo Pyrah.
Cornish care company, Green Light PBS Ltd has welcomed a behaviour analyst, Ioanna (Yianna) Konstantinidou to its team in Newquay. Her key aims are to provide bespoke training for Green Light’s support teams working with adults who have autism, some of whom may present with challenging behaviours. Initially, she will be involved in training new employees for three new family-sized homes which are due to open in Perranporth, Redruth and Camborne.
Ioanna trained in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to Masters level at the internationally regarded University of Kent School for Learning Disabilities; The Tizard Centre and is the first ABA practitioner registered with the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board to be based in the county.
The company, which employs more than 200 people and runs 14 fa…

Green Light PBS Ltd is proud of its dynamic workforce from a record beating kayaker, musicians, jewellery designers and marathon runners.  Geno Crawford, a father of three and a support worker based at The Pines in Carharrack, started pounding the streets to shed some excess timber, as he put it taking part in his first race last year.



The Roseland August Trail (RAT race) starts at St Anthony Point, St Mawes and finishes at Porthpean, St Austell, and is  a gruelling 32 miles that took Geno 10 hours to complete. “My second run was the Exmoor Stagger which was 16 miles over Dunkery Beacon - the highest point on Exmoor in Somerset,  which I did it in 3hrs 50 mins. This was the most challenging run due to the 3,600 meters of climbing hills in extreme conditions. I twisted my ankle 10 miles in and was being sick because of the pain. I pushed on through the last 6 miles and ended up being severely dehydrated due to being sick. My game plan went out of the window and I really struggled. But b…

A self-proclaimed film nut who loves nothing better than to sink into his sofa and enjoy action movies, Nathan swapped the comfort of his living room for the gruelling Tuff-Enuff ‘Urban Survivor’ obstacle course and SURVIVED! He ran the 8km Urban Survivor in Falmouth with Green Light’s support worker, Rob Peerman, a former lifeguard. The pair took one hour forty minutes to complete the course saying it was “fast and furious” and a real test of their endurance. It was the first time that the teenager had taken part in the course which was designed by military athletes to test competitors’ strength, stamina, fitness and nerve! Rob (L) & Nathan ready for action on the start line of the ‘Urban Survivor’.
“It was freezing,” said Rob, “I was so proud of Nathan for sticking it out. It was a massive challenge and a really positive experience.” Speaking after the event Nathan said the icy cold, muddy waters were off-putting but he was ‘up for it’, adding: “It was good fun and I don’t mind doin…

“People warned me that no one would take me seriously if I changed my name, but it’s been awesome. Far from damaging my career it’s helped. It’s memorable and people often question it. It’s a great way to be introduced.” Named after the A.A.Milne character, renowned for his boisterous and exuberant ways, Tigger is a people person bursting with energy whose main business is to improve the way that people communicate with one another.Tigger changed his name 19 years ago while he was working as a Duke of Edinburgh leader in Cornwall. “I was handed a Winnie the Pooh mascot. The kids told me that I was more like Tigger and the name stuck. PR wise it’s been the best thing I've done.”

Tigger during a visit to Green Light.

Having started out as a support worker for people with a learning disability, Tigger was encouraged to learn sign language and is now celebrating 25 years as a Makaton tutor in the South West: “I’m extremely proud, I must have taught thousands of people across the region.…