Photograph of Mandy Clarke teaching Mandy Wiseman to sign

History of United Response

The story of United Response began when Su Sayer and Erwin Klinge met in 1972.

Su was a science graduate working at ICI. Erwin was a successful businessman who had established twelve international charities during the fifties and sixties.

The early days

Inspired by Erwin’s energy, values and charitable commitment, Su became involved with his organisation and went on a life-changing mission to Brazil to work with disadvantaged people . The work she began there continues today.

On Su’s return to England she met Susan Evershed, who had a son with learning disabilities. Mrs Evershed wanted passionately to help others with learning disabilities to live fuller lives. A widow, she had been left a house – the Old Rectory – in her husband’s will – and decided to donate half the value of the house to this cause.

At this time, more than 50,000 people with learning disabilities were isolated in long-term institutions (with a greater number still incarcerated with mental health problems) and Mrs Evershed passionately believed such people would thrive in more independent, less impersonal circumstances. She also knew that too many people with learning disabilities were geographically distant from their families, and believed the Old Rectory could provide a new home to enable local people with learning disabilities to remain close to their families.

Susan Evershed believed Su Sayer had the passion and the determination to make this happen.

The field of learning disability was new to Su and so she spent time with other learning disability charities. She discovered the awful limitations of the lives of many people with learning disabilities, as well as the prejudices of society.  And Erwin Klinge established the loan which made the first United Response home possible and would remain a committed and generous benefactor.

Setting up

There were hurdles to overcome – finding the right managers, getting planning permission to change the use of the Old Rectory, winning over locals worried about these new neighbours – but with persistence and belief, United Response’s first home opened in autumn 1973, soon growing to house 12 residents and eight staff. The opening was an enormous group effort, with Community Service Volunteers and teachers on a gap year joining the team to help prepare and run the home for its new residents.

From the beginning, the home was different from other services for people with learning disabilities. Under the inspirational management of Allan and Phyllis Redgrave, individuality was recognised and everyone contributed in their own way. A real family spirit developed, with birthday parties, festivals, carol singing and regular events in the neighbourhood – a forerunner of care in the community, years before that phrase was coined.

Thirty four years later

United Response is now a major national charity which works with more than 1,500 people with learning disabilities or mental health needs at any one time. It employs 2,000 people and regularly wins awards for its creative and passionate approach, key elements that have been core to its philosophy from the earlier beginnings.

Milestones

Along the way have been thousands of milestones, both for United Response as charity and for the thousands of people it has worked with. Here is a selection: