Throughout our 25th anniversary celebrations, we're catching up with members of Prior's Court's alumni, seeing how they are doing now and their families' memories of Prior's Court.

This post focuses on Peter who was at Prior's Court from 2009 to 2020.

Where is Peter now?

Like many Prior's Court alumni, Linden Farm, Alfold, Surrey.

How is Peter now?

"Peter lives with other young adults some of whom are also ex- Prior's Court students. He is healthy, and active and accesses varied community activities every week.  

"He still enjoys holidays with his family - the big trips this year were to New Zealand (to see his brother Matthew - yes Peter amazed us by the way he managed better than we did the 2X11 hour flights and the intervening airport waits in both directions!!) and we have just returned from a week in Corfu."

"He volunteers in a bakery (Jubylee Bakes) and at the Guildford Spectrum bowling alley and at a local children's nursery where he completed various jobs successfully. He attends a full day of activities in Chichester each week with a group of young adults with additional needs.  He works on the Linden Farm Allotment.

"His leisure activities include horse riding, rock climbing and he has recently joined a swimming club. He also attends Artventure and some of his art work has been displayed in local art exhibitions and even sold!"

What are your memories of Prior's Court as a family?

"When Peter arrived at Prior's Court his placement in a local school for autistic young people had broken down as Peter's behaviour was considered too challenging due to his heightened anxiety.  

"We remember being very nervous about Peter moving further away from us but we were very quickly reassured by the professionalism and care that the Prior's Court staff displayed.  

"What we noticed first of all was that we were communicated with honestly and respectfully for the first time in many years and instead of endless letters and calls complaining about Peter's behaviour there was a change of emphasis. The negative messages complaining about Peter stopped and instead the Prior's Court staff would tell us what went wrong and then talk us through their plan of action - they didn't blame Peter for his anxiety and accuse him of being out of control - instead, they analysed what had happened and looked to see how they could handle things better in the future for everyone's benefit. This careful planning and proactive and positive response to even the most difficult and challenging days soon started to see results.  

"By exercising their patience and expertise they turned Peter around from a child who seemed to be terrorised by life to someone who, by the time he left Prior's Court, could generally on most days enjoy life and tackle new and varied activities -  many of which he is still enjoying today.  

"We felt we had people working with us and Peter, who believed in Peter and actually liked him too!  They noticed and celebrated the small and not-so-small achievements. Our whole family benefitted and our lovely, sensitive, affectionate son who thrived on praise and a sense of security started to emerge again.  He learnt to wait in a queue, to eat at restaurants, to work with a schedule to lessen his anxiety and he formed the most amazing relationships with the Prior's Court staff - and some of those relationships are still special to him today.

"He left Robin Cottage a completely different person and we will always be grateful to Prior's Court and each staff member who nurtured him and helped him and us.  

"It was a difficult day when he left Prior's Court.

"The last few years have not been completely straightforward but we know the foundations have been laid for Peter to live his adult life well. Peter keeps surprising us and we've learnt from Prior's Court to cherish and celebrate each moment.

"One such occasion was his 30th birthday party last year - Peter beamed his way through it and delighted in a room full of his favourite people, his favourite foods and music and a room decorated with his kites. The evening was made very special by the presence of  Clare Maxwell (his house manager at Prior's Court) representing the important and invaluable role Prior's Court has played in his life's story."

Read more on our 25th anniversary blog