Rory's story: path to better communication

Rory's story: path to better communication

Rory had been doing everything he could to balance work, day‑to‑day life, and his caring responsibilities for his young daughter, who has Down Syndrome. As time went on, the constant pressure became overwhelming. He knew he needed support, but taking time for himself felt unimaginable.

After connecting with the team at his local carers' centre, Rory was gently encouraged to consider applying for a Time to Live microgrant. The idea of taking a break felt impossible at first, he couldn’t picture stepping back from his caring role. However, after a few supportive conversations, he began to realise that looking after himself was part of being able to continue caring for his daughter.

During the first discussion about short breaks, Rory was still hesitant about taking time away. He mentioned something he had wanted to do for a long time - learn British Sign Language (BSL). His daughter uses BSL due to her speech and language impairment, and he had always hoped to learn it, but never had the time or capacity.

Together, they explored the idea of treating the BSL course as his break - something meaningful, helpful, and still giving him dedicated time to learn and focus on himself. This felt comfortable for him, and he agreed to apply.

Rory went on to complete the course and shared how transformative it was for him:

“My daughter uses BSL due to her speech and language impairment, and now I can communicate better with her. Each course gave me regular time that was allotted for me to learn and focus on something new.”

The microgrant didn’t just give Rory time for himself. It strengthened communication with his family, helped him build new connections, and reminded him that caring for himself is part of caring for his daughter.

Find out more about Time to Live here.