Why I love my job – William J Gallagher

There is such a happy atmosphere here at Randall Close. The
building is bright and cheerful, the people are happy and busy,
it’s buzzing.

I have been with Leonard Cheshire for more than seven years and
have worked all over London, originally as a day care worker in
Westminster, then a care manager in Hackney and now in Battersea. I
have a lot of respect for the charity.

At Randall Close I work with disabled people, and with people
with learning difficulties.

I also manage two semi-independent living units supporting young
disabled people to live as independently as possible.

The driving force that gets me into work in the morning is
seeing our clients. I need to be with them as much as they need to
know I’m there.

For me the real satisfaction that comes with my job is making a
difference, however clichŽd that sounds.

My colleagues here have a large role to play in why I love my
job so much. They are loyal, supportive and have great belief in my
vision for the centre. There is a great team dynamic here and the
focus is definitely on the client.

The most frustrating part of my job is acknowledging the
struggles disabled people face and not being in a position to do
more to support them. But the reality is people must live their own
lives and sometimes you have to step aside.

I’m very emotional. I get quite upset visiting service users in
hospital. What really moves me is seeing how disabled people
respond to tough situations with dignity.

In the future I would like to continue working with disabled
people but be based overseas.

My advice for new staff is to look around and imagine that any
one of the people who use our service is their brother, mother or
father. The trick is to not distance yourself from the people you
work for, and primarily to get to know the person, not the
disability.