3rd June 2026
Making the most of “My Support Money”
Though living in separate flats, George and Stewart – not their real names or images – are friends who pool parts of their support money to reduce costs overall and get the absolute most from their Individual Support Fund (ISF.)
They manage their joint weekly diary with their support team, they cook for each other, they share transport and they even share football tickets.
For George and Stewart, independent living includes flexible week-to-week planning of their support money.
But it wasn’t always like this:
Come Dine with Me
There was a time when George, Stewart along with another person we support, Oscar, all excelled at the fine art of solitary dining.
Each cooked for one, eating alone.
Then one day, with a gentle nudge from their support workers, they decided to change this habit and instead go on a cooking adventure.
They called it…Come Dine With Me…
If you’ve ever watched the popular TV cooking programme, the idea will be familiar. Each gentleman takes turns whipping up dinner while the others give their review of it.
And what began as a once-a-week experiment quickly developed into a full-blown nightly tradition.
Their manager takes up the story:
Menu planning has become a group sport for all three of them. This makes everyone happy – or at least willing to speak up if they’re not.
Along the journey, they’ve discovered hidden cooking talents and fully embraced the slow cooker – a life-saver when Oscar’s four hours of weekly support are already stretched thinner than one of their pancakes!
George and Stewart’s support manager
More than a meal
Dinners are more than meals – they’re an occasion. The gentlemen share stories about their days and their work (two of them put in shifts at a local hospice shop).
This communal dining set up has really made a difference, bringing three friends together at the dining table. Even if they sometimes do laugh about each other’s burnt food offerings!
And none of this would have been possible without the flexibility and choice offered by an Individual Support Fund. Find out more.
“It goes to show that food really does bring people together.
Manager