Looking back at Carr Gomm’s incredible 2025!

Breaking down barriers with the inaugural Forth Valley Sports Festival.

This summer, the inaugural Forth Valley Sports Day took place at The Peak in Stirling. The event provided people supported by Carr Gomm with the opportunity to try something new, offering an amazing range of accessible sports and activities.

John, who attended the festival, said, “It was good to see that they catered to people with mental health problems and learning disabilities – and they were actually participating.”

The Forth Valley Sports Festival was a huge success, with one participant even deciding to join their local rugby club!

Celebrating Burns Night in Dunoon

People we support across Scotland enjoyed great days out at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Edinburgh in August is unlike anywhere else, and people we support wanted to get in on the action!

Sean, Alan, Hope, Donna and Sara all enjoyed amazing days out in the city, soaking in the atmosphere and seeing truly incredible shows. Each day was tailored to their individual loves and interests to make every day special!

Making an impact at the COSLA Conference 2025

We embraced the opportunity to showcase our impact in communities across Scotland. Through our exhibition stall and our conversations with delegates, we demonstrated our ability and willingness to be solution-focused. By highlighting our Responder and Mental Health Pathways services and our approach to providing support that enables people to ‘Come Home’ to their communities, we celebrated our ability to work creatively to develop and deliver innovative community-based social care services.

MSP Jenni Minto Visits Community Contacts

Sector Leaders Urge First Minister to Act on Rising Costs Threatening Social Care

Carr Gomm joined five other major social care charities in writing to the First Minister, urging the Scottish Government to take immediate action on the rising costs threatening Social Care caused by the increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions (eNIC).

Andrew Thomson announced as the new Carr Gomm CEO

Carr Gomm is delighted to announce that Andrew Thomson has been appointed as our new Chief Executive, taking up the role on 1 September 2025 following Lucy Wren’s departure after many extraordinary years of leadership.

As our Deputy Chief Executive, Andrew has been at the heart of Carr Gomm for many years, working closely with teams across Scotland and bringing a deep understanding of our values, vision, and ambitions. His leadership has been shaped by our shared purpose: to deliver bold, person-centred support for people and communities in a complex and changing world.

Stephanie’s Journey: Building a Career in Social Care with Carr Gomm

Daniel’s Career Story as a Relief Support Practitioner

When Daniel joined Carr Gomm as a Relief Support Practitioner, he had no experience in the sector, but the positive experiences he had and his wonderful colleagues inspired him to further his education and continue to develop and improve as a Support Practitioner.
“Prior to Carr Gomm, I didn’t have any experience working in the care sector, but I found almost immediately that the people we work with were dead open about sharing what they know about the business and how best to care for people and then two years later, I decided that I wanted to take that further.” Daniel, Relief Support Practitioner

Leanne looks back on her experience, takeaways and learnings from the EASPD Conference in Turin, Italy

“Attending the EASPD conference in Turin this October was both inspiring and motivating, offering fresh perspectives on how we support individuals and families. The theme, “Empowering families, enabling self-determination: Rethinking support at every life stage,” aligns closely with our values at Carr Gomm, and it was a privilege to represent our organisation. For anyone working in social care, disability services, or community support, I highly recommend exploring EASPD’s work. The conference was a powerful reminder of the impact we can make when we learn, reflect, and collaborate.”
– Leanne, Global Ambassador

Katrina reflects on her time in Cologne as part of the EASPD art and culture study visit

“I’m so thankful to have been able to attend the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) study visit to Cologne last week through Carr Gomm’s International Collaborations project.

The trip was an amazing opportunity to connect with other participants from across Europe and to meet organisations in Cologne that advocate for people with disabilities in the arts. It was a truly inspiring experience. I loved hearing about these incredible organisations, connecting with the other participants, gaining valuable knowledge and experience to bring back to Carr Gomm.”

– Katrina, Global Ambassador