Vision Products doesn’t only offer a lifeline to the elderly and disabled throughout the County Borough through their direct services – but provide new careers, brighter futures and plenty of support for their specialist workforce too.
That’s why brave duo Ian Edmunds and Carl May consider themselves lucky to work for such understanding employees, while also having the full support and companionship of their fellow workers.
For Ian and Carl, the ability to work side-by-side in the award-winning Rhondda Cynon Taf Council business also means they receive one another’s encouragement and understanding through the traumatic illnesses they’ve suffered.
Both Ian, a 51-year-old from Glyncoch and Carl, aged 38 of Trealaw have undergone life-saving kidney transplants. And thanks to Vision Products, they are able to maintain their jobs and security despite long periods of ill health and hospitalisation.
Vision Products, based at Coedcae Lane in Pontyclun, take referrals from a variety of employment agencies who are experienced in finding work placements for people with disabilities and ill health. It makes available placements for voluntary, work experience and even paid positions through the business.
Vision Products delivers a range of services to the community including refurbishing and offering living aides such as wheelchairs, hoists and adapted furniture; a Telecare independent living scheme that sees sensors installed in homes to monitor activity and enable people to live in their own homes for longer; and a successful UPVc windows and doors company that offers homes and businesses across the county high-quality windows and doors, complete with installation and a 10-year guarantee.
Carl May, of Ynyscynon Road in Trealaw, first became ill when he was just 18 years of age and spent several years on kidney dialysis before being told that a transplant was his only option. While working for a printing firm in the Rhondda he was forced to take long-term sick leave and eventually was made unemployed.
“I was reliant on benefits and sick pay but was desperate to get back into work,” explained Carl, a supervisor on the UPVc windows and doors section of the Council company.
“I was told of Vision Products and applied for a job on a Friday afternoon. By the Monday I underwent an interview and a job was offered to me as a driver. Things have just progressed from there.
”I underwent the transplant 15 years ago and as you can imagine it takes a long time to recover from surgery of that type. But Vision Products was so understanding, unlike any other employer would be.”
For his workmate Ian Edmunds, better known as “Sam” of Garth Avenue, Glyncoch, the story is very similar to him. While working as a postman for the Royal Mail he suffered a heart attack aged just 36 and it lead to kidney failure and eventually a life of sickness benefits and treatment.
”I was on dialysis for three years and my wife was trained to nurse me at home. Being on dialysis totally takes over your life because you need to plan ahead for everything. It also made finding long-term work impossible because there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t be ill or admitted to hospital for lengthy periods,” explained the father-of-three.
“Gaining a position in Vision Products was life-changing for me. I had a employees who were so flexible and supportive I couldn’t believe it. No other employee would have allowed me so much time to recover and make such frequent hospital visits. It also meant that I was able to talk openly with Carl who’d gone through exactly the same thing.”
Ian has worked his way up the career ladder at Vision Products to reach the level of Quality Inspector. He underwent his kidney transplant just over a year ago and has made rapid progress ever since. They both agreed that the support of the workforce and management has helped them along with their own recovery.
“The management are superb and they all support us second to none. I had to take five months off work for the transplant and was back and forth to the hospital several times a week at first,” Ian added.
“But the support mechanism in Vision Products, just by being in work with one another, really helped pull us through.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Performance, Human Resources & Housing Cllr Clayton Willis said: “Vision Products is an exemplar in its field and I’m always impressed by their incredible success story in not only providing employment opportunities for individuals who may otherwise not find long-term work, but also in their continued economic growth.
“Clearly Vision Products has helped Ian and Carl every step of the way and I’m sure their fellow workers will also have overcome adversity and are now enjoying full-time employment there, will recognise their stories.
”The company continues to go from strength to strength and I look forward to hearing of their continued success both as an employer and as a successful business in their own right.”
For further details, contact Vision Products on: 01443 229988 or visit www.visionproducts.org.uk
