'We have shared our home with strangers for 27 years'

In the sunlit conservatory at the Garnetts' house, afternoon tea is in full flow.

The four residents are recounting the good times - a trip to London for ABBA Voyage, Sunday lunches at the rugby club, and mishaps while decorating the Christmas tree.

But this is not your standard family of four.

Over the last 27 years, Kym and Roger Garnett have welcomed 38 people into their quiet Banbury home under Oxfordshire County Council's Shared Lives scheme.

It sees paid carers supporting adults with additional needs, like autism or learning disabilities, and helping them to gain independence in the setting of a family home.

Those people include Sarah Hopwood - currently munching a bakewell tart - and Phil Law - cracking a somewhat cheesy joke.

The pair of them have been calling the Garnetts' house home for at least a couple of years, and the experience has changed their lives.

"I was put where the council put me. I never had a home of my own," Phil says of the time before he joined Shared Lives.

"Everywhere I went it was hard - ugly and not nice. Even with my parents, when they were alive, I was beaten up, smashed, destroyed.

"But now I live with Roger and Kym, they have turned my life around. And I am grateful for them."

Sarah struggled with using public transport before she came to the Garnetts two years ago, which meant she was isolated and dependent on getting lifts.

Now she is not only able to get around on the bus but she has even landed herself a job.

"I have come on leaps and bounds since I have been here," she says.

"I am more independent and more confident now.

"Kym and Roger have been really supportive."

That support ranges from help with finances and appointments to everyday tasks like setting the washing machine.

And though the Garnetts earn money through the Shared Lives scheme, they are not motivated by the wage.

"For us it is a way of life," says Kym.

"I personally like to see them grow and be able to blend in with society.

"We had one client who used to be so shy, and we supported him from hiding away being isolated in a big farmhouse, to be able to actually sit and chat with our friends and our family when they come round."

"You make friends with them as well," adds Roger, "one of the original ones still has contact with us."

And yet the couple know that for all the people they have helped, there are always more who would benefit from a home like theirs.

Sally Ellis from Oxfordshire County Council said: "We are always looking for more Shared Lives carers so if anyone is thinking 'I could possibly do this', we would love to hear from them."

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