Community Comment
“My name is Brenton Cook. I am autistic and I have been working at Cossington Park for the past 3 years, helping prepare the accommodation for guests. This is my first job.
When I started, I was nervous ... and excited! Although I was familiar with the village and the house, I was not familiar with the work that goes on behind the scenes.
I was nervous about doing well and being a valued asset to the team. My worries couldn’t have been more misplaced. The staff are very kind, as well as supportive and encouraging of my work and studies.
I started at Cossington helping with cleaning. This year, I’ve also been helping restore historic items for display in the house.
Over the years, my time at Cossington has helped me immensely with my social skills. I now interact a lot more with everyone. When I started, I was quite quiet, and kept to myself a lot.
Everyone at work is very supportive of my college work. When I was in my second year, everyone came to see my art show.
The theme was “Journeys and Experiences”. I chose to produce a Paper Theatre, which detailed my journey through a holiday in Venice, and my life in general.
The arch was inspired by the arches at Saint Mark’s cathedral. The Pegasus and the dragon represent the legendary myths and legends. On the whole it represents my own struggles, with life, and how I persevere through it.
Much like the Pegasus perseveres through its fight with the dragon. The inside (the background in the piece) shows the inside of my mind and the mixing of cultures. My Italian side is the one that’s the most poignant, that is why there are Italian funeral trees to the left and orange trees to the right.
In addition to the help Cossington has provided me over the last two years, it continues to be a source of great inspiration to me. Last year I was able to use my restoration work towards my work experience. I also plan to use as a basis for my next college piece.”
All our best and love
Ross Fraser and Jeni Dern
Words – Brenton Cook
Graphic Design App – Canva
In association with Service Graphics and The Aberdeen Bridge Club.
Today’s post is a community comment from Brenton Cook, who is an employee at Cossington Park (which was the location for day 3 of our advent calendar). He is talking about his experiences in work, and how he is using his life as inspiration for his college studies.