Campaign to Support Small Charities
Small Fish - Big Pond....Help Us Help Them
#DonateLocal
Over the past year Covid has had a detrimental impact on many day services and social enterprises that support adults who have a learning disability. This has been especially keenly felt by small local charities.
At Jennyruth Workshops, we are running a national campaign to highlight how small independent charities across the country often get overlooked in favour of bigger national charities and how important it is that sponsorship/support/donations reach grass roots level where it is very much needed and makes a massive difference.
Below are a list of small charities who support adults who have learning disabilities. As more groups join our campaign, we will add them to the list below.
Artizan International
Harrogate, UK
People with disabilities in the UK and the developing world are often extremely socially isolated, have reduced access to education and are often excluded from employment. They have skills, talents and abilities and just want to be given the same opportunities as everyone else to shine. That's what we're about. Our mission is to enable, empower and support differently-able people to reach their full potential through therapeutic crafts workshops, high-quality training and social enterprises that transform lives.
Jennyruth Workshops
Ripon HG4, UK
Welcome to Jennyruth Workshops, where adults who have learning disabilities gain confidence, independence, work and life skills. It is a vibrant and engaging workplace where workers from Ripon and surrounding areas are trained in a wide variety of skills.
We design and make a range of handcrafted gifts and products for all the family. We are also proud of our bespoke products which are tailor made to our customers’ specifications.
As well as producing and selling high quality products, our workers are trained in numeracy, literacy, computers and communication skills through a rolling programme of assessment and evaluation.
Our aim is to bring self-awareness, pride, dignity and self-confidence to the workers and to help develop their potential for participation and employment in the community.
Leep 1
Unit 14, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS7 1AB, UK
We are a self-advocacy group that enables learning disabled adults to be in control of their own organisation with activities, tailored for them. This includes help to develop social, health, employment and educational skills.
Some of our members asked to learn literacy skills so we set up a group. There wasn't a club night in Leeds for disabled adults so we organised a monthly evening in Pryzm, Leeds city centre with 200 attendees. Some members were victims of mate/hate crimes so we now campaign in schools. Members wanted more employment opportunities so Café Leep an accredited NVQ training café was set up in 2015.
We set up an online group on Facebook on March 17th 2020 due to lockdown to continue the delivery of our services which grew rapidly to 350+ members.
Without the online group some of our members said they would not have coped through lockdown. One said she was self-harming and it helped her through some tough times.
On our page we run yoga, keep fit, digital inclusion, food safety, singing, BSL, drama, cooking, live DJ’s and Friendship Group on an evening and is open to anyone with a learning disability.
Paperworks
Hookstone Ave, Harrogate HG2 8ER, UK
Paperworks is a Social Enterprise, this just means we are a business but primarily aimed at delivering a social benefit, whilst relying on trading income for financial support.
Our main aim is to provide work preparation training and support to adults with learning, physical and mental health-related disabilities. This includes basic work skills, as well as other more specific skills vital in the workplace.
We also support trainees (and their employer) in work placements within other organisations. To find out more about our training services click here.
Our method of providing this training is based around the whole organisation very much functioning as a business and treating trainees in a similar way to employees.
The basis for our business is based around print and print finishing. We have also developed services such as mailing services, stock holding, pick pack and despatch, and assembly of items such as information packs and customer product ready for despatch. To find out more about our business services click here.
Through all of the things, we do we try to balance the social and enterprise aspects of what we do, ensuring we create a supportive working environment with plenty of variety and challenges. This builds the experience and confidence our trainees need to help them towards work and contributes to the enjoyable experience of work that motivates them. It also makes Paperworks a great place to work.
The Fifth Trust
Greenbank/Green Hills, Barham, Canterbury CT4 6LE, UK
The Fifth Trust is a Kent-based charity supporting adults with learning disabilities. On our two sites in the beautiful Elham Valley, and online, we offer a wide range of day care sessions, from catering and horticulture to pottery and photography, and our 140+ students also have the opportunity to work in our social enterprises - a café, garden centre, vineyard and carpentry workshop. Our focus is on helping our students to strengthen their life skills, building their confidence and independence so they can make their own choices, large or small.
