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Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve reached our £50,000 community fundraising target for the Amazing Days: Southwell Building Appeal!

We have completed on the purchase and now own our building in Prebend Passage, Southwell — securing Reach’s future in the heart of the community we love.

We've been blown away by the incredible support shown by local individuals, families, and organisations shown for Reach. With every donation matched by a generous local benefactor, we’ve raised an amazing £100,000 from our community.

Thanks to this momentum, we’ve also secured £148,000 from grantmakers and philanthropists — a fantastic achievement in such a short time. This success was made possible by the strength of community backing we could demonstrate. Thank you.

Every week, over 40 adults with learning disabilities enter through the doors of Reach Southwell to learn, grow, and connect. Your support means these amazing days will continue — not just today, but for generations to come. You’ve helped protect a safe, welcoming space where people gain essential life skills, build friendships, and experience the joy of belonging.

On behalf of everyone at Reach — and families like Sarah’s, whose sisters recently told us, “We couldn’t do without you” — thank you. You’ve made a lasting difference.

Reach Southwell is a vital hub, supporting 40 adults with learning disabilities each week. It’s a warm, welcoming space where people learn essential life skills, build friendships, and connect with the local community.

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Emma in cookery

Since 2015, we’ve leased this wonderful, accessible building in the heart of Southwell. Now, our long-term future in the town is at risk. Our much-loved building is up for sale, and if we don't buy it, we could ultimately lose it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We offer a wide range of courses and popular evening social, held weekly and monthly, are brimming with fun and friendship.

We need your support to ensure that people with learning disabilities in Southwell continue to have access to life-changing opportunities. By donating today, you can help us purchase our Southwell centre building and create a lasting legacy for future generations.

Please donate today and help us secure a future filled with amazing days in Southwell!

Reach Southwell is a vital hub, supporting 40 adults with learning disabilities each week. It’s a warm, welcoming space where people learn essential life skills, build friendships, and connect with the local community.

Since 2015, we’ve leased this wonderful, accessible building in the heart of Southwell. It features a spacious activity room, a training kitchen, private meeting areas, offices, and gardens. Its central location provides a safe base for adults with learning disabilities to explore the town and take part in a wide range of activities, including cookery courses, boccia, art, ‘Stretch & Sing’, ‘Out & About’, and ‘Our Town’ groups, as well as gardening, communication skills, and more. Our popular social events, held weekly and monthly, are brimming with fun and friendship.

We need your support to ensure that people with learning disabilities in Southwell continue to have access to life-changing opportunities. By donating today, you can help us purchase our Southwell centre building and create a lasting legacy for future generations.

Please donate today and help us secure a future filled with amazing days in Southwell!

Thanks to our supporters, we reached our Big Give Christmas Challenge target of £40,000. In just one week!

Donations made towards our Brighter Futures appeal through the Big Give Christmas Challenge were doubled, and so have double the impact too. Funds raised are helping our expert staff to offer life-skills and planning activities, support sessions for families and help with urgent challenges. Which means more people with learning disabilities and family carers can look forward to brighter futures and know where they’re going and how to get there.

Thank you - your gift will make a difference to the lives of local people with learning disabilities, today and tomorrow.

We'd like to say a big thank you to our charity champion Reed Foundation and to our pledgers including Southwell & District Lions and local individuals.

Our Let's Move appeal is aiming to raise £52,000 to empower adults with learning disabilities to lead happier, healthier and more active lives. Watch our film to find out more.

Thank you for helping us to keep making a difference

Having a centre building in Southwell makes services and support accessible to local people like Bex, Raif and Emma. 

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Bex

"My time at Reach is amazing…I look forward to seeing my friends” – Bex

“If we didn’t have a base in Southwell...Bex wouldn’t be able to attend any services because, living rurally, transport is always an issue and not everyone has a car…she comes to learn and develop new skills and to live a very full life. If she wasn’t able to come to Reach, there’d be a huge gap in her week.”

– Julie, Bex's mum

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Raif

"If Raif didn’t come to Reach we’d be struggling because he wouldn’t venture out of the house. He’s got a purpose to his life with Reach being in Southwell.

Because of Reach being where it is in Southwell, he is part of the community and that’s a big thing."

- Tracy and Richard, Raif's parents

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Emma

“Coming to Reach helps me with everyday life-skills...I need Reach to be in Southwell, because I will probably never learn how to drive. If I wasn’t with Reach I would probably be at home all day. Having Reach means a safe place for someone to go and there’s always staff here to help you.”

- Emma

Why Your Support Matters

Shaped around individual needs, our 10+ fun weekly courses, evening socials, and innovative projects enable people to make happier, healthier lives in their chosen community.  

Courses include fitness, cookery, art, gardening, community participation and lots more. Adults with learning disabilities also have opportunity to participate in innovative projects like our Voice & Participation Group and Safe Space Health Cafés.  

Family carers can access one-to-one and group support. They also of course benefit from vital respite and time to address their own employment and leisure needs.  

Local people benefit from quality volunteering and employment opportunities.   

Owning our Southwell building will: 

  • Ensure future generations of adults with learning disabilities have a place to learn and socialise, giving them and their families peace of mind. 
  • Remove financial uncertainty of rent and provide stability for our Southwell services and the people who rely on them. 
  • Remove risk of losing our building forever when our lease finishes, safeguarding it for the Southwell community for years to come
  • Maximise what is probably a one-off chance to create a permanent base in Southwell, securing the charity’s future in the town where it was founded.

More about our Southwell building 

Our welcoming building includes a large activity room, training kitchen, accessible toilet and attractive garden areas. Light, bright spaces are available for confidential and group meetings with families and professionals.  

The building also houses our head office and our ‘best practice’ Project Team that run cross-charity initiatives benefiting people across Nottinghamshire, often attracting national recognition. 

Our Southwell Centre is also available for evening and weekend hire, already hosting a weekly community Bridge Club, creating a small income stream.  

If you have any questions, fundraising ideas or would like more information about our Amazing Days appeal and our future plans, please email julia.sandhu@reachuk.org

The full property purchase price is £500,000. Alongside our £100,000 Amazing Days appeal, we have applied for grants towards the £500,000 total. To address the remaining shortfall, we have a loan agreement. 

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