We are proud to announce that work on our long-awaited accommodation for 12 adults with learning disabilities in Southwell is well under way. We thank all those who have helped us reach this exciting milestone and are pleased to provide an update.
We're so grateful to all those who have supported our project. If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch with me on julia.sandhu@reachuk.org.
Julia Sandhu, Fundraising Director
Read our stories to find out what a home in the community means to local people with learning disabilities and their families.
Our Progress in Pictures
April 2023
Spring sunshine
April 2023
Balcony dividers going in (rear view)
March 2023
Exterior shaping up nicely - freshly rendered and scaffolding has come down
February 2023
Kitchen cabinets ready to go in
December 2022
Looking splendid in the Winter sunshine (rear view).
October 2022
Our accommodation project features on BBC East Midlands today
August 2022
Reaching new heights – work on the first floor is now well underway
June 2022
Build progresses apace and clients are enjoying regular visits to feel part of it all
April 2022
Work commences! Installation of attenuation tanks and foundations, and commencement of external structures.
Dec 2021
Robust tender process, contractors appointed. Economic situation leads to increase in estimated costs
2021-22
£1.4m raised including £250k+ through our At Home in my Community appeal and grants from local and national funders
2018
Reach gifted land and property on a local housing development site. Plans developed with input from clients, families and expert care staff.
Watch this space for more updates as the project progresses!
Need for Accommodation
Across the country the lack of affordable, quality housing means older adults with learning disabilities are still living at home with parents in their seventies and eighties. Nationally, two-thirds of adults with learning disabilities live with their families, usually their parents.
In rural localities like Southwell, affordable accommodation options are especially limited. We know many people living at home with older family carers.
Ultimately, alternative accommodation must be found due to parental illness or death. At a time of great personal change, adults with learning disabilities often find themselves having to move away from familiar community and social networks to new locations. The loss of friends, family and support in one go can have a very detrimental impact on an individual’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
This was a problem our founding trustees sought to address when Reach started life as Southwell Care Project in 1999. Their vision was of accommodation built to a high specification that would enable people to stay in the community where they felt safe and could flourish. Our accommodation will be built to an environmentally, sustainable specification, utilising innovative ecotechnology with low maintenance and running costs.
It has taken us over 20 years to reach the point of being able to build our accommodation, we have met many challenges on the way but have persisted due the high level of need. Please read our Stories for insight into the need for this project.
We could not have reached this milestone without the dedication of former and current Trustees, staff and the support of local community and grantmakers of all sizes. We thank them all.
Watch our films to find out what our project means to local families.
Southwell Accommodation Project - Sarah
Southwell Accommodation Project - Chelsea
