SEN Den Somerset CIC

by Cheryl Arvidson-Keating in Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom

SEN Den Somerset CIC

Total raised £650

£30,000 target 58 days left
2% 14 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th April 2025 at 2:46pm

We want to provide a community centre and café for the Somerset SEN sector with a day-service for adults and respite care for children.

by Cheryl Arvidson-Keating in Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom

We want to bring something a bit different to provision for the disabled community in our area. With your help, we can provide the desperately needed support for disabled people and their families that we wish we'd had ourselves. Join up to our newsletter here!

Who are we?

Paul and Cheryl Arvidson have fifteen years experience looking after their complex-needs daughter. Ruth Irvine has twenty years experience looking after people with learning disabilities in all sorts of settings and is the driving force behind the project. She met Paul and Cheryl whilst caring for their daughter. Together we have the skills and experience to make this project work.

What are we fundraising for?

SEN Den Somerset will offer a day-service for disabled adults and daytime respite care for disabled children. We will offer different activities, including but not limited to craft sessions, science sessions, a sensory room, a soft play room, music, story-telling workshops and theatre workshops. In the evenings we will offer discos, socials and board game nights. 

We have some premises in mind that would also enable us to offer sports sessions like wheelchair basketball, cricket and badminton; and gardening activities for our client group.

We want to offer training on a pathway to work for our adult clients who would like to learn about staffing our café and reception alongside supervisory staff. This will mean they can learn job skills in a safe environment that will then allow them to progress to applying for paid or voluntary jobs. We will also offer life skills such as personal hygiene, dealing with cash, healthy eating and basic cooking skills. 

We'll be able to rent rooms to people in our target community who need meeting space for community groups, parties and social events and we'd like to offer drop-in groups and coffee-mornings for parents and carers to come and socialise, and some sessions where they can have a coffee and chat for a couple of hours whilst we care for their looked-after person whilst they have a break.

Where will it be?

Taunton or West Somerset. We are currently looking at a building in Taunton. 

What do we need money for?

The building we've earmarked is in poor decorative repair, the café needs new cupboards, new appliances and stainless steel worktops, new flooring and more friendly lighting. Our first mission is to get the café space ready to welcome guests. 

How will we fund it?

Of course, all the above will come at a cost, which is why we are asking you to support us. As well as donations, we are applying for various relevant grants. We anticipate being self-sustaining after twelve to eighteen months.

The SEN Den can be a real safe community space for people with SEND and their carers. With your help we can realise this dream.

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