Support Adults with a Learning Disability and/or Autism by Voting for Grace Eyre this January

Posted on 01 Jan 2023 by Emily Atkinson-Dalton
This January, Grace Eyre are taking part in the Discount Promo Codes charity poll in the hopes of winning a donation! This fantastic charity help people with learning disabilities ad/or autism to access the opportunities they deserve to live the life they want. Find out more about the incredible work they do below and see if they get your vote to win this months donation. 

 



 

The Grace Eyre Foundation are one of Sussex’s oldest and most innovative charities. With 120+ years’ experience, they supports 650+ adults with a learning disability and/or autism across Sussex, empowering and enabling them to increase their ability, equality and independence to live happy, fulfilled and healthy lives.

 

What Does Grace Eyre Do?


Grace Eyre’s aim is for the people they support to be treated and respected as equal citizens, to be valued members of and contributors to their communities, and to be empowered to fulfil their goals and ambitions.
Inspired by the pioneering vision of their founder, Grace Eyre Woodhead, they focus their support across 4 main services:

ACTIVE LIVES provides an engaging programme of activities in arts, sports & well-being and learning & development. This diverse programme is curated in co-production with the people they support, reflecting their needs and interests. Additionally, Active Lives also delivers innovative projects that develop skills and increase opportunities. Current projects include:

  • Grace Eyre Friendship: enabling people to form meaningful, long-lasting friendships that instil a purpose and focus in people’s lives. With 28% of people with a learning disability reporting that they feel lonely, the Friendship Group is a lifeline for its 300+ members.


grace eyre charity

  • Let’s Work Together: an enhanced employment programme supporting people with a learning disability into employment as well as training for employers to employ a diverse workforce. With an employment rate among people with a learning disability of 5.1% (compared to 81% for the general population) this project is vital to promoting equality and independence.

  • Travel Buddy: an independent travel training programme supporting 70+ people each year, providing the skills and experience to travel safely and confidently which creates new social opportunities with access to education, training and employment and increases community inclusion and engagement.


SHARED LIVES currently matches 70 people with dedicated carers, sharing their homes, family and community life together. Providing long-term accommodation, day-share and respite it enables people to live in and be part of a community. Grace Eyre’s Shared Lives scheme was a model pioneered by our founder and is the oldest and longest running in the country, there are now 150 schemes across the UK.

CHOICES provides supported living and 1:1 tailored support with care and community outreach for people so they can enjoy living independently. Grace Eyre offer a flexible service responding to the unique needs of people they support and help with money management, maintaining a place to live, meeting friends, learning new skills and understanding better health and life choices, all helping people to live confidently within their community.



HOUSING provides high-quality accessible housing that meets the unique needs of individuals, couples, families and friendship groups. Grace Eyre work with tenants to help them know their tenancy rights; help make their home accessible, comfortable, and safe and provide dedicated support workers so they have someone to call on in times of need. They currently support 127 tenants, including three mothers and their babies.

 

What Are the Aims of Grace Eyre?


Grace Eyre’s mission is to deliver their Charter. Written by the people they support it represents their aspirations to live their lives the way they want to.

We want to:

  • Lead healthy lives

  • Have strong, supported relationships

  • Travel around where we live

  • Have good housing

  • Try new things

  • Be listened to

  • Be part of our communities

  • Have jobs


grace eyre charity

The Charter inspires and informs all Grace Eyre’s innovations and initiatives, including their upcoming Big Build project.

 

What Is The Big Build Project?


36 Montefiore Road, Hove has been home to Grace Eyre for 70 years. The building and its warm, welcoming, vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is characteristic of the charity’s values. It provides a safe space for the people they support to explore their abilities and fulfil their potential; an inclusive space uniting people and communities through shared experiences and equal opportunities; and an encouraging space for people to learn new skills and increase their independence.

Over the years, the building has undergone various ad hoc developments and additions. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a building that is difficult to navigate, not fully accessible for those with mobility challenges, limited in its use and not maximising the space available. The building needs extensive renovation and development to have a sustainable future and continue to provide vital support services for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Grace Eyre’s approach to the renovation has been to honour the building’s status as a recognised building of interest and maintain the beauty of the outside, but to revolutionise the inside!

 

Community Arts Centre, Theatre and Cafe 


The Big Build will transform their existing Purple Playhouse Theatre into a vibrant and inclusive multi-purpose community arts centre and theatre, creating a unique venue for marginalised and mainstream artists to develop and showcase their work. The refurbishment will increase audience capacity to 140 and will be fully wheelchair accessible. There will be improved access to toilet and changing facilities, installation of a hearing loop, soundproofing and air circulation systems. The development will see improvements to the café/bar area further enhancing the visitor experience.
The arts space and café will create jobs, helping to address the disparity of employment rates among people with a learning disability versus the general population (5.1% versus 81%). It will offer real work experience, training and development opportunities for people to develop their skills working in the leisure & tourism, catering & hospitality, arts & culture industries and in developing social enterprise opportunities.
The space will also support the ongoing provision of creative and performing arts workshops and activities for the people they support to try new things and learn new skills whilst having fun.

 

Housing 


The Big Build will convert one side of the building into 8 one-bedroom flats, providing safe, secure, high-quality housing for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. One of the flats will be designated for staff, providing access to 24/7 on-site support. According to Brighton & Hove City Council’s Homelessness Strategy 2020-2025, there are just under 10,000 households on the social housing waiting list, they also cite a shortage of suitable accommodation for people with a learning disability and/or autism. Therefore, the provision of flats is a very important part of the build.

Vote for the Grace Eyre Foundation this January and you will be supporting the delivery of projects and services that really do transform lives.

 

How Can I Find Out More About Grace Eyre?


To find out more about Grace Eyre, visit: www.grace-eyre.org. You can get in touch with them via their Contact Us page, call 01273 201900 or email [email protected]. 

 

So, do Grace Eyre have your vote? If you want to vote for them then simply head over to the Discount Promo Codes homepage to cast your free vote before the end of January.

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