The Arun Sunshine Group, West Sussex – Ten Percent Foundation Award – £500
In the Ten Percent Foundation’s latest round of donations, the Arun Sunshine Group has been chosen by the trustees to receive £500 to put towards equipment.
Background
The Arun Sunshine Group is a group set up in West Sussex in 2006. They provide recreational and leisure activities to adults with learning difficulties. Activities that they offer include computer games, arts and crafts, board games and jigsaws. On top of this, the group goes on outings to local establishments, like restaurants, pubs and bowling, as well as further afield, such as summer outings to the zoo, the Isle of Wight and Brighton.
Aims
The group aims to improve the conditions of life for its members, as well as to provide an environment where they can develop confidence, improve social skills and communication, make friends and have fun! They also hope to give carers a regular break, to help reduce the stress of their daily lives.
How will the donation help?
At the moment, the group relies heavily on charity to raise funds. Derek Moore, the leader of the project, said that the money “will be put to very good use as we desperately need to replace a lot of our age-appropriate puzzles and craft items.” This will allow the group to further improve the lives of its members, and to make their sessions more enjoyable for those involved. It has also allowed the group to buy a karaoke machine, which the members really love to use.
Future plans
The group is currently looking for more volunteers and trustees, so that they can continue to run their sessions and help their members. They have just received a Lottery Community Fund Grant, which should allow more of their sessions to run, and for more materials to be bought to entertain their members. For more information, see their website: http://arunsunshine.org.uk
Facts about learning disabilities
There are approximately 1.1 million adults with a learning disability in the UK. 956,000 of these are within England.
This means that around 2.16% of adults in the UK have a learning disability, which is equivalent to 1 in 50 adults.
On top of this, 2.5% of children in the UK have a learning disability, which is approximately 1 in 40.
According to the NHS, learning disabilities can make it difficult for a person to understand complicated information, learn some skills, and look after themselves or live alone.
