I am pleased to announce that the 12 tenants have now moved into our Southwell accommodation – I would like to welcome everyone and wish them all the very best. Over recent weeks, staff from across Reach, alongside families, have been working hard to ensure that the move went as smoothly as possible.
I once again wholeheartedly express our thanks to everyone who has helped us to achieve our long-held ambition to build quality housing in the town. You have helped us to create a lasting legacy that will benefit people with learning disabilities and their families for years to come.
We’ll continue to update this page regularly so keep an eye out for the latest news.
Steve
Read our stories to find out what our Southwell Accommodation means to local people with learning disabilities and their families.
Our Progress in Pictures
June 2023
Night time view
May 2023
Volunteers from local company MinsterFB do a spot of gardening!
May 2023
Furniture starts to arrive
May 2023
From a handshake to a handover - we've got the keys!
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.
Accommodation Films
Take a look inside and hear from some of the tenants and their families about their new home in Southwell.
Watch the films we made at the start of our project to support our fundraising campaign.
Wall of Thanks
To commemorate the wonderful support of our community, we have created our virtual wall of thanks.
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.