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.

Sarah

"It will be nice living with all those other people."

Ben

"It’s time to move out and be more independent."

Chelsea

"I’m looking forward to sitting outside on my patio.”

Sarah

"I’m excited but nervous.”

Quick Links

Our Progress in Pictures

roof tiles

June 2023

Night time view

roof tiles

May 2023

Volunteers from local company MinsterFB do a spot of gardening!

roof tiles

May 2023

Furniture starts to arrive

balcony

May 2023

From a handshake to a handover - we've got the keys!

roof tiles

April 2023

Spring sunshine

balcony

April 2023

Balcony dividers going in (rear view)

roof tiles

March 2023

Exterior shaping up nicely - freshly rendered and scaffolding has come down

roof tiles

February 2023

Kitchen cabinets ready to go in

roof tiles

December 2022

Looking splendid in the Winter sunshine (rear view).

filming

October 2022

Our accommodation project features on BBC East Midlands today

first floor

August 2022

Reaching new heights – work on the first floor is now well underway

build progresses

June 2022

Build progresses apace and clients are enjoying regular visits to feel part of it all

installation of attenuation tank

April 2022

Work commences! Installation of attenuation tanks and foundations, and commencement of external structures.

Sketch of a building

Dec 2021

Robust tender process, contractors appointed. Economic situation leads to increase in estimated costs

Delivery parcel

2021-22

£1.4m raised including £250k+ through our At Home in my Community appeal and grants from local and national funders

aerial picture of land

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.

Inside our new accommodation

Family Carer Steve

Take a tour with Sarah and Ben

Chelsea

Watch the films we made at the start of our project to support our fundraising campaign.

Sarah

Chelsea

Wall of Thanks

To commemorate the wonderful support of our community, we have created our virtual wall of thanks.

Visit our 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.

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Read our stories to find out what a home in the community means to local people with learning disabilities and their families.

Gallery

Overall project £1.7m build (excluding furnishings)

Image
Watch our film to find out what our project means to local families.