Leonard Cheshire have revealed plans to expand support services for disabled people following a £3million cash injection.
Charity officials are extending their award-winning skills development programme ‘Can Do’ for the next three years at various locations across the UK to give people with disabilities the opportunity to develop skills and lead change in their local communities.
It comes as a study by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) found 65% of disabled people admitted the pandemic was affecting their overall wellbeing.
The investment has been made possible following a £3million grant from the Covid-19 Support Fund.
The national charity was one of two organisations nominated to receive a share of £5.58million from the fund.
Fellow disability charity Mencap was awarded the remaining £2.58m.
Ruth Owen, chief executive of pan-disability charity Leonard Cheshire, said the grant will help individuals recover from a tough year.
She said: “The pandemic has disproportionately taken its toll on disabled people and we now have an opportunity to begin working towards an inclusive recovery.
“This significant donation enables us to continue funding Can Do, a community programme that offers opportunity at a time when disabled people need it most.
“We’d like to thank the Covid-19 support fund for enabling Leonard Cheshire to carry on nurturing inclusive communities across the UK.”
The Can Do scheme, derived for people between the ages of 16 to 35, focuses on skills development and confidence building through a number of fun and engaging activities.
Service user Jessica Duong, 19, spoke of how attending the Wellbeing Can Do session has helped to boost her confidence.
She said: “Can Do was fun. We did a Wellbeing Enterprise project and did different things like fitness and mindfulness sessions. I liked the sessions on relaxation and different ways to cope with stress. We did things I had never done before. I got new skills like designing the book, which looks really good. It was nice to meet new people too even if this was on Zoom.
“I want to do childcare in the future. I might also be going to do a course at college next year and do a placement with children. I think doing Can Do has helped with my confidence and I am not as nervous about going somewhere else to do another course now. I also feel more confident with online stuff as this was new to me. I would definitely tell people to do it, I enjoyed it and the experience was good.”
The Covid-19 support fund was launched last year in the wake of the pandemic to support individuals hardest hit by the Covid crisis.
Colm Holmes, chairman of the Covid-19 Support Fund Governance Committee & Global CEO, General Insurance, Aviva said:
“Over the past year people with disabilities have endured long periods of isolation and seen a reduction or withdrawal in the services they rely on. We’re indebted to Leonard Cheshire and Mencap for their work and thrilled that this donation from the Covid-19 Support Fund will have a lasting impact for people with learning disabilities and their communities around the UK.”
