Newark and Southwell Reach Learning Disability sees progress on accommodation project but needs help filling £300k funding gap

A charity dedicated to supporting adults with learning disabilities has taken further steps towards building quality housing for those it assists, but needs help filling a £300,000 funding gap.

Reach Learning Disability, which has centres in Newark and Southwell, has recently hired a contractor to take on the accommodation project and overlooked the demolition of a bungalow on its land.

The project, which hopes to provide supported living accommodation for 12 residents with learning disabilities, has already been granted planning permission by Newark and Sherwood District Council — having been gifted land on a large housing development site in Southwell in 2018.

Reach’s accommodation steering committee has appointed contractor Ratcliffe Builders, a family-owned construction firm based in Nottinghamshire with 35 years of experience, and has thanked its supporters for helping to raise more than £1.43m for the project.

However, the charity said it was facing some challenges due to escalating costs caused by the current economic situation. The fundraising team is awaiting the outcome of further funding bids and are seeking alternative options for covering an estimated shortfall of £300,000.

Chief executive Steve Shatwell said: “We look forward to progressing with this vital project to offer local people with. learning disabilities the chance to live more independently in the community they know.

“Thanks to all who have donated, the creation of these homes has never felt more achievable.

“The site is now clear and Ratcliffe Builders are ready, we just need a final push to cover the shortfall to ensure that we can complete the construction by our target date of April 2023.”

The charity says its aim is to create a home in the true sense of the word — not a care home; but a home rooted in the community that gives tenants the opportunity to enjoy life as active, engaged and happy citizens.

“Families delay decisions about the future because there simply is no acceptable alternative,” reads Reach’s website.

“Inevitably, alternatives must be found due to parental illness or death.

“People with learning disabilities often find they must move away from their community to new locations, losing friends, family and support in one go, sometimes facing multiple moves.

“In rural localities like Southwell, affordable accommodation options are especially limited.

“It has not been easy to make progress with our accommodation plans, but with families facing crisis situations, we have kept on seeking creative solutions.”