Lifeworks Charity Ltd was founded in 1996 by parents, carers and teachers with a passion for supporting children and young people with learning disabilities and their families. Working with the young people and their families, we put their needs and ideas at the heart of what we do - to provide new opportunities and skills that will lead to rewarding and active lives.
Our mission is to enable and empower the learning disabled in a caring, welcoming and engaging environment, for families to benefit from its programmes and to provide skills and experiences for our young people to become more independent, confident and become valued members of the community.
Lifeworks runs a number of vital services and events which support children and young adults with learning disabilities. Robins is a purpose built centre providing both short stay and long-term respite care for children and young adults with learning disabilities up to the age of 20. The home, surrounded by beautiful countryside is situated in Dartington, near Totnes and is a warm and welcoming home that combines comfort, safety and accessibility. Sesame is a small residential home for young adults with complex learning disabilities and is situated in the residential area of Torquay. The residents are able to use it as their long-term home or as a transition towards more independent living . It offers a safe environment, enabling residents to explore their potential and develop their level of independence with help from caring and skilled support staff. Based in the attractive South Hams area of Devon The Lifeworks Specialist College of Further Education uses teaching facilities and resources in and around Dartington providing a bridge between school and adult life. It is a welcoming and lively specialist college open to young people aged 16 to 25 years with a range of learning disabilities. The students are offered an innovative programme of personal, social and vocational education with integrated care and therapy. Our courses support equality of opportunity by building on thefoundations of learning that students acquired whilst at school. We run a Saturday club for teenagers and young adults with learning disabilities aged between 14 and 25 years old. Kool Clubs are based in Totnes and Paignton andmeet fortnightly between 10 am and 4 pm. At Kool Club, members will meet new friends, have fun playing pool and computer games, listen to music, watch films and take part in a variety of sporting activities and fun days out. Whether the activity takes place at the club or out and about on a trip, members get the chance to practice important life skills such as preparing a lunch, learning about nutrition, handling money, using public transport, socialising and getting involved in the local community. In addition to the regulare services that we offer we also run seasonal activities including Breaking the Barrier which addresses the very real need for sporting opportunities that cater for children and young adults with learning disabilities. For the past 9 years, we have held free, one-day surf events for learning disabled young people and their families at different locations around the country, hosted by a network of professional surf schools. The events currently take place at Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon, Saunton Sands in North Devon and Polzeath in Cornwall. These events are not intended to provide formal lessons, but rather to offer the thrill of experiencing surfing and where possible, standing on a surfboard as it catches a wave, with a specialist instructor riding in tandem.
