Hundreds of adults with learning disabilities in Bexley will be helped to boost their confidence and develop life skills thanks to a scheme running in the borough.
Living Well will offer courses, workshops and groups covering topics such as keeping fit, cooking, using the internet, building relationships, staying safe and managing money.
The programme is being run by Re-Instate, an Erith-based charity which works to improve employment opportunities, quality of life and wellbeing for disadvantaged people.
It is being funded through a £170,000 grant over five years from City Bridge Trust – the City of London Corporation’s charity funder, which gives out £25 million a year to good causes across the capital.
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City of London Corporation City Bridge Trust Committee Chairman, Dhruv Patel, said: “Re-Instate is a well-established charity that does fantastic work helping people in Bexley to overcome the challenges they face, improve their lives and reach their potential.
“The real benefit of the Living Well scheme is that it will take a holistic approach in helping people to improve their wellbeing in all kinds of ways, from maintaining a healthy balanced diet on a budget to feeling more confident with money.”
The Living Well programme will base its activities on The New Economics Foundation’s ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ – in which people are encouraged to connect with others, be active, take notice of the world around them, keep learning and help others.
The sessions will be run at Re-Instate’s community hub, in West Street, Erith – when Covid restrictions allow – and at other venues in the borough or online.
Re-Instate CEO Simon Hart said: “Often the problem people with learning disabilities face is overcoming low expectations and gaining the confidence to fully engage with their local community.
“We hope this programme will enable a substantial number of people to come out of it feeling more confident and more able to live independently and to deal with whatever is thrown at them – we’ll consider that a great success.”
Anyone who thinks they, a family member or friend could benefit from signing up to the Living Well programme is asked to email [email protected], call 01322 438 155 or go online at www.re-instate.co.uk
The City of London Corporation’s charity funder, City Bridge Trust, is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of over £25 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital – www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
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