Community Sparks
Meeting every Tuesday morning, Door 84’s ‘Community Sparks’ is a fully inclusive creative and social group that delivers interactive activities for people with a range of abilities and disabilities. Regular activities include sports, cooking, art, trips and outings; as well as supported volunteering that allows group members to take part in wider community events.
The project gives individuals an opportunity to express themselves, build relationships, develop their confidence, and recognise their talents in a safe and supportive setting. With a premises that includes a games room and outdoor space, the project is also able to promote health and well-being through physical activities too, such as football, basketball, pool and darts.
When a local community centre closed in May 2018, it created a lot of change for the community. The facility was used by a number of different organisations that supported members with similar needs to those served by the ‘Community Sparks’ project, and a variety of activities were lost or moved as a result. One particular activity that service users were particularly disappointed to lose was the weekly inclusive disco.
Community Sparks saw that the loss of this activity left a gap in provision for a large group in the community and so decided that, in addition to the regular Tuesday session, they would trial running their own disco from Door 84. It was a great success and, now, they run one each week for service users both new and old.