Inspiring Torbay disability group in fight for survival after funding is cut

“We will not be rubbished to the scrapheap,” is the cry of the local learning disability group SPACE CIC.

Having flipped the conversation around disabilities and changed hundreds of lives for the better over the last 23 years, it’s now at risk of losing everything.

When you ask the members of SPACE Launching Futures CIC what the group means to them, they’ll say “family”, or “friends”, or perhaps even “friends to get away from family”.

What the group is really all about is helping those with learning disabilities and mental health issues live independently with dignity, community and purpose.

Starting in 2001, SPACE is an NHS-commissioned support planning service for individuals with a learning disability/autism in Torbay. For its members, however, SPACE’s services go much further.

The CIC was founded by John Goldsworthy and his wife Dot under the name ‘Speaking Out in Torbay’. At the time, the debate was shifting on how to look after people with disabilities after the government published the ‘Valuing People’ Bill. Rather than leaving people with learning disabilities in institutions, Valuing People sought to provide opportunities for them to live independent lives in their local communities.

“It was about speaking up for the rights of people with learning disabilities,” said Simon Langridge, one of the organisers at SPACE.

“It was about having ideas and working with the NHS and local council to come up with ways that actually changed things.”

The group soon grew both in membership and in impact. Attendance went from four to 20 in just a few years, and members of its community were directly interacting with NHS bosses and the council to have their say on decisions that affect them. SPACE now has over 100 people on their books.

“We wanted to have a voice,” said founder John.

“We even got invited to parliament, to meet the lords and ladies and stuff. We were not prepared to be rubbished on the scrapheap anymore.”

Now, after over 20 years, the impact and need for SPACE is obvious. The community interest company runs three sessions a week, focusing on different things, but always led by the participants.

Activities range from photography, art and sports to equipping people for the real world, through talks, lectures, independent living workshops and working on CVs.

There’s a real focus on connecting people with the community and many who come to SPACE for help end up organising and facilitating their own activities themselves. Many run their own sessions and Karl even helps out such as showing Simon how to use Photoshop and the printer.

Aaron Uglow, the director of SPACE explained: “We want to equip everyone with the skills they need to be independent. For some, that might be spending years learning to clean their teeth but that’s a massive outcome for them. For someone else, it might be getting a paid job. It’s whatever makes you feel proud, nothing's too small.”

SPACE also likes to look outward into the community as well. Part of their philosophy is that those with additional needs don’t just need help, they can play a meaningful active part in the community as well.

The sessions SPACE put on won’t just help members to learn life skills, but prepare them to enter the workforce and organise events to give back.

SPACE members have participated in a variety of charitable and community events, including raising £1,500 for Torquay United when it went into administration.

While the care and treatment of people with learning disabilities have improved over the last 20 years, there’s still a long road to go. The average person in the UK with disabilities has a life expectancy that’s 20 years younger than the rest of the nation. That’s why SPACE isn’t just about helping people, it’s about changing attitudes as well.

Simon said: “When things are bad, we challenge it. When the austerity cuts were happening in 2010, 2011, we went up to London with a 12-foot David Cameron puppet. We marched it through London and through Bristol.”

However, SPACE’s mission is now in jeopardy. Having been funded by the NHS from the outset, the plug was pulled on SPACE last March with just five days’ notice.

John said: “Everything dropped off and it was a real shock. Everybody was really upset. When I was told I could be back to sitting at home again, it was like being put back on the scrapheap.”

Aaron said: “It was really hard. We had 35 people in the room, most of whom were in tears. We could have turned our backs on each other, but we decided to carry on and just find a way to keep going.”

The group is now funded through fundraising events. With most people being volunteers, costs can be kept to a minimum.

“We end each month with literally pennies. The cricket club has been really generous with the rent that they charge us and we self-fund all that we can. We're looking at other grants but it's a massively challenging time.”

But that won’t stop them. For many, SPACE is more than a group now but a family and it won’t end without a fight.

Aaron added: “Sometimes it’s hard to put into words what we do here. You have to feel it and see it for yourself.

“We’re proud of our community and what it does and we want to keep it.”

A spokesperson for the NHS said: “We have many valued Learning Difficulty and Learning Disability (LD) services in Torbay, and they form part of our local partnership that will help deliver ‘The Big Plan.’

“The Big Plan launched by Torbay Council earlier this year has been created with people with LD to make sure that people work together to make things better. The plan outlines the changes people with learning disabilities want to see in Torbay.

“One aspect of our current local offer is a weekly day service called the ‘The Independence Hub.’ These sessions are vital as they provide safe spaces for people with learning disabilities and offer a range of community-based events and activities.

“The service agreement with the previous provider of the Independence Hub expired on 31 March 2024 and a new provider is now providing those services, which did not cease.

“This service is now called ‘Connect events’ and supports adults with learning disabilities and autism.”