Social group aiming to tackle loneliness for disabled people to launch in Cosham community centre

‘Abilities for Life’ is the brainchild of 26-year-old Carly Blake who was previously involved with running ‘Dynamite’, a group for young disabled people aged between 15 and 25. During lockdown, she started planning the new initiative with a friend after finding that resources for those over 25 were lacking in the Portsmouth area – particularly in the north of the city.

The volunteer-led group will meet weekly every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm following a launch event on January 25.

Carly said: ‘When I was about 19, I began to think what would happen when I reached 25 and that there would be a lack of social opportunity. I really wanted to change that for other people in the city, who really need a social life, with disabilities.

‘No matter how old you get, you’re still going to have that disability and you’re still going to need a social life.

Organisations that have helped bring Carly’s idea to fruition include the Bivol Trust, Hive Portsmouth, adult social care, Volunteer Futures and Portsmouth Parent Voice office which helped design the group’s logo.

A key aim of the project is to tackle loneliness and isolation which Carly said affects many disabled people. She hopes to secure funding and sponsorship for activities like board games and group trips, with members having a say in what they want to do. A tuck shop has been suggested as a potential revenue stream.

She added: ‘I feel like there is a big lack of opportunities when it comes to isolation and exclusion. I’m hoping that everyone gets the chance to learn some new skills because I need someone to be a treasurer and secretary so I’m hoping there will be a couple of positions filled.’

Bivol Trust committee member Alison King, who has provided mentorship to Carly, said: ‘We’re here basically to help Carly set up her group. I myself have been with Bivol for a long time and I’ve got two children myself with disabilities so I’ve grown up with it and learnt with them.

‘We’ve got a social club that’s been going for a long time but that’s in the city and people can’t always access it. The fact that Carly's group is free and open and accessible to everyone is brilliant because that can be a stumbling block for a lot of people.

Alison has helped the trust run regular activity groups - including accessible Zoom sessions - and said the key to success for a project like Carly’s is having input from everyone involved.

Hive Portsmouth development worker Sandie Davis added: ‘It's about people accessing something that enables them to build that confidence and go somewhere new and then they can do that somewhere else as well.’

Tickets for the launch have almost sold out but going forward the sessions will be open to anybody who identifies as having a disability. The Lord Mayor Hugh Mason and Lady Mayoress Marie Costa will be there with a Pompey in The Community representative and local comedian Joe Wells who released his book Wired Differently – 30 Neurodivergent People You Should Know last year.