Vote to help Uplands Educational Trust install kitchen to boost skills of young people with severe learning and physical disabilities

Uplands Educational Trust (UET) wants to create an accessible training kitchen for young people with severe learning and physical disabilities - but they need you to vote for them to secure a £16,000 grant from Aviva.

The training kitchen, based at its specialist college provision in East Swindon, will benefit over 70 young people from 16 to 25 years of age. Every individual who will use the provision has a severe learning and physical disability which makes access to regular tasks a challenge. With specially designed kitchen surfaces and facilities such as dishwashers, height adjustable sinks and work tops, and suitable ovens, access to everyday life can be made possible.

However, the training kitchen will also provide a real life work experience opportunity. This is very difficult to obtain within usual business placements for young people with both physical and learning disabilities due to the health and safety requirements and accessibility issues of most premises.

Within the adapted kitchen young people will be able to learn a trade, as well as practising independent living and working skills. They will also have the opportunity to work within a social enterprise, making lunches for College attendees, serving in the College coffee shop, and also for the nursery and office staff who work on the college site.

Coupled with the UET Farm market garden, the kitchen would complete the academy's ‘field to fork’ mission by providing the cooking facilities for our organically grown produce. Providing hands-on learning experiences and work experience to over 70 learners within the first year, and will continue to support young people for years to come.

UET is requesting the support of £16,000 to complete the accessible kitchen and has established a positive relationship with catering company BaxterStorey who have been influential in advising UET on food standards. The company has also provided access to Space Group, a commercial kitchen provider to ensure that the kitchen meets the standards of a commercial venture. BaxterStorey have also pledged their ongoing support to UET, providing food hygiene and food safety training to staff and young people alike. This will make the College kitchen a real commercial venture.

With financial support from Aviva, UET will be able to provide the installation of electrical and plumbing facilities into the existing kitchen space, purchase and installation of a commercial quality kitchen as well as purchase of cooking equipment, which will provide a fully functional and accessible kitchen to all students.

UET has a lease of the Headlands building for a period of 25 years, and the landlord has already provided £125,000 worth of amendments to the building to ensure that it meets the needs of the disabled students. With a strong foundation and the pledged on-going support of BaxterStorey, UET is able to provide a sustainable project that will offer a route to employment for young people with severe disabilities, and commercial enterprise for years to come.

UET hope that Aviva will recognise the difference that this kitchen facility can make to the lives of young people with severe learning disabilities, providing them with not only an opportunity to learn and practice skills, but a stepping stone into employment.

You can cast a total of 10 votes and you can choose to use all 10 votes for Uplands at: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-1648