Birkdale charity needs YOU to help them win transport funding

The Four Seasons is an established cafe, garden centre, gift shop and florist, but with an exciting and unique twist. 

It is also a place where adults with learning difficulties can go to expand the horizons of their futures. 

Some who have never had the privilege of experiencing the environment there first hand may label the place as a day centre, but in truth it is so much more than that. 

The Four Seasons is a safe, secure environment where adults go to learn and develop important life skills, and yes, also have fun and fellowship while doing so. 

The Four Seasons aims to be as inclusive to those with learning difficulties as possible. To that end they provide one to one support for clients who require it, individual learning plans for each and every client at the centre, as well as a fully accessible disabled toilet equipped with a mobile hoist and staff trained in its use. Managing Director Ruth Wareing does everything she can to advance the needs of the centre and its clientelle. 

She recently led the program in an expansion manoeuvre, acquiring a charity shop located just down the road that the clients could run, in order to help them learn and develop the area of business enterprise.

However, like all small organisations, The Four Seasons does have some limitations caused by its working budget.

A bus would not only allow increased inclusivity regarding access to the program itself but would also increase inclusivity of program clientele accessing the wider community as a whole. Currently for a large number of clients to access an event taking place in the community – either local (like the Southport flower show) or further afield (like the disability games) a fleet of staff cars would need to be used. This is not always possible meaning that clients may potentially miss out on inclusion in outside events of interest to them. One bus, requiring one driver, would greatly increase the accessibility of community attractions and involvement to those who attend The Four Seasons.

In short, this project is very simply about providing The Four Seasons with a bus. The long term reality of such a project though is the wide reaching improvement it will have on the current clients quality of programming and on the accessibility of The Four Seasons to those in the area for whom the program is relevant.

To vote for them to win visit https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-2331