We are delighted to announce that we have been nominated as Solihull Chamber of Commerce Charity of the Year.

Becoming Charity of the Year is fantastic news for SoLO as it will enable us to raise our profile within the Solihull business community as well as receive vital support from the Chamber’s fundraising activities, all of which will enable us to help facilitate further growth.

Jan Prior, chair of SoLO, said: “We’re so pleased and thankful to have the support of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce following a long, hard journey through a pandemic, when staff have gone above and beyond to ensure its members continue to receive their activities and breaks“.

Samantha Frampton, head of Solihull Chamber, said: “Solihull Chamber is incredibly excited to announce SoLO as its newest Chosen Charity. The aim of this partnership is to support charities doing meaningful and impactful work in and around the Solihull area and it is already clear from conversations with Jan that there is a lot of passion behind the work taking place at SoLO. We are very much looking forward to engaging the business community in supporting their mission to provide quality services for people with learning disabilities.”

The Charity of the Year partnership will run until March 2023.

We’re delighted to announce we’ve been awarded the contract by Solihull Council (SMBC) to deliver targeted community short breaks for children and young people with a disability. This enables us to continue to deliver fun, engaging and inclusive holiday and term time activities and projects for children and young people with learning and other disabilities across Solihull. 

As a leader in supporting children with disabilities in Solihull for over 20 years we have built a strong reputation for delivering a wide range of exciting and high-quality opportunities. The award of this contract ensures as a charity we can continue to deliver services that support children and young people with their physical and mental health needs giving them the opportunity to take control of their own lives by improving their confidence and emotional well-being so that they enjoy life and have positive self-identities.

Jan Prior, Chair, said: “I know first-hand how much SoLO supported my son and our family through offering him opportunities he was unable to access elsewhere and confidently gave me a chance to recharge my battery and have a short break to focus on time with my daughter during her formative years.  The Board of Trustees are incredibly pleased that SMBC have continued to recognise the value of short breaks and the outstanding service SoLO provides leading to the award of this significant contract for the benefit of our community.  It’s great to know others will experience what has been so valuable to us personally“.

Over the next few months we will take the time to review and refresh the current service offering, which means there will be no change to the current children’s activities and services provided until consultation with children, parents, carers, staff and other partners across Solihull has taken place.  

Through this review activities and projects will be assessed to ensure much loved activities are retained, whilst new innovative ideas are developed to reflect the world in 2022 and beyond and provide new opportunities for members and individuals accessing the services. 

There will be a review of assessments of children and young people to ensure activities are person centered and aligned to meet their needs and children and young people who haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend or join a SoLO activity will be encouraged to access the service and experience what SoLO has to offer. 

To deliver the specialist activities we will bring in support from the most appropriate organisations and professionals and will work with other local service providers to utilise their facilities and strengths to achieve the best possible delivery and outcome for all.

Lesley Beer, CEO said: “we are excited to continue working with SMBC and families/carers to deliver a vital service to the children and young people of the borough.  The importance of continuing service under this contract has significant impact on the provisions for children and young people with learning and other disabilities to ensure varied opportunities and inclusivity for all and we look forward to working with partners to shape this future“.