The Ark Trust

13/10/2025

13/10/2025

There are 2 days left to book for the next Night Owls.

We have 3 spaces remaining.

If you wish to book, please call our office between 10am and 4pm or alternatively you can email Kate. kate@theark.org.uk

12/10/2025

We can't take photos in the castle itself but we are having a fab day together!

12/10/2025

What a way to begin a Sunday! 😍

11/10/2025

The latest DWP Minister has been on LBC claiming that disabled people on benefits are at a “fork in the road.”

His big idea? Move Jobcentre staff into GP surgeries for a chat, to stop people “stagnating.”

This isn’t support — it’s a simplistic, patronising narrative that ignores the real issues.

It frames disabled people as if they’ve just “lost their spark” and need a pep talk.

The reality is clear: the barriers to work are systemic, not personal.

Fluctuating health and complex conditions.

Lack of proper workplace adjustments, (we experienced access to work waiting times hitting 10 months this year for the initial call for our new staff).

Transport, caring responsibilities, and inaccessible environments.

Harsh benefit rules that make gradual return risky.

No “chat in a GP surgery” fixes any of this. In fact, it risks turning trusted health spaces into places of pressure — where people may feel pushed, watched, or judged rather than supported.

If the Government is serious about helping disabled people into work, it needs to fix the system, not blame the individual and that means putting the infrastructure in place beforehand.

We are a disability confident level 2 employer and an organisation with disabled people at the helm, and can confirm this is not going to fix anything.

Some suggestions to help those people more able:

How about, for starters undoing the fact that all employers are unable to claim back SSP paid from the government, so they don't have to fund periods of SSP themselves.

Fix waiting times for Access to work input and reimbursement.

Help reduce the cost of disability equipment, ie why does a rise and fall desk cost 7 times the price of a standard one. The average ATW claim for physical workstation equipment is £4.5k, small organisations often do not have this up front outlay for multiple staff.

Help people by supplying more funded PA assistance and transport costs for those who have physical barriers.

Help the part time self employed better.

👇 What’s your take on this latest DWP move?

06/10/2025

There are currently 3 spaces left for this event.

Please find the information for the next Night Owls

03/10/2025

It is never too early to start preparing our homes for Halloween! 🎃👻

27/09/2025

😱😱😱😱🤣🤣🤣🥰

27/09/2025

What a way to finish in the ladies!!! 🤣🤣

26/09/2025

We are painting using vegetables today at Crafty Coffee and making some amazing designs!

23/09/2025

From the 1st of October we will no longer be running the Board Buddies sessions on Thursdays, but all the board games we have are available to café customers at any time, on any day of the week – so pop down with a friend or two for a coffee and a quick game of Cluedo!