SENDaWelcome is working towards a society where everyone is welcomed, valued and celebrated for who they are. Our mission is to create inclusive communities where people with learning disabilities, autistic people and people with lived experience of disability are able to participate, contribute, make friends, build confidence and have a genuine voice in the communities in which they live. SENDaWelcome was established as a Community Interest Company on 19 November 2021. We continue to develop a community-led approach in Bristol, working alongside people with learning disabilities and other community members to identify barriers to inclusion and develop practical ways of making our communities more welcoming and accessible. During the financial year 2025–2026, the Company continued to develop its community activities and strengthen its role as an organisation led by and working alongside people with lived experience of disability. Community activities and impact SENDaWelcome continued to develop its My Community Action Group, providing people with learning disabilities with opportunities to meet regularly, develop confidence and skills, share their views and influence the work of the organisation. Members have increasingly taken active roles in community activities, including helping to shape projects, speaking with professionals and public services, contributing to events and leading activities. The impact of this approach can be seen in the experiences of individual members. One Action Group member said, “I think people are more confident to say more than when we first met, people are speaking up more.” Another said, “I have a lot of things going on in my life but I like this group because I'm friends with everyone... I enjoy the events and I'll miss the group if it went.” These experiences demonstrate the importance of creating spaces where people can develop relationships, confidence and a stronger sense of belonging. We launched our Sensory Garden at The Ardagh, creating an inclusive and accessible community space where people can explore nature through touch, sight, sound and smell. The garden includes a sensory trail and accessible activities and provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities, autistic people, families, schools and local residents to enjoy nature together. The project has also involved collaboration with local partners and volunteers. SENDaWelcome continued to provide creative and social activities, including supporting an autistic individual to establish and lead a creative writing group and supporting a woman with learning disabilities to lead a creative activity transforming old books into hedgehogs. These opportunities demonstrate how people with learning disabilities and autistic people can move from participating in activities to becoming leaders and contributors themselves. One participant described the benefit of being able to share work in different places, saying it “enabled people to try new things and go to places they may not have been to without the action group.” SENDaWelcome also worked with VOSCUR, where an Action Group member with learning disabilities led a workshop for community hubs, advising organisations on how they could become more inclusive. This gave the individual an opportunity to use their own lived experience to influence other organisations and demonstrate what people with learning disabilities can contribute when given the right support. The project report records that the Action Group member shared practical ideas about solving problems and making community spaces more inclusive. We delivered three large-scale inclusive community events: Festival of Friendship, Festival of Nature and Rainbow of Health. These events involved partnerships with more than 40 organisations and created opportunities for people with learning disabilities to visit new places, meet new organisations, try new activities and develop confidence. All the events were the vision and design of our Action Group. The events also created opportunities for people to reconnect with others. People told us that they had reconnected with friends they had not seen for many years. This demonstrates the wider social impact of creating inclusive community spaces and opportunities for people to come together. Our Rainbow of Health event brought organisations together to share accessible health information, wellbeing activities and physical activities. Overall, our larger community events reached approximately 250 people, mostly people with learning disabilities and their family and friends. We started Sensory Story Time, creating an accessible activity based around stories and sensory experiences. We also supported another organisation to establish an inclusive meditation session, helping to increase the range of accessible activities available within the community. Increasing access to information A key part of our work has been improving access to information. We produced five easy-read resources: - How Inclusive Are You? – a guide for local organisations - Work and Volunteering Opportunities for People with Learning Disabilities - What's On for Adults with Learning Disabilities - What's On for Children with Learning Disabilities - Information Services Available for People with Learning Disabilities Our easy-read “What's On” information has helped people find activities and opportunities that they might otherwise have been unable to access. One supported housing manager told us that the guide was “exactly what our residents need”, explaining that it enabled people to find local activities, meet people and become part of the community. Another person told us, “I have found out about things going on I didn't know before.” The impact has extended beyond people directly involved with SENDaWelcome. One attendee told us that they had used our “What's On” guide to find an autistic group for someone they supported. Another person with complex care needs was able to attend a local community event and meet another person with a learning disability because they had found the event through our guide. Their PA told us they would not otherwise have known about the event. These examples demonstrate how accessible information can reduce isolation and enable people to take part in community life. Employment, volunteering and developing skills SENDaWelcome has supported people with learning disabilities to explore volunteering and employment opportunities. A key success during the project was supporting Jordan into paid employment. We also supported people to develop volunteering experience through our events. For example, Emily took on a volunteering role at SENDaWelcome events, welcoming people, making teas and coffees and talking to members of the community. She told us, “I liked being able to chat to people on the welcome desk and making teas and coffees. I like to chat.” These opportunities help people develop confidence, practical skills and experience while contributing to the wider community. People influencing wider services SENDaWelcome's community-led approach has enabled people with learning disabilities to influence organisations and services beyond SENDaWelcome itself. Our Action Group provided feedback to Sirona Care and Health's accessibility team on its new easyread dictionary, helping to ensure that information was understandable and accessible for people with learning disabilities. Two Action Group members also worked with WECIL to contribute to the “Do You See Me?” campaign, using their experiences and voices to raise awareness of disability and inclusion. We have also supported people with learning disabilities to influence local community development. Our work contributed to discussions around accessibility of a new park, including advocating for an additional access path so that disabled people would not have to use a steep route to reach the proposed entrance. Building friendships and reducing isolation A significant impact of our work has been the development of genuine relationships and connections between people. One Action Group member told us, “I like mixing with people at My Community, they're nice people and I enjoy.” Another explained that the group had helped them build friendships and provided an important opportunity to get away from other pressures in their life. During the year, we learned how important connection is to our community. The project report identified that “we have helped people form new friendships and a real community has formed around our organisation and our activities.” Inclusive physical activity We also developed inclusive physical activity opportunities, including inclusive skittles, with the aim of supporting people with learning disabilities to become more physically active, improve wellbeing, develop friendships and feel more connected to their communities. The skittles activity has also helped people to participate alongside established community groups and access new community spaces. Our work has continued to develop opportunities for inclusive sport and physical activity, including work towards an inclusive table tennis club and an inclusive Padel taster activity. Partnership working SENDaWelcome has continued to develop relationships with local organisations, schools, colleges, community groups, disability organisations and public services. We have worked with many community organisations and charities, Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol City Council, local NHS organisations and VOSCUR. During the year, our activities brought organisations together to share information, develop relationships and consider how they could improve inclusion. We also worked with students at Bristol City College, who helped create posters and games for our events. Our partnership approach enables us to reach people who may otherwise experience barriers to participation and allows people with learning disabilities to contribute to wider community conversations. Organisational development and governance During the year we continued to strengthen the governance and organisational capacity of the CIC. We reviewed and updated organisational policies and procedures and continued to develop systems to support safe, inclusive and effective delivery. We continued to improve our website and online communication, helping people to understand our work, find out about activities and engage with SENDaWelcome. Our social media and newsletter networks have continued to grow, increasing awareness of our work across the local community. We also increased our profile through local media. SENDaWelcome appeared on BCFM radio and our work was featured in local and neighbouring community magazines. Overall impact Overall, the Company's activities during the year have benefited the community by creating opportunities for people to build confidence, make friends, become more active, develop skills, access information, influence decisions and participate meaningfully in their local community. The impact stories demonstrate that this approach is making a difference beyond attendance at individual activities. People have moved into employment and volunteering, developed leadership skills, led workshops and creative activities, influenced public services, contributed to campaigns, developed friendships and accessed community activities that they may otherwise never have found. SENDaWelcome continues to challenge the barriers that people with learning disabilities and autistic people experience and to demonstrate that when people are given accessible information, genuine opportunities and the right support, they can play an active role in shaping their communities. Our work therefore benefits both individuals and the wider community by helping to create a more connected, welcoming and inclusive Bristol where everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Our approach to consultation is ongoing and takes place through our Community Action Group, individual conversations, storytelling, photos and videos, feedback from activities and events, workshops, community meetings, partnerships and accessible feedback methods. Community Action Group The group brings together people with learning disabilities who meet regularly to discuss what matters to them, identify barriers in their communities and help shape SENDaWelcome's activities and priorities. The group has developed from a forum for consultation into a group where members actively contribute to community change. Members have led workshops, contributed to campaigns, provided feedback to public services, supported community events and helped develop new activities. Members have told us that they feel increasingly confident to speak up and influence change. One member said, “I think people are more confident to say more than when we first met, people are speaking up more.” People with lived experience influencing services A key part of our consultation approach is creating opportunities for people with learning disabilities to share their experiences directly with organisations and services. During the year, members of the Action Group provided feedback to Sirona Care and Health's accessibility team on its new easy-read dictionary. This enabled people with lived experience to influence the accessibility of information being developed for the wider learning disability community. An Action Group member also delivered a workshop for local community hubs, sharing their experiences and practical suggestions about how organisations could become more inclusive. This allowed community organisations to learn directly from someone with lived experience rather than relying solely on professionals to define what inclusion should look like. Two Action Group members also contributed to the “Do You See Me?” campaign, working with WECIL to create a video. This provided another opportunity for people with learning disabilities to influence wider conversations about disability and inclusion. Consultation through activities and events We use our activities and events as opportunities to listen to people and understand what they want from their community. Our accessible “What's On” information was developed in response to the difficulty people experienced in finding out what was available locally. Feedback showed that the information was helping people access activities and make new connections. Consultation with partners and community organisations SENDaWelcome also consults with and works alongside local organisations, schools, colleges, disability organisations, community groups and public services. Our larger community events have provided opportunities for more than 40 organisations to feed into our work. We also held networking opportunities for local community hubs and worked with VOSCUR to encourage organisations to consider how disabled people could be involved in their future planning. Responding to feedback and changing our work Feedback from stakeholders is used to shape what SENDaWelcome does next. For example, feedback about there being fewer opportunities for people with profound and complex learning disabilities, led to the development of our Sensory Garden Space. Feedback has also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for people to develop friendships and make new connections. This has influenced our continued development of regular social, creative, sensory and physical activities. The Action Group's feedback has also directly influenced our work with external organisations, including health services and community hubs, ensuring that people's experiences are used to improve inclusion beyond SENDaWelcome itself. Measuring the impact of consultation We gather both quantitative and qualitative information to understand whether stakeholder involvement is making a difference. During the My Community Bristol project, we recorded meaningful conversations, partnering organisations, Action Group membership numbers and meetings, community events and people supported into employment or volunteering. We also used accessible questions and personal stories to understand the difference the project was making. The feedback showed improvements in confidence, friendships, access to activities, community participation and people's ability to speak up and influence change. The stories and feedback gathered through this process are particularly important because they demonstrate that consultation is leading to real changes in people's lives and in the wider community. Leadership, professional and lived experience SENDaWelcome's approach is strengthened by the combination of lived experience and professional experience within our leadership team. Our directors have family members with autism and learning disabilities, giving the organisation a strong personal understanding of the experiences, opportunities and barriers faced by people and their families. This lived experience helps inform our values, priorities and commitment to our mission. Alongside this lived experience, members of our leadership team have extensive professional experience across a range of settings. This provides the organisation with a valuable blend of practical professional knowledge and personal understanding. Our approach SENDaWelcome's approach is therefore based on “nothing about us without us” in practice. We seek to ensure that people with learning disabilities have opportunities to identify priorities, influence decisions, challenge barriers and take leadership roles. Our aim is for consultation to be an ongoing two-way process. We listen to stakeholders, act on what we hear and create opportunities for people to see the results of their involvement. In this way, people with learning disabilities are increasingly able to shape not only SENDaWelcome's activities but also the wider community and services around them.

The aggregate amount of emoluments paid to or receivable by directors in respect of qualifying services was £698. There were no other transactions or arrangements in connection with the remuneration of directors, or compensation for director’s loss of office, which require to be disclosed.

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration