Our Impact

Nickel Support is dedicated to empowering adults with learning disabilities and/or autism by providing meaningful opportunities that enhance their lives within health, relationships and employment. We focus on these areas in our daily sessions with the aim of supporting independence, building confidence and creating inclusive environments where individuals can thrive.

95% of adults with a learning disability are unemployed.*

As well as offering paid employment to selected adults with learning disabilities (trainees) in our care within Interestingly Different shop, we also offer trainees employability skills and training to get them more ‘workplace ready’. These skills are developed in our coffee shop Beans and Bloom, and in our daily hubs where we have a kitchen, furniture upcycling studio and jesmonite studio. 85% of our trainees feel they have gained skills that would help them in a job since joining Nickel Support.**

50% of adults with learning disabilities report loneliness***

At Nickel and our enterprises, there is a strong focus on social engagement and fostering friendships. Chat is encouraged when partaking in activities as well as regular social events such as rounders in the park, curry nights and awards nights. As a result, 85% of trainees feel less lonely since joining Nickel Support.

42% of adults with learning disabilities die an avoidable death****

Exercise, dance and meditation are important sessions for our trainees and Nickel Life sessions also encourage cooking healthy meals from scratch with a view to preparing food independently. This focus on physical health and support is fundamental to our core principles at Nickel.

Around 50% of adults with learning disabilities live in the family home*****

At Nickel we encourage the independence of our trainees with 78% of trainees indicating that they feel more independent since joining the organisation. Depending on their abilities, trainees are given agency to make decisions, establish their own relationships and choose which sessions they partake in.

In addition to the above:

• 100% of trainees feel happier since joining Nickel Support

• 90% of trainees have made more friends since joining Nickel Support

• 100% of trainees feel that they can communicate more easily since joining Nickel

• 95% of trainees feel more confident since joining Nickel Support

It’s not just about the trainees at Nickel; their parents are carers are really important to us too. We understand that a strong partnership with parents and carers is crucial to enable our trainees to thrive. We are delighted that 93% of our parents and carers feel supported by Nickel and we continually strive to make this figure even higher.

View our Impact Report here.

*NHS Digital, 2021

** based on a survey of 30% of our trainees in March 2025

*** Sense 2017

**** Le DeR Report, 2023

***** learningdisabilities.org.uk