Sunday Circle is a youth provision for young people with a wide variety of learning disabilities. It was started in 1981 by Maggie Harries as she realised there was very little opportunity for these young people to have the same social experiences and opportunities as others their age.
We provide an opportunity for teenagers and young adults with learning disabilities to socialise with their peers in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere. We have over 70 members on our books, some of whom have been coming to club for many years. On average we have between 40 and 50 members attend each week meaning we are one of the busiest youth groups in Cardiff. Sunday Circle is often quite noisy with a large range of activities in progress however our members get on well with each other (as much as teenagers ever do!). Our members have a wide range of additional needs and we aim to accommodate them within our club. A proportion of our members are on the Autistic Spectrum but we also have members with global developmental delay, Down’s Syndrome, Fragile X and other syndromes as well as social/communication difficulties. The majority of our members have attended Special Educational schools or units however this is not a requirement for attendance at Sunday Circle.
Sunday Circle is a registered charity and receives a small grant from Cardiff Youth Services. We have three members of staff and a number of dedicated volunteers to provide sufficient support on club nights as well as on our many outings/trips/events. The majority of our funds come from donations, fundraising events and the occasional kind contribution of organisations.