Caritas St Joseph’s is pleased to have opened a fourth Connect@ hub in Whitton, offering dynamic, high-quality day classes to adults with intellectual disabilities. Whitton will join existing hubs in Feltham, Hounslow and North Harrow in providing cookery, drama, art and dance classes, serving as a local extension of the service’s lifelong learning centre in Hendon.
Currently in its third week, the Connect@ hub in Whitton is based in the church hall at the parish of St Edmund of Canterbury. This term’s classes are Arts and Crafts, which includes drawing, painting, and printing, and Props, Puppets and the Stage, where students create three-dimensional pieces used in performance, such as masks, shadow puppets, and models.
As in Hendon, class tutors at Connect@ hubs are experts in their field, who bring to life the subjects they teach. A local development worker is also present, serving as a point of contact for families and carers and supplying helpful local information. Classes are relaxed and open to all abilities, and can range from an out-of-hours art lesson to PMLD Dance that is tailored to wheelchair users.
A weekly presence in each hub area also enables the team to support those wishing to further engage with the Church on a local level, for example by connecting individuals with catechists who have completed Symbols of Faith, a course that specialises in catechesis for people with learning difficulties.
Volunteers form the backbone of every Connect@ hub, and assist with everything from spending time with students to preparing food and cleaning up. As hubs are based in parishes, parishioners and others local to the area are particularly encouraged to volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please click here to find out more.
The Connect@ hub in Whitton looks forward to welcoming new students, with places expected to fill up quickly given the success of other hubs. Several exciting classes are planned for the Spring, including designing and creating doll-house collages with Matisse-inspired wallpaper, and making figures using the ‘blown-egg’ technique. To find out more about the Connect@ hubs, please call 020 8202 3999, or email enquiries@stjoseph.org.uk.
Connect@ hubs further the Caritas St Joseph’s mission of helping individuals with intellectual disabilities to share their gifts and participate in their communities and the life of the Church. Seeking to foster community and inclusivity, the hubs offer engaging classes and social opportunities for people of all faiths and none.
Find out more about Caritas St Joseph’s here.
