New hub in Belfast to provide specialist support to help people with complex disabilities to socialise

Disability charity Sense will open a major new centre in Belfast next year, offering specialist support and services to people with complex disabilities and their families.

Sense will redevelop the Belfast Resource Centre on Annadale Avenue, currently run by the MS Society, transforming it into ‘Sense Hub Belfast’, a thriving community space where disabled people of all ages can meet and take part in activities.

Sense Hub Belfast will offer a range of commissioned and charitably funded services to support children and adults with complex disabilities. This will include a new adult day centre, arts and sports activities, and play sessions, where disabled children can learn to communicate, develop and connect with their families.

There are approximately 52,000 people with complex disabilities living in Northern Ireland, with one in five based in Belfast. Sense Hub Belfast will support over a thousand people by 2026.

Sense hopes the new hub will help tackle loneliness which is disproportionately high amongst disabled people in Northern Ireland. Research by Censuswide on behalf of Sense revealed more than two-thirds of people with complex disabilities feel lonely, and 80 percent face difficulties socialising.

Sense is working closely with the MS Society on the plans, and the charity will remain on the site, continuing to deliver support and activities for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The MS Society has been providing services and support for people affected by MS from the centre since 1998. Over 150,000 live with MS in the UK. MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, which impacts how people move, think and feel.

Richard Kramer, Chief Executive of Sense, said: “Sense has been supporting people with complex disabilities, such as deafblindness, in Northern Ireland for 30 years.

“Sense Hub Belfast will build on this work, creating an inclusive and dynamic centre, where disabled people and their families can meet and share new experiences, supported by specialist staff.

“Based in the heart of the community, with access to local shops, outdoor spaces, pubs and cafes, the hub promises to have a wider impact, bringing disabled and non-disabled people together and bringing down loneliness.

“We’re really excited to be working with MS Society, who will continue to deliver services from the site for people affected by MS. We’re looking forward to collaborating with them on ways to maximise our reach within the local communities.”

Work will begin on the site this summer and has already received the backing of the Garfield Weston Foundation with £250 000 funding, the Pears Foundation with £150 000, and £75 000 from the Wolfson Foundation.

Stewart Finn, Northern Ireland Director for MS Society, said: “We’re excited to be working with Sense. We hope our new partnership improves things for both our communities and we’re very positive about what we can achieve together.

“The centre will be extensively refurbished to create modern, purpose-built spaces that both communities can use and enjoy for years to come. We know how important it is to people with MS and so we’re pleased to say the services and activities – including counselling, Pilates, yoga and physio – will be staying the same.

“Over 5,300 people live with MS in Northern Ireland. Symptoms are different for everyone and often invisible. The MS Society has active groups and provides services right across NI. This agreement means the MS Society can continue to provide in person services in Belfast for years to come, with arrangement for the first 12 years already in place.”

A Fundraising Board has been established, bringing together passionate and committed Sense supporters in Northern Ireland, comprising Dr Stephen Kingon, Stuart John, Johnathan Henry, Allan Newbronner, Michelle McTernan and Peter Lavery. Together they aim to raise funds and profile for the new hub.

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