Help Us Unlock Potential and Transform Lives through Financial Inclusion 

Every day, people with disabilities face barriers that prevent them from living independent, fulfilling lives. At Watford Workshop, we believe in breaking those barriers and opening doors to a brighter future. 

People with disabilities are amongst those who are furthest from the job market and therefore financial inclusion. Many leave school without the requisite skills to command a mainstream job or the skills to look after themselves at home or in the wider community. 

People from school leaving age upwards are referred to us from a number of sources. When they join it is with a view to giving them a safe and welcoming environment in which they can learn to work, earn a living and develop skills for life. This is only achieved by the personalised service that our tutors and trainers can give. The training allows them to work for us on the jobs subcontracted to us by our customers in the areas of hand packing, labelling and assembly. It is the continuing, and ever increasing cost of that training that we would love you to fund please.

In addition to the work experience project we also run proper education courses in Life Skills and Independent Living skills. We teach literacy; numeracy; avoiding scams; money management; cookery; hygiene; appropriate relationships and much more. 

Did you know? 

• There are almost 10 million disabled people of working age in the UK, representing a significant but underutilised talent pool. 
• Only 53.7% of disabled people are employed, compared to 82.7% of people who are not disabled. 

At Watford Workshop, we’re changing this. Over 90% of our team are disabled people, working and thriving in a supportive environment. But there’s so much more we can do—and that’s where you come in. 

The Challenges 

Many of the people we support face significant hurdles, including: 

• A lack of inclusive employment opportunities. 
• Social isolation and low confidence. 
• Limited access to essential life skills and training. 

These challenges leave people feeling stuck, but with your help, we can give them the tools and opportunities to thrive. 

How Your Donation Helps 

Your support provides life-changing opportunities for people with disabilities. Every donation makes a tangible impact: 

• £40 funds a one-to-one life skills session, covering critical skills like money management. 
• £60 supports a full day of training and meaningful work experience. 
• £80 provides a combination of vocational training and life skills education for one participant. 

Together, we can transform lives and create a more inclusive society both financially and socially. 

What We’ve Achieved 

We’ve been empowering people with disabilities for over 60 years. Each year: 

• We support over 80 individuals to gain confidence, develop new skills, and contribute to meaningful work. 
• Many participants transition into mainstream employment, gaining pride and independence. 
• Our hand-packing services benefit local businesses, showing the value of inclusive employment. 

One participant summed up our impact beautifully:
"This charity has given me a reason to get out of bed in the morning."

Act Now to Make a Difference 

Your generosity enables us to provide life-changing support to people with disabilities. By donating today, you’re creating opportunities for individuals to lead fuller, more independent lives.

We see very emotional outcomes on a daily basis with people's skills improving, confidence growing; dignity, self esteem and sense of achievement all visible. Reading skills are improved, people can count their change in a shop and know they are not being scammed. They can work and move to mainstream employers with new found levels of skill and confidence. They accomplish things that they and their families may have believed to be impossible before they came to us. It is only through the generosity of our amazing supporters that any of this is made possible - thank you so much for contributing to our appeal.