National Star – realising the aspirations of people with disabilities in Wales

It was September 2016 when National Star opened the first specialist independent day college for young adults with disabilities and learning difficulties in Wales.

Five years on and the charity has just renewed their lease at Mamhilad Business Park for a further five years as demand for services continues to grow. Some 17 students with learning difficulties and disabilities from Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Newport and Cardiff are currently enrolled with the college that offers full and part time courses.

As Director of Services, John Mann, leads a team of 30 staff who are based at Mamhilad. He says: “At National Star, we’re driven by our vision for a world in which people with disabilities are able to realise their potential as equal and active citizens in control of their lives. This sits at the heart of everything we do, from the personalised learning we provide to each learner to the high quality staff training.

“Our focus is very much on meeting educational needs and future aspirations by providing accredited courses in numeracy, literacy and digital literacy along with specialist therapy. We also work closely with further education colleges and local employers, providing work placements for our students to help develop their skills and experience.

“All of our programmes increase independence and autonomy. We support our students by helping them to develop their life skills, enabling a healthy lifestyle and ownership of their health and wellbeing wherever possible. Importantly, we know that they love coming to Mamhilad – it’s a safe and welcoming environment with plenty of green space. It’s also easily accessible which works well for both students and staff.”

Find out more at www.nationalstar.org/Wales