Our Sociable Dinner Club project will allow us to create group dining experiences for disabled people aged 16 and over. Our Sociable project was founded in 2008 and is managed by disabled people with lived experiences of exclusion. Since we opened, we have run more than 800 project sessions at The Ark in Liverpool 7, where members have participated in activities such as arts and craft, drama, board games, console games, boccia, table tennis and podcasting to name just a few.

We are still reeling from the aftermouth of the pandemic and our weekly sessions were suspeded in August 2023, due to a low turn out. Since then however, we have met with members and volunteers and we are determined to introduce a new Dinner Club project that would allow us to provide group dining experiences at a reduced cost to members and service users.

The Accessible Guide is our parent company and was founded and is managed by the same founding members of our Sociable project. Through our work at The Accessible Guide we have links to many restaurants across Liverpool and many of them are keen to host a Sociable Dinner Club event!

Over the years, our most popular evenings have been our group dining experiences, mainly at Christmas, but we have had a couple at other times of the year also. It is always a joy to see our members enjoy their times at our acitvities and projects and this is why we want to create our new project.

The dining expeirences are popular as many of our most at risk members don't get the opportunity to socialise in such an environment, and when they do it is usually with family members. Whilst we welcome family members to join us, it's a chance for members to enjoy a break from their family and enjoy their time with other friends, in a safe and welcoming environment. It may just be a few hours, but it is something our members always enjoy.

By making our Sociable Dinner Club more affordable, it will allow us to enjoy several group dining experience.