Sólás - Special Needs Charity presents An Evening of Music at Ulster Hall, Belfast on 15 February 2025!
Sólás Special Needs Charity, based on Belfast’s Ormeau Road will host an evening of music at the Ulster Hall on Saturday 15 February 2025 to raise funds for our new purpose built community facility.
Sólás is a registered charity and was established 15 years ago to provide practical supports to both children/young people, (2-18yrs) with moderate to severe disabilities and their families.
Initially, Sólás operated from temporary, rented accommodation, in community facilities across South Belfast, developing vital access to services in areas of greatest need. Demand for services increased and in 2015, Sólas acquired premises through asset transfer at Ulidia, Ormeau Road. Following the renovation of the premises and development of play space, raised beds, and off street parking; the facility opened in 2017 primarily housing Early Years services, Home support services and Afterschool's programmes.
As the need for older children and their families continued to grow, respite services and evening youth programmes were added. In addition 2 temporary modular buildings were sited at the main premises with additional facilities being rented/leased within the wider community.
This event will help raise much needed funds to complete our new Sólás building.
In 2017 Sólás initiated a planning application to build a permanent facility on site; endeavours to take the project forward were frustrated by the ‘onset’ of the pandemic. The organisation remained open to providing services to users throughout the pandemic, and was described by families as a ‘life-saver’ as schools/statutory services closed during this time. In the aftermath of Covid-19, Sólás continued to focus on developing the established Early Years, Afterschool's, Respite, Youth and Home Support Programmes, in line with demand.
In addition Sólás applied significant energy towards meeting emergent needs and in particular: Establishing the emotional health and wellbeing of children/young people and carers, securing significant funding to establish play and art therapy, counselling, and complementary therapies and carers’ support groups;
Secondly, developing SONA (a transitional service for young adults, 18+) and; completing a 3 storey, purpose built facility for youth, adult and family support services on the Ormeau Road site. Sólás’s aim is to ensure that all children/young adults, irrespective of ability can realise their potential, experience fairness in access to programmes, education/health services, and develop skills that will improve their quality of life, allowing them to participate fully within their community.
We are incredibly grateful to our wonderful talented parent, India Chapman Webb, who not only inspired this Evening of Music, but who has rolled up her sleeves and provided endless hours of work, guidance and expertise, to ensure the project could happen. We are also very grateful to the participating musical groups, including; Northern Ireland Opera; Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble; M’ANAM; The Ulster Consort and The Cross Border Youth Orchestra; for contributing their time, skills and effort to collectively deliver a heart warming and beautiful evening of music, that will undoubtedly bring joy to all those who are lucky enough to get a ticket.
