{"id":57350,"date":"2024-10-01T17:01:10","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T16:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=57350"},"modified":"2026-04-09T17:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:06:55","slug":"work-begins-on-development-of-sense-hub-belfast-a-thriving-community-space-for-disabled-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/press-releases\/northern-ireland\/work-begins-on-development-of-sense-hub-belfast-a-thriving-community-space-for-disabled-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Work begins on development of Sense Hub Belfast \u2013 a thriving community space for disabled people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-primary-bullets\">\n<li>Disability charity Sense has announced that work has begun to develop its new hub, Sense Hub Belfast, due to open in Spring 2025.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sense Hub Belfast will become a thriving community space for people with complex disabilities, and their families, to meet, learn and try new things.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sense ambassador, Ibe Sesay, joined MLAs and some of the people the charity supports to launch the work and said: \u201cThe centre is so needed in our community.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-1024x519.jpg\" alt=\"A group of 7 adults and one young boy standing together in a group outside a brick building. They are all wearing orange Sense branded hi vis vests, some of them are wearing orange Sense branded hard hats. A man are the front holds a space. \" class=\"wp-image-57353\" style=\"width:787px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-1024x519.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-600x304.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-768x389.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-1536x778.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-2048x1037.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-500x253.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sense-Hub-Belfast_Spade-in-the-ground_28-August-2024_JT-RB-RB-SF-FA-MW-KN-IS2-1600x810.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pictured: Jamie Thompson; supported by Sense, Ryan Bloomer; personal trainer and Sense ambassador, Robbie Butler MLA, Stewart Finn; Northern Ireland Directo, MS Society, Fionn Arbuckle; supported by Sense, Martin Walls; Head of Operations, Sense Northern Ireland, Kate Nicholl MLA, Ibe Sesay; Q Radio presenter and Sense Ambassador.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 October 2024 &#8211; <\/strong>Work has begun on the development of Sense Hub Belfast, a major new centre in Belfast run by disability charity Sense. The centre, when it opens in Spring 2025, will offer specialist support and services to people with complex disabilities and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sense service users, Jamie and Fionn, joined Sense ambassadors Ibe Sesay and Ryan Bloomer, and Members of the Legislative Assembly, Robbie Butler and Kate Nicholls, at the site to mark the beginning of the development of the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sense will redevelop the Belfast Resource Centre on Annadale Avenue, previously run by the MS Society. Under the new setup, MS Society will continue to offer services from the site when it reopens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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, sports and wellbeing activities, and support for disabled children aged 12 and under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sense, which celebrates its 70th&nbsp;birthday next year, hopes the new hub will help people with complex disabilities in Northern Ireland to meet and socialise with people and learn new skills. According to Sense research*, more than one third (thirty one per cent) of people with complex disabilities want to build skills and more than one quarter (twenty seven per cent) want to develop new relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Martin Walls, Head of Operations in Northern Ireland, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSense has been supporting people with complex disabilities, including those who are deafblind, in Northern Ireland for over 30 years. We\u2019ve been told previously that Sense is Northern Ireland\u2019s best kept secret, but Sense Hub Belfast will change that<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSense Hub Belfast will enable us to reach more people in a state of the art, accessible centre where disabled people and their families can meet and share new experiences, supported a team of specialist staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re really excited for works on site to start and to see our new centre start to take shape. We\u2019re extremely grateful for the support of our ambassadors and local MLA\u2019s for championing our work and are looking forward to sharing more as progress continues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ibe Sesay, Q Radio presenter and Sense Northern Ireland ambassador, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so thrilled to be asked to be an ambassador for Sense in Northern Ireland. I\u2019m proud to come on board at such an exciting time for the charity as work begins on Sense Hub Belfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have a background in providing care for disabled people and so I know the barriers that they face in our community all too well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis centre is going to be so important. The new services will make such a difference to the lives of disabled people that live here, and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For more information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please email <a href=\"mailto:mediaenquiries@sense.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mediaenquiries@sense.org.uk<\/a> or call 0203 833 0611.<\/p>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-grey-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact Sense&#8217;s media team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Email: <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:mediaenquiries@sense.org.uk\">mediaenquiries@sense.org.uk<\/a><br><strong>Phone number: <\/strong>0203 833 0611<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1 October 2024 \u2013 Sense has announced that work has begun to develop its new hub, Sense Hub Belfast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":57353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1397],"tags":[],"display_author":[],"class_list":["post-57350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-northern-ireland"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57350"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=57350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}