In 2009, Inspire celebrated its 21st anniversary. 21 years of offering opportunities for an excellent quality of life for people with learning disabilities. In this time the organisation has grown to become one of Scotland’s best known learning disability charities with a wide range of support projects, aimed at providing a unique service tailored to each individual’s personal needs and requirements.
It’s been an exciting journey, from Inspire’s origins as Partnership Housing Ltd in 1988, to the launch of the Boulevard Campaign in 2005, and the awards and accreditations of late. The story is one of success, achievement and development, all the time focussing on one vision, improving the quality of life of those it supports.
Follow the Inspire adventure here:
1988 Established as Partnership Housing Ltd on 3rd October 1988
1989 First office opened at 55 Queens Lane South, Aberdeen
1990 First Partnership service opens in January at Fonthill Terrace, Aberdeen
1992 Move to new offices at Old Stoneywood Church, Bankhead, Aberdeen
1990 – 1993 Rapid period of growth and as a result Partnership Housing expands to having 29 services by the end of March 1993.
Trailblazer Projects:
1990 Community Living Project(CLP), Aberdeen
1991 Moray
1990 Buckie
1991 Aberdeenshire
1991 Peterhead
1992 Elgin
1992 Stonehaven
1993 Archiestown
1992 Inverurie
1993 Banchory
1993 Ellon
1993 Huntly
1995 Person Centred Planning (PCP) implemented, a unique way of working with individuals with learning disabilities
1996 Achieved Investors in People status
1997 Training on Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention implemented
1998 Partnership celebrates its 10th Birthday by hosting the conference ‘Grow Together’ at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre
1998 Partnership has a further period of growth
1998 Expansion of Community Living Projects in Aberdeen City and Shire
1998 Expansion of Rural Support Services in Inverurie and Independent Travel Project
2000 New service opened for people leaving children’s services
2001 First services for children launched
2001 Transitional Housing Benefit funds one of our services
2001 Service set up for people leaving hospital
2002 Service in Kemnay opened
2002 First ‘Sparkles’ disco held for the people we support
2003 www.partnershiphousing.org.uk launched
2004 – 2005 Further development of services
2004 SURG – Service Users Representation Group created
2005 Same as You Local Link started (now called Local Area Co-ordination)
2005 First Autism specific service opened in Balmedie
2005 ‘Moving On’ project in Inverurie created
2005 Partnership Housing has a ‘Dream’ – The Boulevard Project Campaign is launched
2006 Veitch Moir building on Aberdeen’s Beach Boulevard is demolished and foundations for the Boulevard Project are laid
2006 Partnership Housing Ltd becomes Inspire (Partnership Through Life) Ltd
2006 New property purchased in Aberdeen City
2007 Extension completed at one of our homes in Kincardine and Deeside
2007 Shire Social Support Groups created
2007 Huntly Day Service moved from Aberdeenshire Council to Inspire
2007 Boulevard Project completed, Inspire head office moves to its new home
2007 Inspire Venture Ltd set up as sister charity to Inspire and launch of two new social enterprises, Café Coast and Inspire Conferences
2007 Employment Scheme set up at the Boulevard Project providing progressive work training to those with learning disabilities
2008 The first students start on the employment scheme
2008 Accreditation from the National Autistic Society achieved by service at Balmedie
2008 SURG becomes ‘Positive People’
2009 Inspire celebrates its 21st Birthday Year
2009 The build at Milton Wynd, Huntly is complete and the new tenants moved in November 2009
2010 The Organisation goes through a restructure to ensure that Inspire remains competitive in an increasingly difficult marketplace. This continued until early 2011.
2010 Inspired Soap is launched during Learning Disability week 2010
2010 Redmoss, Devanha and Loirston are closed and 13 individuals from these properties move into their own flats in the newly built Holland Street project, with Tenants First as landlords
2011 Café Academy is launched and the first students are welcomed in January 2011.
2011 The 1st floor of the Boulevard building is leased to Sport Aberdeen, and Inspire Conferences is dissolved. Café Coast becomes Café Coast with Meeting Rooms to accurately reflect these changes
2011 People supported at existing projects in Peterhead move into the newly renovated Threadneedle Street project. The property is owned by NTS and the landlords are Tenants First.
2011 Inspire prepares for the new system of direct payments
