Stepping Stones were absolutely delighted to make it to the regional finals of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2011 in the category of Social Entrepreneurship.

Declan Fitzgerald Managing Director of Business Banking at Ulster Bank commented:

“The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards was established to acknowledge business success and reward companies who have displayed exceptional determination and innovation whilst battling to stay ahead of their competitors. These businesses are an exceptional example to others and their achievements must be recognized.”

Chief Officer Paula Jennings said:

To receive recognition at such prestigious Awards is incredible for us and everyone at Stepping Stones is very proud.  Our social enterprises are at the heart of everything we do so to be recognised as one of Northern Ireland’s leading Social Enterprises is a great boost for our staff and trainees.

Pink Elephant Cards were delighted to be invited to the official opening of the Heart & Home Social Enterprise Store at Drumalane Mill, at the Quays, Newry.

Developed by our friends at The Clanrye Group, Heart & Home is a store which sells products that are produced by other social enterprises from across Northern Ireland, of which Pink Elephant is one!

The shop was officially opened by Dr Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning, who congratulated not only the staff of Clanrye, but the trainees who were involved in Heart & Home. 

The team at Pink Elephant are thrilled to be one of the first social enterprises to be asked to sell their products in the Heart & Home store and would encourage all of our supporters to check it out!

Pictured below are Dr Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning, Jerome Mullan, Chairperson of the Clanrye group and some of the Heart & Home trainees.

On Thursday 1st of March 2012 Stepping Stones NI will be hosting the first of their annual fundraising events.  The “Big, Clever Pub Quiz” will be held in The Pheasant, Hillsborough from 8.00pm.

Appealing for quiz teams Business Development Manager Cara Cash commented:  “ We want to raise money for our Charity while giving our supporters a good night out.  There will be great prizes for the winning teams and a chance to win something in our ballot.  Every penny we raise will be going straight back to help people with learning disabilities and learning difficulties so the event is incredibly worthwhile.”  To register your team contact Cara as soon as possible on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 02892 667124.

Chief Officer Paula Jennings stated:  “We are incredibly proud of the services we deliver, but even more so of the young people who access them, and would welcome everyone to come along with their team to what is guaranteed to be a great night.”

Pink Elephant Cards will be displaying their luxurious Wedding Stationery at the following wedding Fair:

The Wedding Journal Show, King's Hall on 24th-26th February

All visitors to our stand will receive a 10% discount card and have the opportunity to view our full range of designs. Our designers will also be on hand should you wish to discuss our bespoke service.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Stepping Stones would like to wish all of our supporters a very Happy New Year.
All of our services are now reopened and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Local charity celebrates training and employment successes of people with learning disabilities and learning difficulties.

In times of difficult economic climates, redundancies, job cuts and tighter purses a local charity found many reasons to celebrate.   

On Tuesday 15^th November at the Island Centre Lisburn, Stepping Stones NI celebrated the successful achievements in the attainment of qualifications and employment of people with learning disabilities and learning difficulties accessing the training and employment services of the organisation.  Speakers at the annual event included the Minister for Health Mr Edwin Poots MLA , Mr Colum Boyle  Director of Employment Service, The Department of Employment and Learning and UTV Mr Julian Simmons.

Speaking at the event Health Minister Edwin Poots commented:

“I welcome the opportunity to come here today and be a part of this event. I acknowledge the hard work and commitment of these young people leading them to receive these awards and wish them every success.

“Their lives and the lives of others in their communities will be enhanced through their hard work and achievements.”

Julian Simmons was also delighted to be at the event and presented the trainees and clients with their awards.  A long standing supporter of the Charity he told the audience:

“I am truly amazed at the amount of people here celebrating today.  So many of you have completed training programs and gotten jobs this year and you should all be incredibly proud.”

Mr Colum Boyle of the Department of Employment and Learning said:

“It truly is a privilege to be here with you all today.  I am wholly inspired by the dedication and commitment you have all shown to your own development and the department is committed to keep programs such as Stepping Stones going. “

Paula Jennings Chief Officer of Stepping Stones was delighted at the achievements of the young people saying “None of this would have been possible without the support of our 120 employers, the support of the Lisburn Community and our partnership working with NOW.  We are making it happen for young people with learning disabilities and learning difficulties every day, supporting them to fulfil their work potential.

As the dark mornings and evening of winter approach we all need a bit of Christmas sparkle, some local social entrepreneurs have teamed up to host a Christmas Market offering an exclusive range of Christmas gifts, that make a difference.

On 1^st December 2011November Stepping Stones Coffee Shop, on Seymour Street in Lisburn will be transformed by a group of social enterprises: Stepping Stones NI, Autism Initiatives NI, The Orchardville Society and Alternative Angles offering an extensive array of goodies and gifts that have been created by people with learning disabilities.

Cara Cash, Business Development Manager at Stepping Stones commented:

“This is the 2^nd year of the Festive Sparkle Christmas Market and we are all really excited to be bringing our new products to the public. Festive Sparkle is a one of a kind opportunity to be a savvy shopper this Christmas.  Get your Christmas presents, and give something back to a charity helping people with learning disabilities, so giving two presents for the price of one.  Many consumers want to give to Charity we are giving them the opportunity to give and get at the same time!  We are so delighted to continue to work with Alternative Angles, Autism Initiatives and The Orchardville Society, whose products are exquisite.”

While enjoying a winter BBQ and some mulled wine visitors can sample the new chocolate creations of Chocolate Memories, get their charity Christmas cards and some festive treats from Stepping Stones and Orchardville Society.  Not to mention picking up that elusive Christmas gift in the form of luxurious candles and bath bombs from Alternative Angles, that will support the work of these organisations to make a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities.

Stepping Stones N.I marked Anti Bullying Week by holding workshops for their trainees to enforce the Anti-Bullying message.

The trainees talked about all the different types of bullying physical, emotional and the newest threat of bullying - cyber bullying. The trainees wrote words or drew pictures of how they might feel if people had been bullying them or someone they knew.

Trainees also participated in role play activities about the different types of bullying - from picking on someone because they supported a different football team to sending nasty texts to someone.

Helen Jelly training coordinator at Stepping Stones N.I said “Workshops like the ones we do in Stepping Stones N.I are so important for our trainees as we live in a cyber world and not everyone out there is nice or who they say they are.”

The communities we live in today should be free from Bullying and Harassment, especially for people with Learning Disabilities. However according to statistics from Mencap, 8 out of 10 children with a learning disability have been bullied at some stage in their lives, and sadly many grow up into adulthood with similar experiences.

Stepping Stones NI is taking bullying for adults with learning disabilities very seriously indeed.

Paula Jennings Chief Officer of Stepping Stones comments, “Workplace bullying has become more evident in recent times for people with learning disabilities and learning difficulties, so as an organisation we decided that we had a role to play in tackling this very serious issue – and we are delighted to announce we have received funding from the Leonardo European Programme to do just that.”

“Stepping Stones is coordinating a European project with organisations and universities in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Dublin, the project aims to tackle workplace bullying for adults with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. We aim to produce an online training toolkit which will include background information on the problem, its nature and the current projects, initiatives and approaches to tackling workplace bullying. This will be built on European-wide best practice and will also offer practical guidance and resources for trainers working with people with a learning disability, employers and those working in field of supported employment”

“The Leonardo project is a fantastic opportunity for Stepping Stones to help tackle this issue and to work with other European professionals, share knowledge and experience and transfer our innovation”

Stepping Stones NI trainees had the opportunity to develop their team building skills, at a fantastic day with Team Build Ireland at Tullynewbank Stables.

Thirty three trainees shot arrows, ploughed through mud on a treasure hunt, battled giants and witches and showed their equestrian skills at the stables.

While horse riding, trainee Christine McRoberts, expressed her feeling by saying , ‘I feel like a cowgirl at a wild west rodeo.’

A fantastic and rather action packed day was had by all.  Helen Jelly Training Coordinator supporting the days activities said “Simone and her Team at TeamBuild Ireland were amazing and offered fantastic support for our trainees.I would recommend them to anyone organising a day away from the world of work”