Libby ‘Accelerates’ into teaching career

A young woman from Coventry is heading for a bright future in teaching, thanks to a free employment support service designed to help people who are at a disadvantage when looking for paid work. The need for the Accelerate project is clear when you see the stats. Just six per cent of adults with a […]

“I love Grapevine’s ethos, the inclusivity and care for the community is incredible”

It’s been a while since we last did a #TeamTalk blog post, so today we’re introducing Lucy Stone! Lucy joined Grapevine earlier this year as a journey guide on the Accelerate employment support programme. When that came to an end, Lucy began dividing her week between being a project worker on Safeside (helping to equip […]

“I love my work. It means a lot to me” – Joanne’s journey into hospital job

Meet Joanne. Joanne is a trainee health care assistant at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby, Warwickshire. She works on a ward helping older people and people recovering after a stroke. When she’s not learning on the job and supporting patients with their personal care, she spends the remainder of her 30-hour week studying […]

Nathan builds on volunteering success to join school team

“I was really excited when they offered me the job. I was a little bit nervous at first but I decided to give it a go. The staff helped me get used to the new job by giving me some trial shifts in the summer holidays when the school was quiet.” Like so many young […]

Green-fingered Michael grows his own business after job knockbacks

“I feel happy and proud to run my own business,” says Michael, unemployed for four years and on the receiving end of numerous rejections from employers who would not go the extra mile to make reasonable adjustments for his learning disability. When Michael from Coventry met Suzie Crowter, a journey guide on the Accelerate programme […]

I truly believe in the work the Connecting for Good team do to end marginalisation and isolation

For the first time since Connecting for Good began in Coventry in 2018, we are welcoming a team leader to work alongside our community organisers and further progress the movement’s aims of ending isolation and marginalisation in the city, reforming the system that allows it. Introducing Laura Fisher to Grapevine! Listen to or read her […]

Challenging perceptions of disability: Free employer networking event

Today we announce an exciting new event in partnership with Accelerate to bring learning disabled and autistic job seekers together with businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire. More people than ever are searching for work, especially those who are already at a disadvantage due to assumptions and stereotypes. Autistic people and people with learning disabilities frequently […]

Join Coventry’s Citizens Assembly on climate change

“As COP26 is over, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate one project and invite you to join the start of another,” writes Grapevine community organiser Jess for today’s blog post. “Climate change will make a difference to everybody on the planet in the coming years. But very few of us feel that we […]

Global citizens present statements to COP26 today – including Sanjay from Coventry

Today from 1pm (13:00 UTC), 100 citizens from across the globe present their collective statements about the climate and ecological crisis to COP26 in Glasgow – and the UK representative is from Coventry! Step forward Sanjay Jagatia, whose perspectives form part of today’s inaugral People’s Declaration with support from Grapevine. The first-ever Global Citizens’ Assembly, […]