Unlocking the lives of adults with learning difficulties and the people that support them

The Big Give Christmas Challenge!

Donations 3-10 December will make double the difference!

Key to joy are part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge this year, and better yet we’ve secured The Hampshire Cricket Foundation as our champion funder. Very exciting! This means if we make our target, alongside our pledge, all donations will be doubled! But we do need your help…

Members hold the key

Key to joy improves the wellbeing of adults with mild to moderate learning difficulties through a range of life-enhancing activities.

From the moment our professional staff and trained volunteers meet them at the door, our members feel at ease. From ease comes talking, laughter and the confidence to take part in everything that we offer. Beyond the wonderful sense of belonging and the opportunity to have fun with friends, the aim is to enhance their quality of life as independent adults.

Key to joy enables our members to contribute to society in ways that were previously unattainable. We give adults with learning difficulties and neurodiversity the tools to reach their full potential, and experience joy in the process.

Key to joy don’t just open doors for our members, we give them the key.

Behind the door

There's a joyous group of people with a lot to contribute to society, who come together in a safe space and get to be who they are.

These are, warm and compassionate adults who struggle to reach their potential in life, because they happen to have mild to moderate learning difficulties, which disguises their skills.

They are the forgotten ones and here they are seen, heard… included.

Membership activities

Life Skills

Regular sessions cover a wide range of practical topics to support independence such as shopping, finance and cooking.

Arts & Crafts

We have regular workshops and sessions run by the staff and volunteers. We also welcome local artists to facilitate.

Gardening

Members grow and cultivate flowers, fruit and vegetables, and learn how to be eco-friendly and sustainable together.

Archery

Every Tuesday in our secure outside area, members get to try their hand at archery with trained GB Archery coaches.

Come along to our comedy night

Sunday 8th December | Fareham Social Club

To help raise funds for the Big Give Christmas Challenge we have a wonderful night of comedy planned for Sunday 8 December at the Fareham Social Club. Over 50% of the comedians are neurodivergent, which we absolutely love and they are really are top notch acts. Including Paul McCaffrey (BBC Radio 2) and Joe Wells, a local Portsmouth comedian who also runs a neurodivergent podcast. Follow the link to learn more.

If you can’t go, please let us know if you can donate a raffle prize for the night!

Join our mailing list

We’d love to update you with all things Key to joy, just add your email to join our mailing list.
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  • "I love coming to Key to joy because I can be myself and learn to socialise, without Key to joy I barely existed."

    Lyndsey, Member

  • "I absolutely love volunteering for this group with a weekly book club... it's wonderful to see them growing in confidence..."

    Sharon Warren, Volunteer

  • "There's nothing better than seeing all those smiling faces and knowing that everything we do here makes a real difference."

    Michaela Owens, Charity Manager

  • Key to joy gives me the opportunity to put my skills and experience as a teacher into practice."

    Christine Mouat, Chair

  • "I absolutely love helping the members, putting a smile on their face, and witnessing all the wonderful growth."

    Gail Gannon, Senior Activities Facilitator

Support us

We’re currently match-funded with a 5-year National Lottery Community Fund grant, which will only get us so far. This is why we’re keen to raise funds from other sources to secure the longevity of the charity and bring the best continued quality of service and support to our members.

Please follow the link to learn more about corporate or business sponsorship.

National Lottery Community Fund

We secured a second grant from The National Lottery Community fund in 2023

This was a real turning point for what was originally The Friday Night Charity (FNC) and led us to rebrand and change our name to Key to joy in December 2023. We’re so grateful to everyone at the National Lottery Community Fund who have and continued to support us. Learn more about how this funding supports the charity here…

Join our mailing list

To grow the charity effectively, we need to grow our email list! Please pop your email in to reveive our newsletter and
updates during the Big Give campaign 3-10 December.