03/03/2025
The Josephine and Jack Project to close after 21 impactful years
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that the Josephine and Jack Project is winding up and will be closed as of 30th April 2025.
We are very proud of the work that has been delivered over the last 21 years, from the project's exciting and groundbreaking beginnings at Them Wifies, followed by a brief tenure at Monkfish Productions CIC before finally launching as an independent charity - The Josephine & Jack Project CIO! Since launching as a charity in September 2016, our award winning charity has directly supported over 1,000 people on 60+ courses, mostly in the North East, and have licensed out seven Josephine and Jack figures across the UK.
We would like to thank our course leaders for the huge contribution they have made with Josephine and Jack, helping people with learning disabilities to discuss the health, wellbeing and safety issues that people find difficult to talk about. We are also grateful to the partner organisations who have commissioned our work and the funders who have provided grants. And most of all, we would like to thank all of the people with learning disabilities who have helped to shape the vision and aspirations of Josephine & Jack down the years - from designing and co-delivering workshops to the figures themselves.
Unfortunately, like many small charities, securing funding to deliver our work and keep the charity going has been an ongoing challenge. With the increased competition for grant funding and the reduction in public sector budgets, we have been unable to find a way to make the charity financially sustainable.
At an Extraordinary General Meeting, our members voted unanimously to wind up the charity and transfer the assets to Skills for People, a Newcastle based charity supporting people with learning disabilities whose mission is aligned to ours. They are already providing support on the issues we cover and are now exploring how to continue our work under the name "Josephine and Jack at Skills".
We hope that being part of a larger organisation will give Josephine and Jack extra support, helping the work to continue while staying true to its original values.
Keep an eye on the Skills for People website for updates about Josephine and Jack at Skills and how you can get involved.
