We are People First Keighley and Craven, a dynamic, forward-thinking advocacy charity and day service led by people with learning disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.
Our vision is simple yet powerful: to create a world where everyone, is included. Our office is based at Central Hall in Keighley, near Bradford — a place that has become more than just a workspace. It is a hub for creativity, safety, and action. Every day, we come together not just to run an organisation, but to build a movement.
Each of us has a role or job that contributes to the smooth running of our office, whether it is administration, communications, outreach, or event planning. Every member plays a vital part in ensuring everyone at People First Keighley and Craven continues to thrive. We spend our days discussing the important topics of the day in the news – including using Able Magazine as the starting point for discussions on various issues facing people with learning disabilities and people who are neurodivergent. Our CEO, Catrina Farnell, is herself physically disabled and started volunteering for us around seven years ago.
Unique
One of the things that makes us unique is our podcast studio. This is our platform where we share our voices with the world. The things we talk about round the table often end up inspiring topics for our podcast. The People First Podcast is recognised by Google AI as the first known podcast run and hosted by adults with learning disabilities. This achievement is more than a milestone for us; it is proof that when barriers are removed and support is provided, we can create media that informs, inspires, and educates. This work holds up within the podcast sphere after being shortlisted for a Lovie Award for diversity, equity and inclusion (EDI).
The podcast enables us to share our stories, explore the challenges faced by people with learning disabilities, and celebrate the successes that too often go unheard. Our episodes give listeners the chance to hear directly from us; not through a filter, but in our own words. We believe that authentic storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for social change. As an advocacy organisation, the best thing we can do is amplify the voices of those who traditionally have gone unheard and it’s creating real change.
What sets us apart is the way we are structured. People First Keighley and Craven is not run for us. It is run by us! We make decisions regarding the direction of our organisation. Our staff members are there to support us, to make sure that our vision is carried out safely and effectively, and to provide us with information and opportunities that help us grow both personally and collectively.
Our mission is clear: to put people with learning disabilities at the heart of conversations about disability, inclusion, and equality. Too often, we are left out of decision-making that directly affects our lives – from government policies to workplace accessibility and from healthcare planning to education reform. We believe that a truly inclusive society must include people with learning disabilities as equal partners in these conversations.
People with learning disabilities have ideas, skills, and creativity to offer, but we need more opportunities to be heard, seen, and respected. We are passionate about breaking down stereotypes and challenging outdated assumptions.
The wellbeing space is a good example of this, we noticed, for instance, how few people with disabilities feature in promotional images. So, we ran a campaign using a magnifying glass motif to ask where all the disabled people in the wellness industry were. We then felt inspired to create the Inclusive Wellbeing Festival, a series of events designed to help us try things we had never done before. We had Misfi ts Dance, Inclusfit, Happiness Enchanters, Kate Stanforth and Chris guiding a creative sound and movement session and we even had Nanna from Jigglefi it, and of course, one of our favourite sessions was the inclusive football with our coach, Sean.
Work with us
We are looking for likeminded, fresh, and modern organisations to work with us. Whether you are a business that wants to make your workplace more inclusive, a charity that shares our values, or a creative agency that wants to collaborate on exciting new projects, there is a place for you in this movement.
Working with People First Keighley and Craven is not about paying lip service; it’s about real partnership. It’s about recognising that society works best when everyone is enabled to contribute. When we are included, we bring new perspectives and solutions that benefit everyone. We were recently shortlisted for Charity Partnership of the Year at The Charity Today Awards, for the easy read leaflet we created to make people more aware of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES), which, incidentally, is a resource now used nationally. Our work is about more than advocacy. It is about making real, tangible change in the world. We run workshops, deliver training, produce media, and create spaces where people can come together to learn from one another.
We have seen, fi rsthand, the difference that inclusion makes. When someone with a learning disability is given the right support and the right platform, they can flourish. They can take on leadership roles, influence decision-making and inspire others to see what is possible.
We believe that change starts locally but ripples outwards. By building an inclusive community here in Keighley and Craven, we are contributing to a bigger movement; one that challenges ableism and builds a society where everyone is valued.
Our specially designed PFKC framework for advocacy has helped all of us to grow in confi dence and share our views on topics that matter to us. Everyone gets a chance to have their say, with nobody left out. (We want to share our framework with others so please get in touch if you would like training.)
Our dream is a future where learning disabilities are no longer seen as a barrier but as part of the rich diversity of human experience. We want to see a world where boardrooms, councils, and creative spaces include people with learning disabilities as equals.
We believe that this future is possible, but we cannot do it alone. We need allies, collaborators and champions who are ready to work with us to make this vision a reality.
Join us
If you share our vision, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can build partnerships that change lives and create a society that works for everyone. We invite you to be part of the journey with People First Keighley and Craven.
Visit: www.peoplefirstkc.com
Listen to our podcast, via: www.peoplefirstkc.com/pfkc-podcast
See also:
www.facebook.com/PeopleFirstKC
x.com/PfkcR
www.instagram.com/peoplefi rstkc/
