MK SNAP (Special Needs Advancement Project)

Inaya and Lianne have been busy on their first day back from the festive period organising sewing materials generously donated by Ruth Noonan. Your thoughtful contribution supports our enterprise program's sustainability by allowing us to repurpose materials to create our products! 👚🌎💙

If you'd like to contribute, please reach out to us at [email protected] to find out how we can make use of your generous donation 😊

🎉💫Happy New Year from All at MK SNAP💫🎉
As we step into a brand new year, we hope you're as excited as we are for the year ahead.
Here's to a year filled with hope, growth and continued success. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and inspiring new year. 💙

2024 MK SNAP HIGHLIGHTS ...✨

Let's reflect on the tremendous achievements we've accomplished at MK SNAP over the past year.

Photo 1: MK SNAP takes a big step towards sustainability by installing solar panels, contributing to a greener future.

Photo 2: We celebrated our learners' incredible achievements at the annual learner party, presenting certificates and awards to honour their dedication and hard work.

Photo 3: We held our first ever SNAP Awards, recognizing the remarkable contributions of our learners, staff, and partnerships.

Photo 4: Over the year we have been supporting 7 of our learners with work placements at M&M Supplies and HK Hair.

Photo 5: Our work training team had an incredible year, achieving milestones such as packaging their largest single-day order of Naturally Tiwa products (30 orders!), supporting Poorly Paws at Crufts, and continuing their vital contributions to Food Bank MK and the local community.

Photo 6: We was thrilled to be recognised for our diverse and inclusive community by winning the 'Celebrating Diversity' award at Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards (MKBAA) 2024.

Photo 7: Our learners showcased their skills and emerged victorious in The Parks Trust annual Pancake Day event at Milton Keynes Rose in Campbell Park.

Photo 8: Learners did amazing participating in the assisted swim session as part of the 30th annual Rotary MK Swimathon.

Photo 9: A very special moment for MK SNAP, as one of our own, Rachel Holmes, ran The London Marathon for MK SNAP.

Photo 10: We had a great year of local companies coming in to volunteers helping out in our SNAP garden. If you are interested in volunteering in 2025 then please contact us on [email protected]

Photo 11: Lola the therapy dog spread joy throughout the year with lots of visits to our learners for cuddles.

Photo 12: We had our very first May Fayre which raised over £1,100. The event was a huge success and we cannot wait for the next one in 2025!

Photo 13: Alex and Janisha had the incredible opportunity to present at MK Gallery IPA Autumn Symposium, showcasing the sensory tours we’ve developed together over the years.

Photo 14: Our Enterprise team have been getting out and about in the community this year with pop up stalls at local businesses such as Network Rail, Routeco and Ball Cooperation.

Photo 15: We found out the news we are in the final of the MK Business Achievement Awards for Charity of the Year 2025. Wish us luck!

Photo 16: The MK SNAP Cafe had a revamp with a new cafe counter and signs. Thank you to MK Rotary for their kind donation to help make this happen. The cafe also hosted lots of themed cafes throughout the year for our customers to enjoy.

Photo 17: We were honored to have made a sustainable wreath for the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire for Armistice Day.

Photo 18: Our annual Festive Fayre was a great highlight of the year welcoming our largest number of stall holders yet! We were so proud of the learners, SNAP team and volunteers for making this day a huge success.

Photo 19: Our catering team hosted their very first Festive Afternoon tea serving 26 very happy guests. The learners did amazing and we cannot wait for next year's already!

🎉Say hello to Tracy!🎉
Tracy has been a learner at MK SNAP for an incredible 24 years! We sat down with her to find out why she still loves being part of the SNAP Community after all this time.
Tracy shared that she enjoys coming to MK SNAP because she’s made so many friends and is proud of herself for learning to hold conversations.
Over the years, Tracy has developed lots of skills, but her favourite is work training which has helped her gain independence.
We’re so proud of you, Tracy 💙

In 1992, MK SNAP began in a modest unit in Kiln Farm with just 9 learners and families, offering work training to vulnerable adults from age 18 years +.
After more than ten years at Kiln Farm, the unit was no longer able to meet the new demands placed upon it. With the support of Peter Wilson, in 2004, a £2.6-million-pound New Centre appeal was made to facilitate moving to purpose-built premises in Walnut Tree. Our exciting space enables us to operate in a very different way.

Read full story here - https://mksnap.org/about-us/

🤝Thank You to Our Amazing Supporters and Partners. 🤝
At MK SNAP, we are incredibly grateful for the unwavering support of our amazing supporters and partners. Your generosity, collaboration and commitment make a huge difference to the work we do every day.
From funding opportunities to valuable partnerships, your contributions help us empower our learners, build independence and create a positive impact in our community.
Together we’re changing lives and making possibilities a reality. Thank you for being part of the MK SNAP journey. 💙

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming back Matesuz, one of our amazing supporters who is taking on six marathons. Our learners were so pleased to welcome him back and get a good look at his newest medal from the New York Marathon.
Mateusz has already completed....
Chicago in 2023
London in 2024
New York 2024
His next big race is Tokyo in March 2025, then he has Berlin and Boston to take on. Boston is so hard to get a place and between us we'll be making it a mission to so watch this space in 2025!
Mateusz we are so grateful for you taking on these challenging marathons while fundraising to help us support our learners and we're all behind you cheering your every run while we keep a track of all the marathons you have completed. Thank You

On Friday the learners from the Ready, Steady, Cook session prepared, cooked and served a delicious 2 course meal to their guests.
This has been in planning and preparation since September. They have been busy learning their cutting skills, cooking skills and coming up with the menu.
They have worked so hard and have done amazing. Well done to everyone! Their guests were extremely happy.

On Friday our learners had a surprise visit from Frank MD of M&M Supplies.
Frank and his daughter Lillia took some time out of their busy schedule to spread some Christmas kindness and gave everyone a selection box. All our learners were so happy and grateful.
Frank and the team at M&M Supplies are an amazing support to MK SNAP. Thank you for all you do!

How many differences can you spot between the pictures!

On Thursday the MK SNAP cafe had a visit from some of the team at AFL - Hyperscale and AI Network Solutions who raised £159 through a raffle. It was great to see them, give them a tour, explain more about the sessions our learners enjoy and discuss more opportunities in 2025.
Thank you to Daniel Brown and the team, we are so grateful for the support from you all and we are looking forward to growing our partnership in 2025.

✨An Evening of Appreciation at MK SNAP ✨
On Wednesday, we were delighted to host an Appreciation Evening to celebrate and thank our incredible supporters, partners and our amazing Trustees.
We'd like to say a huge thank you for all who attended with a special Thank You to The Mayor of MK and The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire for attending.
Your generosity, dedication and belief in our mission are what makes everything possible.
The evening was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the achievements we've made together and to say a heartfelt thank you for the difference you help us create everyday.
We are so grateful to have you as part of the MK SNAP family - here's to more success and collaboration in the future. 💙

❄ MK SNAP CHRISTMAS CLOSURE DATES ❄

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved break as we prepare for an exciting year ahead.

Please take note of the Christmas Closure dates for 2024 listed below:

Tuesday 24th December

Wednesday 25th December

Thursday 26th December

Friday 27th December

Monday 30th December

Tuesday 31st December

Wednesday 1st January

Our centre will reopen on Thursday 2nd January 2024. Have a lovely Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you all back in the new year!

Our MK SNAP catering team did a fantastic job hosting our very first Festive Afternoon Tea today. We’re absolutely delighted with how everything turned out, and the guests provided amazing feedback, with one saying, “It was the best afternoon tea I’ve ever been to.”

This event was such a success that we’re excited to make it a regular feature on our annual calendar. Well done, team—you all did an incredible job!

We are delighted to share the news that our learner Lianne has been offered a work placement position with PJ Care 💙💛
She will be working in their kitchen at Mallard House, learning new catering skills and helping with food preparation for their residents. We're all very proud of Lianne being given this opportunity and look forward to supporting her in this role!

Join us tomorrow for the final Tuesday SNAP Cafe of the year! ☕✨

Looking for a delicious soup, festive cake or hot drink while supporting a great cause? Come down to SNAP Café tomorrow, where all catering and serving is done by our talented learners, helping them gain valuable work skills in a real-life setting. 🙌
Here’s what we’ll be serving up:
🥣 Leek and Potato Soup
🍪 Vegan Cookies
🍰 Mince Pie Blondies
🌰 SNAP Mince Pies
🥮 Christmas Loaf Cake (Cake of the Month)
⏰ We’re open from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
📍 Visit us at 20 Bourton Low, Walnut Tree, MK7 7DE and enjoy some tasty treats while supporting our learners' journey to success. We can’t wait to serve you!