Express has been catching up with the island’s charities to find out how the past year has gone and what their greatest wishes are for the year ahead.
Enable Jersey is a charity dedicated to providing support and a voice to anyone in the island living with a disability or long-term condition, including their family, friends and carers.
Chief Executive Officer Sean Pontin shared the charity’s highlights of this year, and hopes and wishes for next year…
What have been the highlights of 2025?
It’s been another busy year for Enable Jersey as we continue to support people living with a disability, their friends, family and carers to access the support they need and have a voice in island conversations.
Earlier this year, we launched our Equipment Hub at La Collette which takes donated care and mobility equipment and puts it back to use in the community ASAP.
This has proved to be a real success and support to islanders – so much so that the store is already bursting at the seems and we are already needing to look at a bigger store!
What has been the greatest challenge?
Like many charities, it has been a lean few years and we have been working hard to reestablish ourselves post-covid.
2025 has seen some good signs in the shape of some new events and fundraisers and increased awareness generally but there is still lots to do to make sure we will be able to support people as much as they need in the coming years.
Working with the Amazing Rhona Hewitt from Rhonas at the Beach in Gorey has been simply amazing this year, she has done so much to help us and the island as a whole, and everyone will miss her when she retires early in 2026.
And what is on your charity’s ‘wish list’ for 2026?
Looking to 2026, it’s more of the same plus a new campaign reaching out to anyone living with a disability, community groups and businesses to encourage everyone to think a little differently, to not get bogged down in trying to find the right words, but to just come and ask us and we’ll go from there!