We are excited to announce a new partnership between EMA Social Care and Not Just Sundaes in Wareham – a collaboration designed to strengthen local opportunities for community engagement and adult social care.
Not Just Sundaes (NJS) is a much-loved local venue known for its welcoming atmosphere and vibrant programme of previous community events and café offering. This partnership with EMA opens the door to a new chapter, one in which the location will be used more widely to support a variety of local projects and groups.
EMA Social Care already delivers services across Moreton, Dorchester, and Gillingham, and will now extend its reach to Wareham through this collaboration. Together, EMA and NJS will work to offer day opportunities and inclusive activities for adults in social care, while also supporting the café to continue its wider community work going forward.
EMA’s new day opportunities will officially open on Monday 15th September at this shared space, and will be running weekdays, 09:30-15:30. This service offers an environment for individuals to attend from one to five days per week, with the aim of providing opportunities they may otherwise have limited access to, as well as building essential life and work-based skills suited to their own needs, wishes, and goals. While the day opportunities will run during the week, Not Just Sundaes will use the space on the evenings and at weekends to provide its vital community projects.
NJS has a proud history of delivering engaging events and community initiatives – from sustainability talks and quiz nights to live music and Christmas fairs. This new partnership will ensure that those much-loved offerings can not only continue, but grow, supported by EMA’s resources, including highly experienced staff in social care, marketing, and events. EMA will be doing all we can to support NJS and the community who rely on them, and as our service develops in Wareham, we hope to collaborate more deeply on these together.
Anne Laking from Not Just Sundaes said: “We see this as a mutually beneficial collaboration which uses our space, with its strong community links, to add benefit to EMA’s clients, as well as potential for shared activities to benefit both the clients and the local community.”
Craig Hutton, EMA’s Head of Adult Social Care added “Our partnership with Not Just Sundaes marks an exciting step forward for EMA Social Care. It reflects our shared commitment to building inclusive, community-rooted opportunities that empower the people we support. I truly hope this is just the beginning of EMA Social Care becoming an open and valued part of the Wareham community.”
The partnership also builds on an existing relationship: previous EMA students have completed work experience at NJS, and this next step reflects the shared values and vision of both organisations. EMA Social Care looks forward to supporting the café as it continues to be an integral hub for local people – while also creating new opportunities for its clients to get involved in meaningful, community-focused projects.
This is the beginning of a collaborative effort to bring people together and build a stronger, more inclusive future for the Wareham community.
