Friendship Fusion Southport is a community-led, not-for-profit Community Interest Company focused on friendship, confidence, social skills and belonging for young people aged 10–16.
Friendship Fusion was founded by a parent with first-hand experience of the barriers young people can face in building friendships and accessing inclusive social opportunities.
I'm a mum to three girls aged 10 to 16. My eldest daughter was born with cerebral palsy involving complex medical and developmental needs. She attended mainstream schools with the support of a full-time teaching assistant.
We have faced many challenges, including multiple surgeries, regular hospital visits, and a system that once predicted she would never learn or communicate. We fought hard for her health and education, but I didn't think enough about her social integration.
I accepted that, unlike her sisters, she wasn't invited to playdates and only the occasional birthday party. Mainstream out-of-school activities often weren't accessible, while provision aimed only at children with special educational needs or disabilities didn't always meet her needs. As a result, she spent much of her childhood in the company of adults, developing a quiet preference for solitude.
Over the past decade, I've searched for inclusive youth opportunities — activities where young people like Ella could build real friendships, mix with peers, have fun and feel they belong. The gap is glaring. Transition periods, including school holidays, moving from primary to secondary school and the road into adulthood, can be particularly tough.
My middle daughter, aged 14, is a young carer. Like many children, the pandemic hit her hard, especially the transition to secondary school. Anxiety led to difficulty attending school and affected friendships.
So we have experienced how complex and fragile friendships can be, but also how vital they are for wellbeing and development into adulthood.
Unable to find the right provision for my daughters, I asked others about their experience — not only friends and family, but 50 young people across six schools in Southport, families, partner agencies, the council and elected representatives. Those discussions, together with research about the importance of friendships, led me to create Friendship Fusion.
Together with an amazing group of women who form my Board of Directors, I want to create the kind of inclusive, welcoming, youth-led community I wish had been there for my daughters: a space where young people with additional needs, and those with vulnerabilities such as anxiety, can find connection, support and joy — and have the opportunity to practise the superpowers I know they have.
Jenny Bowles
Our team brings together experience in youth work, restorative justice, HR, technology, education, healthcare and lived experience of disability.
Angela has a long career working with young people and their families, including within the justice system. She has managed youth work programmes and is a registered practitioner in restorative justice. Angela has a Master's Degree in Youth and Community Work. She is a mum of two and lives in Southport.
Clare has worked in HR in the UK and globally for more than 25 years. She has run her own business, supported businesses to grow and delivered contracts to organisations including the UN and World Bank. She is currently a Chief People Officer.
Sinead is an IT consultant who has worked across the globe. She is a mum of two boys, one of whom is autistic and attends special school. Sinead has experience of working across education and healthcare systems to help ensure her child's needs are met.
Gabriella is following her passion by studying animal management at college. Ella volunteers at an equine therapy yard and firmly believes in the therapeutic power of horses, where she has supported sessions with vulnerable young people. She has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk independently. She is passionate about supporting disabled young people to have social opportunities with their peers.
We believe services work better when young people are listened to and their ideas influence design and delivery.
We want activities to be accessible, welcoming and designed around the person rather than expecting the person to fit the activity.
Friendship, confidence, wellbeing and social development are closely linked. We create space for those connections to grow.
Tell us about the young person, family, school or organisation you represent and how we may be able to help.