L'Arche

Who we are

In a world that values winning and coming first L'Arche Communities are places where people can discover who they are not just what they can do.

There are 10 L'Arche Communities in the UK where people with and without learning disabilities share life together, living and/or working in community.

The first Community in Kent opened in 1974 and there are now Communities in Bognor, Brecon, Edinburgh, Inverness, Ipswich, Kent, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Preston, and Projects in Nottingham and Flintshire. Together, they provide person centered, individual support and care to  over 200 adults with learning disabilities, often with complex and multiple disabilities. 

Some people are supported in their own homes for a few hours per week; others are supported twenty four hours per day in our supported living or registered care services.  Communities vary and can be made up of a mix of small family-sized homes, flats, shops and day resource activities. Communities in the UK provide day services to a further 67 adults, including arts and drama workshops, crafts and candle making, bookbinding, gardening and woodwork. Like other support providers we are regulated and inspected to ensure a high quality of provision.  

L'Arche Communities are grounded in the Christian tradition, and welcome people of all faiths and none: our vision is a world where all belong.