Ilminster Councillor Sue Osborne has secured a commitment from senior Somerset Council representatives to visit the Silver Linings Internship programme in Ilminster, following her formal request at a recent meeting of the Council’s Executive.
The Silver Linings programme, based at the Gamesmaster Café and PUNKY DORY in Ilminster, provides supported employment placements, emotional wellbeing support, and life skills development for young people with special educational needs.
Addressing the Executive, Cllr Osborne described the service as a “gold standard supported internship programme” that offers more than just a café setting. “This facility has become a lifeline for young people with special educational needs,” she said. “It combines work experience, emotional support, and education to help young people achieve lasting independence.”
She noted that the programme is facing a funding crisis, with its director reportedly having taken on around £60,000 in personal debt to keep services running. Cllr Osborne highlighted recent changes to national Access to Work funding and concerns about local engagement as contributing factors. “This facility is of immense value, not just to Ilminster but also to surrounding towns and villages, including Taunton,” she said. “Losing it would be a tragedy for the young people who rely on it.”
Cllr Osborne formally requested a meeting involving the Lead Member for Children and Families and senior council officers to explore practical solutions.
In response, Cllr Heather Shearer, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Children and Families, confirmed that she would visit Silver Linings alongside the Council’s Executive Director for Children, Families and Education, and Dr Julie Young, Senior Expert Advisor for Careers and Pathways.
Cllr Shearer said, “We are, of course, happy to work with Silver Linings. We have actually been working with them over the last 18 months. From time to time, we have engaged, but [we are] more than happy to continue to do that and help them to meet any requirements for funding young people with special educational needs and disabilities.”
