About Jamats
"Lets focus on our abilities rather than our disabilities"
Jamats was founded in 2010 by Don & Joan Pope.
Winners of 'Team of the Year' in 2024 at the 'Gloucestershire Care Providers Association' Care Awards.
A Message from the founders of Jamats.
Meet Don & Joan
Don and Joan are the founders of Jamats Academy.
"We are very proud parents of two sons, James and Matthew (Ja Mats). Our eldest son James has Severe Autism and Learning difficulties. When James left education at the age of 20, it was important to us for him to have the opportunity to continue to learn and develop. We soon realised there wasn't a lot of opportunities for James in the Gloucestershire area which prompted us to look into opening a centre ourselves. We wanted to create a social hub that provided opportunities and fun within a learning environment with lots of space."
Our Vision and Aim
We started Jamats with a vision of helping to make a difference to people with special needs.
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Having a son of our own with special needs gave us the insight and confidence, to carry our vision forward as we build it with our own son in mind. Our aim is for everyone to go home with a smile on their faces after having had a fun filled exciting day.
The Jamats staff are dedicated to developing activities that everyone can enjoy and take part in regardless of what their needs are.
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Jamats ultimately aims for everyone to achieve something however big or small and prides itself on creating an environment that is suited to the specific needs of the user. The user will guide us to what they require and will find a group that will fit their capabilities, needs and wants.