Dorset Abilities Group

Dorset Abilities Group provide many exciting, person centred opportunities for people with disabilities and additional needs.
Based in Weymouth, Dorset.

Tuck by Truck provides self-service snack trays for the workplace. Trays are full of top-branded snacks and drinks that we replenish weekly. . . keeping your hunger at bay!

How does it work?

We deliver a snack tray to your workplace
You can purchase items as and when you need
You can customise your tray with your favourite snacks and cans of drink
We can supply healthier snacks as well
Paying is easy - simply place your correct change in the box next to the tray
We will replace the snack tray weekly

Benefits for your business:

Your staff will never be hungry!
Your staff will not need to travel to the supermarket for their snacks
Convenient resource that doesn't take up much space
It offers work experience and paid work opportunities for people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health needs

Where do we operate?

Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester & surrounding areas


Darwin Enterprise (DE) was formed in 2013 and began to deliver alternatives to day care for adults with learning disabilities by setting up Tuck by Truck (TBT) in Weymouth, Dorset.
DE & TBT provides:
A positive alternative to closing services
A progressive, work-focused alternative to day care leading to independence and employment for even the most severely challenged day care users
A financial framework which ensures costs are no more than existing budgets and reducing your local authority's financial obligations within an agreed framework
An opportunity to devolve responsibility to specialists to help disabled people become more independent
Help and advice about employment barriers to manage transition

And our enterprise:
Operates in a business-like fashion
Offers a wide range of real work opportunities
Is commercially focused to meet the needs of customers
Is financially sustainable with a proportion of its income coming from the sale of goods and services
Offers opportunities to adults with complex needs
Ensures that disabled employees work alongside non-disabled employees
Develops independence and builds confidence outside of work
Provides opportunities for development into other sustainable employment
Involves people with disabilities in decision making
Has a clear benefit for the local community
The service now operates from commercial working environments where service users interact with professional working people every day

DE identified an urgent need to change day care services for people with learning disabilities away from the existing buildings-based large day centre style services. It also recognised the need to increase employment opportunities for people within the service.
After a period of consultation with staff and service users it was obvious that service users wanted a choice. They insisted on being able to work if they wanted to and being paid for the work they did.
It was also decided that although traditionally social business initiatives do not support people with complex needs, this would be a feature of Darwin Enterprise and is what makes it unique.

It provides a choice of work, training activities and a range of options for service users with complex needs, such as; paid employment, permitted work, work tasters, work experience and volunteering.
The approach is based on individual action plans and providing choice for service users. In addition to work, experience accredited training is offered including life skills, job coaching, literacy and numeracy. It can also help to gradually move people out of a sheltered environment into open employment.

DE currently offers clients employment choices in:
Tuck by Truck, snack delivery service
with other businesses being explored for the future.

It is inclusive, with disabled and non-disabled people working alongside each other. It provides a mixture of work and training activities and a range of full time and part time options - paid employment, permitted work, work tasters, work experience and volunteering.
Everyone has an individual action plan and, in addition to work opportunities, accredited training is available including life skills, job coaching, literacy and numeracy. Everything is geared towards helping people become more independent.