What is SHARP Life & Learning Skills?
Who Are We?
SHARP Life & Learning Skills is an education and day service which provides opportunities for people with special needs, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health issues, elderly or just lonely, to continue their learning and personal development.
SHARP started its sessions in January 2011 at The Butterfly Garden Project, Dundry Nurseries and ran groups for its learners in community venues and voluntary organisations including Quedgeley Community Centre.
SHARP moved into its own premises at The Courtyard, off School Lane in Quedgeley in January 2012. SHARP has continued to grow steadily, With the continued growth of SHARP we moved to bigger premises at Unit 3G Llanthony Business Park in April 2021. In April 2025 SHARP moved once again, to larger premises in Spinnaker Road, Hempsted, Gloucester.
See our page Activity Sessions for more information on the activities on offer. From September 2025 there will be a seperate timetable for our increasing groups of younger learners who will have their own dedicated space and activity co-ordinators. That timetable will be published as soon as it is available.
SHARP is a community interest company – a non-profit making organisation. This means that after the usual business costs, any profit will be put back into the organisation to grow and improve the service. SHARP keeps the cost to our learners as low as possible even without the benefit of regular external funding. Fundraising is important and necessary to SHARP in order to continue to improve and grow the service.
SHARP now has 2 Directors – Julie Pullen – Managing Director and Lyn Taylor – Director. We will shortly be welcoming a 3rd Director to SHARP – more details to follow soon.
Julie Pullen
SHARP was founded by Julie Pullen who has many years of experience in both education and social care and she now has a growing team of enthusiastic, skilled and creative staff who are committed to working with people with special needs and learning difficulties. Julie set up SHARP because she felt that there was a need for a provision that was a middle road between education and day care for vulnerable adults in Gloucestershire. Learners attending SHARP can learn new skills, at their own pace, in a safe and friendly environment that puts individuals first. In November 2013 Julie won the coveted Ambassador of the Year Award at the Believe in Gloucester Awards Ceremony, in recognition of the provision and support that SHARP gives to vulnerable adults in Gloucestershire. In 2022 she was included in the 100 Heroines in Gloucester display and in 2023 had her portrait painted by Russell Haines, local artist, for the Gloucester City Tales Exhibition – this portrait currently hangs in GL1 Leisure Centre.
