FRIENDS AND FAMILIES

Friends and Families - Empowering Families with Disabled and Neurodiverse Children!

We offer practical advice, support, and fun activities to children with special educational needs or disabilities in and around Plymouth. In the year 2022/23, we supported over 1000 families!

Friends and Families is a charity which relies on funding to provide these services – your donation makes a real difference to the lives of these children and their families!!

Our services include:

• Social and leisure activities – for the individual, for young carers, for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, for parents/carers with a child aged 0-5, for young adults aged 14-25, for parents/carers and for families together. Our families love our wide range of fun and educational activities!
• A sensory room – a lovely space, providing specialist equipment designed to aid sensory stimulation and providing a safe space for children to explore their sensory needs.
• A lending library – a toy and equipment library which creates opportunities for families to play and interact together. There is a wide range of sensory, play and therapy equipment available, encouraging all areas of development to the children and young adults.

As well as: 

• Free and confidential support for parents/carers – information and advice provided over a range of areas including: disability entitlements, parenting advice, schooling, behaviours and wellbeing.
• Educational workshops - for parents and carers to develop knowledge and skills – which have included cookery courses, Makaton training, challenging behaviours, sessions with Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists.

Friends and Families also offer social action and volunteering opportunities for young people, which in turn supports employment opportunities and mental health and wellbeing.

 A bit more about what we do…….

We offer 6 Activity Groups – ‘Making Sense’, ‘Adventure Club’, ‘Fun and Freedom’, ‘Youth Adventures’, ‘Little Steps Together’ and ‘Family’:

• Our ‘Making Sense’ group is aimed at children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) and/or profound physical disabilities. Activities are fun and fully inclusive experiences, which run throughout the year including weekends and school holidays. Previous activities have included power boating, water sports, immersive dome, theatre trips and music workshops.
• Our ‘Adventure Club’ provides a range of activities for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities. It provides a chance for children to try new activities, as well as socialise with other children in a safe environment and boost their confidence and self-esteem. Previous activities have included Bell boating, archery, orienteering, arts & crafts, rock pooling, zoo trips and much more.
• Our ‘Fun and Freedom’ club is designed to provide respite and fun for young carers and siblings of children with disabilities and special educational needs. Those attending do so without parents/carers or siblings in order to provide respite. Some of the exciting things previously experienced include tree surfing, adventure golf, rafting, climbing, stand up paddle boarding and trips to theme parks and zoos!
• Our ‘Youth Adventures’ group are for young people aged 13+ with a special educational need or disability. The group provides opportunities to socialise and have fun in our safe space, as well as opportunities to try activities such as escape rooms, Adventure Segway, Go Karting, Aquapark, Train journeys, horse riding and much more!
• Our ‘Little Steps Together’ group are for those under 5 years old, with a special educational need or disability, not reaching or having concerns about their development. We run playgroups 3 times per month. Activities include messy play, water play, sensory stimulation, arts & crafts and much more.  Our sensory room is also open for use, and this session also provides a fantastic opportunity for parents and carers to meet.
• Our ‘Family’ activities are designed for the whole family to bring everyone together and make happy memories.  Our dedicated team and sessional staff are on hand to help and ensure everyone has fun. Previous activities have included private hire cinema, boccia sessions, beach trips, swimming, zoo trips – and not forgetting our ever-popular Summer and Christmas Parties!

We also offer:

A Lending Library: We can give you access to a wide range of sensory play and therapy equipment, encouraging all areas of development. Examples include: a beach wheelchair, a MacLaren Major buggy, Weighted Blankets, Sensory Toys and much more.

 A Sensory Room: Designed for children and young people to explore their sensory needs and encourage sensory stimulation and regulation. Items include a bubble tube, fibre optic lights, a black out tunnel and projector lights.

Your donation could achieve:

From: £2 – a sensory toy for our sensory room/lending library for everyone to enjoy (examples include: Jiggly Ball Assortment £3.99, Water Snake £3.99, Sensory Shaker £6.99, Disco Light £12.99, Liquid Motion Bubble Timers £4.99, Wooshie £2.99, Constellation Ball £17.50, Weighted Animal £19.99, Flower Bead Matching Puzzle £12.00, Kaleidoscope Lamp £9.50, Body Massager £9.50, Squidgy Shapes £16.00, Rainbow Light Projector £16.00, Liquid Timers £2.50, Jiggly Ball £2.00, Glitter Panel: £11.99, UV Gloves £3.00).  

£20 - Craft materials for 1 session 

£150 - Interactive music session 

£150 Lush sensory pamper session

£200 Private Hire Cinema Screening

£200 Exclusive use Boccia/Multisport session

£215 Wheelchair accessible river cruise 

£300 1 hour Wheelchair accessible speed boat trip

£400 Multi-sensory theatre (exclusive performance)

£400 Sensory Christmas party

£700 Mobiloo – Accessible mobile changing facility hire

£2271 per year insurance

£4371 per year service charge

£6883 per year rent

We know how much all the above positively impacts our families – as we rely on funding to keep these activities and support groups available, we would very much appreciate any donation you can make to keep us running!