14th October 2019

• Parenting a child with additional needs can be very stressful. It’s important (but far from easy) to take time out to look after yourself and recharge your batteries. We currently have a grant from the Big Lottery Community Fund to offer taster sessions for a range of stress-busting activities.

  A great way to de-stress is to engage in something creative. This can lead you to experience what psychologists call “flow” – a state in which you are so engrossed in the task that you lose all sense of time, space and ego.

  So far, we have run six pottery taster sessions (we had to put on extra sessions because the first ones were so popular!) and two yoga sessions. Coming up next are a choir signing session and two glass fusion workshops. The idea is that parents will try out different activities and hopefully find something that they would like to do long term.

  “I have lot of pain and I’m very stiff these days. I certainly was when I started the yoga session last week, but was amazed how I loosened up as the session proceeded. I came away feeling much better in body and mind and was so pleased I felt more like me!”
  – Feedback from yoga taster session

  “After an emotional day of my son being failed by services yet again … tonight’s pottery session was the perfect thing for me to be me, relax, talk to other parents and come home very positive about things. I’ve talked to the other parents about meeting up monthly to go back to the pottery studio as all enjoyed it and we were able to talk and listen to other people in similar situations.”
  – Feedback from pottery taster session

  The grant also includes funding for information sessions. We have run workshops on accessing public services, on school exclusions and on applying for an EHC plan, in partnership with Cerebra and SSENDIAS. Next up are sessions on managing stress, supporting siblings, and Makaton.

  For information about all our events and workshops and to book your place, please visit the Events section of our website.