Little Miracles Charity

Big thank you to those who have supported us recently! BSH Recycling for donating ￡750 from their Little Miracles Skip hire in December. BSH are keen supporters and have been getting involved for a while. Their support means we are able to take our families to activities or pay for essential materials. Parkers The Parts People for donating a whopping ￡2,500 to our Fenland branch. This donation could go towards essential family support hours so more families can get the help they need. The Silver Spoon Company for hosting Cricket and Valentines Day fundraisers for us. They raised ￡760 which could pay for 30 counselling sessions for a bereaved parent/carer or sibling. If you’d like to get involved with helping our families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions, please ??Visit: https://lnkd.in/eNcFxMyi ?? Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley, Louise Evans or Vicki O'Brien

Last week, we spoke to ITV news about how our parents of children with additional needs and disabilities are worried about a change to council budgeting and the impact this will have on SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support. At present, councils are able to keep their SEND spending deficit separate from their main accounts, which helps them set a balanced budget, but that's due to end in March this year. Sarah Fountain, a Little Miracles parent, said: "If they do start cutting costs, there are even less places to send my 16-year-old which is quite scary for him, because what do I do with him? Where does he go? He can't be on his own." As a charity we are concerned that if the change does result in SEND cuts that it will put additional pressures on families that will then increase financial pressures and service strain on other Local Authority departments. Click through to watch the full article.

This February half-term Peterborough branch?took 200?people ice-skating! Accessing mainstream activities like ice-skating can be really difficult if you are part of a family with a child with an additional need, disability or life-limiting condition. Not only can it be very expensive, but the practicalities of accessing the equipment can be insurmountable, and many families feel unable to even attempt such activities alone. At Little Miracles we provide opportunities where families feel safe and supported, and where there is no judgement. This event was very generously sponsored by?Faedah Solutions Limited, and we are so grateful to them for helping our families have so much fun, making?memories together which will last forever. If you are interested in sponsoring an activity or event either personally or through your company, please contact Louise Evans, Georgia Handley or Vicki O'Brien. Click on the link to see some more photos from the day ?? https://lnkd.in/dZfBjdBx

This February half-term Peterborough branch?took 200?people ice-skating! Accessing mainstream activities like ice-skating can be really difficult if you are part of a family with a child with an additional need, disability or life-limiting condition. Not only can it be very expensive, but the practicalities of accessing the equipment can be insurmountable, and many families feel unable to even attempt such activities alone. At Little Miracles we provide opportunities where families feel safe and supported, and where there is no judgement. This event was very generously sponsored by?Faedah Solutions Limited, and we are so grateful to them for helping our families have so much fun, making?memories together which will last forever. If you are interested in sponsoring an activity or event either personally or through your company, please contact Louise Evans, Georgia Handley or Vicki O'Brien. Click on the link to see some more photos from the day ?? https://lnkd.in/dZfBjdBx

Have you ever wanted to be a Rockstar? Thanks to Rocksteady Music School, that’s exactly what our children were yesterday ! It was a great day to socialise, make lots of noise and learn new skills - just some of the things our families struggled with when finding appropriate settings in the past for their children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions. We heard some awesome renditions of Roar, We Will Rock You, and Counting Stars to name a few and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. If you’d like to support us and the families we see, please ??Visit: https://lnkd.in/eYN998VB ?? Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley or Vicki O'Brien

We’re excited to share the launch of our newest branch in Downham Market! Families of children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions came together to play and build friendships. Whilst, parents and caregivers connected, the children got arty, built team dens, and let foam darts fly in a thrilling game of Nerf Wars! ???? The opening of our Downham Market branch will enable us to reach and support more families that need us! Danii, our Branch lead says: "Little Miracles has given us access to places and events we wouldn't normally be able to access due to my son's additional needs. I'm very excited to be able to bring events and activities like this to Downham Market as I believe there is such a need for it. So many parents and caregivers are in a similar position as me and I believe that with Little Miracles we can provide support and activities where it is needed." To read more about the Downham Market opening event, click below ?? https://lnkd.in/epayXnZi If you’d like to support pur Downham Market branch, please ?? Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley or Vicki O'Brien

We are half way through our half term activities and we had a great time in London on Monday! Lots of our families don’t feel comfortable going out on their own due to fear of being judged, not being able to navigate places with life-saving or mobility equipment or feeling stressed without support of others. We took our families and explored the city, most of the children hadn’t done this before so they had lots of fun. They had a chance to travel with old and new friends and parents/carers had the chance to connect. The coach journey also allowed children to regulate before and after a busy day whilst safely transporting wheelchairs. From exploring museums, seeing Big Ben by boat and being up in the sky in the London Eye, we were sure to make the most of it! ?? We love creating these opportunities for the children and their families. If you like to support us with trips like these or other activities, please ?? Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley or Vicki O'Brien

It’s Random Acts of Kindness day! It’s very fulfilling to give random acts of kindness and we are always thrilled to receive them from our supporters. Your random acts of kindness are so much more than just a simple act - they allow us to continue to support families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions. Examples of how random acts of kindness help us: ?? Tidying and maintaining our garden area so that the children can play safely and burn off some energy ?? Donating food to our food bank and seasonal goods so that no one misses out on essential items or holiday treats ?? Sponsoring activities at any of our 18 branches for children to socialise with their peers that they may not normally have the opportunity to go to. ??? Spreading the word about us over social media by engaging and reposting our content - someone may see what we do and pass on to a family in need that they know. ?? Donating items such as arts and crafts materials for our children to enjoy and use in group or respite sessions for those who are not in education. ??? Volunteering admin time to families who need help with DLA (Disability Living Allowance) forms so they can apply for what they are entitled too. Thank you to everyone who supports us - your help is invaluable ?? If you’re interested in knowing how your random acts of kindness could help us, please ??Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley, Louise Evans or Vicki O'Brien

??Happy Valentine’s Day to you and all of our families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions ?? Our childcare team have been supporting the children with their requests to make their own valentines cards ?? Help us spread the love by supporting us. Please visit https://lnkd.in/eiq-te2k or contact Georgia Handley, Vicki O'Brien or Louise Evans for more information about who we are and what we do ??

Our next Networking lunch is on 20th March! Come along and network with a twist. Meet other local professionals across different industries whilst supporting families with children who have additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions. Sign up today to avoid missing out: https://lnkd.in/eBbfzSfd If you have any questions, please ?? Email: [email protected] ??? Contact: Georgia Handley, Vicki O'Brien or Louise Evans