Bee Inclusive was formed and is managed by parent/carers to provide much-needed specialist social opportunities and events for SEND children/young people. Because our volunteer parent/carers have children and young people with SEND, they genuinely understand how disabilities impact families and the support they need to thrive.

Bee Inclusive is based at our Bury SEND Hub in Radcliffe, in the Borough of Bury. The hub is accessible; equipped with a disabled changing space, hoist and accessible toilet, carpark with disabled spaces and access ramp, wheelchair-friendly access, an accessible sensory room and two outdoor play spaces.

Bee Inclusive welcomes children with all disabilities. This includes conditions and disabilities affecting communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional, and mental health difficulties, and physical and/or sensory needs.

Our children often struggle to access mainstream activities for numerous reasons, such as physical barriers; many SEND children have complex care needs and require wheelchair access, and lots of venues are not wheelchair accessible. Many children with SEND have sensory issues that affect how tolerant they are in everyday situations; for example, too busy and noisy environments can create a stressful response and lack of focus, hindering the individual’s participation in an activity. Anxiety is also a significant barrier for many of our children and young people, making participation in mainstream activities almost impossible. This impacts the individual's ability to have fun, make friends, and gain new skills and experiences.

What would we like to do?

Bee Inclusive aims to bridge that gap and continue to offer tailored, accessible experiences for those with SEND, targeting the most vulnerable children in the Borough and giving them the same opportunities that are available for their non-SEND peers.

We plan to facilitate this by supporting and engaging our SEND children and families by providing a timetable of much-needed, exclusive social activities after school, at the weekend, and during the school holidays. We will cater for a wide range of interests and hobbies, as well as new experiences. For example, computing and gaming clubs, music and dance classes, gardening, mindfulness and friendship groups, animal care and physical activities. This allows children to make friends, reduce isolation and loneliness, develop interests and hobbies, be active, and have fun!

All our activities are and will continue to be, fully accessible and carefully planned to meet the needs of SEND families across Bury. This may include a patient and understanding approach, the option of quiet breakout times, sensory space access, and groups with limited numbers. The sessions being held in our community centre will provide children with a safe space to make friends and enjoy fun experiences with other children who have SEND.

We provide our service at our centre and in specially selected venues in the community that are suitable to meet the needs of our families. This ensures that SEND families can come together, share experiences and make connections, thus improving mental health, tackling isolation and loneliness and reducing inequalities within some of society's most vulnerable children.

With the help of your generous and much-appreciated donations, we can carry out our aims and objectives, offering our families a secure and consistent service.