The idea of jumping out of a plane terrifies me, but I wanted to do something waaayyy out of my comfort zone to demonstrate how important this fundraising is to me. 

Most of you will know that my son, who is autistic, attended Castlebar Primary. I am grateful every day that we started our journey at Castlebar, for it gave us so much more than an education- it gave us skills, support, a community and a sense of belonging. There are very few places in the world where I feel more at home - this school will have my heart forever. 

The sensory rooms at Castlebar are now almost twenty years old, so much of the equipment is dated and needs a total refresh at a cost in the region of £30,000. Our pupils would really benefit from a modern and up to date sensory room, created to meet their specific sensory needs. The room would be a quiet space dedicated to stimulating, developing and relaxing the senses. It would be a therapeutic environment which would be a calming space to help pupils manage their emotions in a safe environment; it would also be used to develop a range of physical skills. Time in a sensory room helps children improve their visual, auditory and tactile processing, as well as fine and gross motor skills. By providing a sense of calm and comfort, sensory rooms help children learn to self-regulate their behaviours, which ultimately improves focus leading to better educational outcomes.

Children who are autistic or have special/additional needs need varied, individualised and highly specialist sensory and educational input in order to realise their potential and achieve best outcomes. At Castlebar, every child is catered for according to their own needs and the results are evident in our happy, thriving community of students. Help us do the best for our children, please donate generously to support our cause.