Every year Johnny runs the Norwich half marathon to raise money for one of our families who attends our Little Owls Day Nursery.We are delighted to announce that this year we would like to raise money for our little superstar George who attends our Tawny Owl baby nursery in our Toftwood Little Owls setting.

Please read below for Georges special story and we hope that you are able to support us with this cause.

 Nansa is an independent charity based in Norwich which supports  
 individuals with disabilities. Supported by some Children in Need  
 funding, Nansa has been operating for 60 years helping people in the  
 community and their families. 

 George and his family began using Nansa's services in September of 2018 to help George , aged 2, who has Down Syndrome, with his development.  
Nansa provides small group sessions to encourage learning and sensory exploration. Every Tuesday morning, the practitioners at   
Nansa carefully plan and deliver a range of themed activities for   
 George and 5 other preschoolers for an hour and a half. The first half  
 an hour is spent learning key skills like motor skills,  
 coordination, sitting and communicating. Next, the children have  
 fun with messy play, which can be anything from foam to cornflakes.  
 George is slowly learning not to eat everything put in front of him,  
 as on one occasion he realised that uncooked blue rice wasn't as  
 tasty as it looked!.The group finishes off in the beautiful sensory room, equipped with ball pool, bubble tubes and climbing areas,  essential for helping George to experience different vibrations, colours, movements and sounds.

 George loves going, and for families like us Nansa is a welcome  
 relief from typical baby groups. As parents, we are safe in the  
 knowledge that our children are learning and happy, and it is a  
 chance to feel 'normal'. We don't need to worry about our children  
 being stared at, or about being judged on their behaviour, we can  
 just let them be themselves. We can share knowledge and support one  
 another, as well as drinking tea and getting very messy ourselves!

 And this is just a small part of Nansa work; they also help teens  
 transitioning to adulthood, adults with disabilities seeking work  
 and also provide short breaks for 8-17 year olds. We are thankful to  
 have the services of NANSA to enhance George's life, and we are sure  
 that this is just the start of a long journey with NANSA in our  
 lives. We would love to do something in return for them.