Led by families for families
A new local group for families of children with a diagnosed or not learning disability, neurodiversity, or other additional need to come together and play with others without fear of judgement or misunderstandings.
Local parents with lived experience approached MASKK and asked for our support to create opportunities for children with SEND and their families to come and play. They fed back that for some families taking their children to play centres or general parks was a challenge, and they wanted to help create a space where children and families felt comfortable to be themselves in a place they could feel safe and with no judgement.
Our team, Craig & Emma, with help from Lisa (Manor Church and Community Project) committed to volunteer their time on Sundays to help along side these passionate volunteers to make it happen.
Running bi-weekly this new group welcomes new families, gets messy, enjoys a cuppa together and snacks, and looks forward to organising outings and visits in the future.
Our bi-weekly group meet Sundays 12pm until 2pm at Temple Park Centre where we invite families to come and play. Each session will have a different theme with different opportunities and experiences. We’ve enjoyed visits from insects, enjoyed a dinorsour day and more.
Our volunteers are there to support but children must be supervised by their families.
The sessions are free to attend with free refreshments and treats too. This is thanks to the on-going genorosity of people donating either inperson or via our online platform.
The next dates include:
| 13/04/2025 | 26/10/2025 |
| 27/04/2025 | 09/11/2025 |
| 11/05/2025 | 23/11/2025 |
| 25/05/2025 | 07/12/2025 |
| 08/06/2025 | 21/12/2025 |
| 22/06/2025 | 04/01/2026 |
| 06/07/2025 | 18/01/2026 |
| 20/07/2025 | 01/02/2026 |
| 03/08/2025 (no session) | 15/02/2026 |
| 17/08/2025 | 01/03/2026 |
| 31/08/2025 | No Session 15/03/2026 |
| 14/09/2025 | No Session 29/03/2026 |
| 28/09/2025 | 12/04/2026 |
| 12/10/2025 | 26/04/2026 |
Manor Church and Community Project have a Welcome Space at Temple Park Centre each Thursday Term Time.
Open from 9:30am until 1:30pm you can join them and meet other local people, join in with crafts and even grab a low cost breakfast sandwhich and hot drinks.
A great way to get out of the house and meet other adults in your community.
The SEND Sundays team want to help create opportunities for families to enjoy days out making memories. During the summer holidays in particular we understand that some families may struggle but together we can help with ideas, support and company.
Sheffield City Council have a policy and a variety of activities and support for families whose children with SEND are under 5. But once they reach aged 5, or do not have 2 diagnoses, the support and funding is limited to a Short Break Grant or a Term Time or Holiday Short Break. MASKK with the support of families are challenging this. Highlighting the importance of provision that is open and accessible to all.
You can get involved by sharing your thoughts and experiences.
Key Achievements
February 2025 celebrates our 1 year birthday! And what a year we’ve had meeting new people and experiencing new things. Some of our key achievements include:
22 Sessions have ran = 44 hours of play
6 Trips & Family Days Out
63 Families have attended
139 Children have attended
550 Volunteer hours given
Donations
SEND Sundays recieves no funding for it’s on-going costs. Sheffield City Council have kindly offered small grants to purchase equipment but without funding for rent and consumables we only continue thanks to the good will of volunteers, overheads such as insurance covered by MASKK, reduced room hire from Manor Church and Community Project, and donations from attendees and the public to fund the refreshements and activitities.
Connect with Others
Join the Facebook Group
Examples of our activities
