We CAAN (Children and Adults with Additional Needs) was an initiative thought up nine years ago by two wonderful mums who have two lovely autistic children, in response to their discovery that there was very little in the way of support for their children, and even less for parents and siblings sharing their experience.
Fundraising began in earnest through fun days, climbing Mount Snowdon and swimming. It wasn’t until Louise Clarkson, of LCSD Dance Academy, decided to sponsor we CAAN and boost their funds through LCSD’s now annual sponsored danceathon, that money really started rolling in. Buildings started to be looked at and future plans could be dreamt of.
Knock-back after knock-back never deterred the strength of these ladies, and they continued pushing forward to getting their children a space they could be themselves.
After making friends at the school gates, Demi and Tom from the Copper Beech in Bilsthorpe offered the use of their barn to we CAAN so that sessions could start taking place. Playing, discos, biscuit decorating and more importantly meeting families started happening. The growth of the we CAAN community began.
One thing that most children access during their childhood is the chance to see Santa at Christmas. However, it was noted that a lot of we CAAN families, through one reason or another, had never been able to access this rite of passage! Work began – lots of it. Resulting in the first we CAAN sensory grotto during The Copper Beech Christmas Fayre 2023. Children with additional needs we finally able to meet Santa with their families, explore the various lands created and ride on a fully-wheelchair-accessible sleigh! Some of the students from St Giles School in Retford were also able to access this wonderful place but, due to location, not all. The location needed to be closer.
After discussions with Matt Rooney, Principal of St Giles School, some we CAAN sessions happened at the school, with the use of their hall, sensory and soft playroom. More families came and the we CAAN community grew. We CAAN has been lucky enough to have the support of St Giles and during 2024 was able to hold more sessions during the school holidays.
As Christmas 2024 approached, discussions around the grotto began – with the desire for it to be bigger and be able to be accessed by even more families. Once again, St Giles came to the rescue and offered a place where a giant marquee could be put up in their grounds. This enabled access to we CAAN families and every student that went to the school.
Once again, lots of building began and through sweat, blood and lots of tears the grotto was created. On opening day Storm Darragh hit and most of that weekend’s sessions had to be cancelled on safety grounds. However, with the help of Rob the Legend caretaker, items which could be damaged were safely stored whilst the storm passed.
The ladies of we CAAN would not be beaten. At 6.00am on a Monday morning, they started rebuilding everything and success… every single student of St Giles was able to access the grotto and meet Santa. The LCSD dancers who had been involved in building the amazing space accessed it and the families that had missed out during the weekend were offered this amazing chance. The gift from Santa? A book, written and illustrated by the two amazing mums who strive for this initiative to keep going.
What next?
There is still so much the charity wants to achieve, including:
- The continued search for a permanent place to lay down roots and not to have to keep dismantling at the end of all sessions.
- More sessions! To offer the support for the community that is we CAAN.
- Looking into offering different activities such as swimming or maybe even creating a sibling support group.
- The we CAAN grotto 2025 (but without the storm please!)
- The continuation of the we CAAN community growing, providing much needed support to families.
Find we CAAN on Facebook and contact them via wecaan@outlook.com.