The 'safe place' helping special needs children

Alison Parr (left) created the centre after finding there were no local facilities for her daughter Ruby (right)

A charity which provides breaks for parents from caring for their children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been called an essential safe space.

Claire Drelincourt, one of the mothers helped by Ruby's, in Congleton, Cheshire, said the group was "amazing".

"There's no judgement anywhere; it's just a safe place to be," she said, after the staff helped her daughter to be diagnosed with special educational needs.

The charity has been promised another £34,000 by Children in Need to continue their work.

They will use it to offer more of the short breaks for parents as they hold one-to-one, two-hour visits for their children.

Mother-of-three Katie said the centre was a safe place for her child, who has developmental delays, and allowed them to "thrive."

"I don't see any of the negative behaviour from Marley when we are here because he's comfortable," she added.

"In a normal soft play, people will scowl or get annoyed when they try and steal things."

Katie said the understanding of other parents of SEND children at the centre was also helpful to celebrate achievements and support one another through what she called the "battle" of the diagnosis process.

Ruby's began 16 years ago, when founder Alison Parr's daughter Ruby was diagnosed with infantile spasms, a form of epilepsy.

"There wasn't help for families like ours," she remembered.

That prompted her to fundraise to create a sensory room in Congleton which grew over the years into a community hub including a soft play area, outdoor playground and cafe.

She said it was a privilege to receive Children in Need funding on her "never-ending journey" to support families.

BBC Children in Need Day takes place on 15 November. Find out more about it here.