Neurodiverse children's charity in Hatfield gets King's Award

Children of various ages are supported at Potential Kids in Hatfield

A charity supporting neurodiverse children has received the King's Award for Voluntary Service.

Potential Kids in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, provides space for children with conditions such as autism, ADHD and Tourette's.

Volunteer Susanna Mateu said: "In a world where we have to pretend to be someone - they can be themselves at Potential Kids."

It is the UK's highest award for volunteers, equivalent to an MBE.

Potential Kids was founded in 2018 by Angela Gaughan, whose son is on the autistic spectrum. She found it difficult to access activities for him and set up her own group.

Now a charity based at the Galleria shopping centre in Hatfield, Potential Kids had a difficult start.

"A few weeks before launching, our venue was badly vandalised - everything was ruined and destroyed," explained Ms Mateu.

"A month later we came back with this amazing venue - but it didn't belong to us. It was taken by the local government to run a business, so Potential Kids was homeless again.

"Then the Galleria came to the rescue and they gave us a hub. And we convinced them to give us a garden, which we turned into a sensory garden," she said.

Children can take part in outdoor learning and bushcraft at the sensory garden

The hub offers various activities including Minecraft club, outdoor skills, arts and crafts, youth clubs and games.

Ms Mateu, whose son is neurodivergent, said: "We try to make it a very inclusive experience. We want to create an environment where children can be understood, no one is judging them, no one is shocked about anything.

"There's nothing wrong with our kids, they just have different brains."

She said they had been able to support children who were home-schooled or struggled to access mainstream education, as well as others with "serious mental health issues".

"Some are in a much better place after coming to Potential Kids. Some have been able to go back into mainstream education, and some are now volunteer leaders, she added.

Representatives of Potential Kids will receive a King's Award crystal and certificate next year from Robert Voss, the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Founder Ms Gaughan said she was "truly humbled" that their efforts had been recognised and paid tribute to the volunteers' "hard work and commitment".

"We will continue to work hard to promote awareness and understanding of neurodiversity and help vulnerable and often marginalised young people to access better life opportunities and suitable educational, social and employment settings," she said.

The Galleria's centre director, Tim Stirling, said he was "delighted" to support the charity's work.

"It has been lovely to see how they have transformed the outdoor space into a safe, relaxing environment for children and their families to enjoy," he said.