The Sunshine Hub SW

24/03/2026

I have been sent an email with some FREE Easter Holiday activities for SEND children and families (no diagnoses required)
I’ve listed the details below 🥰 Links to book are in the comments 👇🏻

⭐️Dartmoor activity Centre - Haytor 4th April – Easter Saturday
This is a family day split in to two sessions to keep the numbers spread across the day
Activities include-
*Bushcraft fire lighting,
*Shelter Building,
*Tyrolean Traverse,
*Archery

⭐️Dartmoor outdoor learning team – Basecamp days spread across the easter holidays at Pixies holt.
These are drop off and pickup days – key requirement being the child is okay in small groups (4 or 5 children to 1 instructor) (Children are welcome to attend 2 days across the holidays) and need to be mobile.
If any age group doesn’t work for two children who would like to attend together please do email and we can see what is possible.

⭐️Calvert Trust Weekend 18th and 19th April
These are family days and spread over 4 sessions to keep the numbers spread across the weekend
Families are able to book either morning or afternoon session or book both sessions on either the Saturday or Sunday
These sessions are very accessible for a range of needs.
Activities include
* Archery
* Bikes
* Rafting
* Camp Craft
* Climbing

21/03/2026

We are so so close to 600 followers 😱 If you haven’t already, please could you invite your friends to follow our page? Just click the 3 dots on our page and then click invite friends 💛

20/03/2026

Our first room is completed! This room will be the ‘heart’ of the hub, we will mostly be using it for crafts but it can be used for a variety of activities ✨ I am so pleased with how good it looks 💛
We will be revealing the planned groups and schedule very soon 🤩

16/03/2026

There’s a strange moment many SEND parents eventually encounter.

At the beginning, you are the “lovely parent.”

You thank teachers.
You trust the system.
You assume if you explain things clearly enough, someone will help your child.

You believe everyone is trying their best.

And then… something happens.

Maybe your child starts falling further behind.
Maybe the support that was promised never quite materialises.
Maybe you begin reading the law and realising what should be happening.

So you ask more questions.

You send another email.

You ask for a meeting.

You ask for evidence.

You ask why the provision written down doesn’t match what your child is actually receiving.

And slowly, almost imperceptibly, something shifts.

You are no longer the “lovely parent.”

You become the “difficult parent.”

The one who asks too many questions.
The one who “doesn’t trust professionals.”
The one who is “always pushing.”

But here’s the uncomfortable truth.

Most SEND parents don’t start out difficult.

They become difficult when the system stops listening.

Research into parental advocacy in special education repeatedly shows the same pattern: parents escalate their involvement when support fails or communication breaks down. What looks like confrontation is often simply persistence born out of necessity.

Because when the system struggles, there is only one person left whose job it is to keep going.

The parent.

So if you meet a SEND parent who seems “difficult”, there’s a good chance you are simply meeting someone who has learned — the hard way — that politeness alone does not secure support for their child.

Sometimes persistence is the only language the system understands.

And none of us wanted to become fluent in it.

15/03/2026

To all the SEND mums…

Happy Mother’s Day 💜

07/03/2026

The most beautiful friendships are being formed ❤️ These two have become inseparable at our home ed groups, this week they played restaurants with Playdoh and made each other ‘best friends’ magnets. Friendships can be really tricky for neurodivergent individuals to navigate, so moments like this are really special. We love that our group is a safe space for friendships to grow 🌱

21/02/2026

It’s been a week since I started posting about The Sunshine Hub and my plans for the place! I haven’t gotten a huge amount done but we did make some lovely art work for the walls 🌈
I will be making a proper start next week on paperwork and securing funding for the sensory room. Over the next few days, I will be asking what kind of groups and activities you would like to see me run and facilitate 🥰 Thanks for following this journey 🌻

16/02/2026

Wow! We have gained almost 200 followers in the last day 💛 I’m going to be at the hub today, taking the first steps to making the place exactly how I’m imagining it! First job, choosing the right shade of yellow to brighten up some of the walls 🌻

15/02/2026

Good morning! For those who are new here I thought I’d introduce myself.. ✨
I’m Jess, I have 10+ years experience working in the SEND community. I started off working in a special school, I then ran an enabling and respite business, from there I started providing advocacy services to families who were being let down by the system. I have lived experience of the SEND world, my siblings are autistic and my brother, George, was severely disabled 💙
My hopes for The Sunshine Hub are for it to become a well known place where people from all walks of life, not just the SEND community, can come together and access the various services I will be providing. I will be working with different providers, small businesses and charities so I can offer a wider range of services.
Join me as I work to transform a well-loved building into a busy Hub of Sunshine ☀️💛

13/02/2026

Introducing The Sunshine Hub… I am super happy to share that I have now secured a place for me to continue working with families and individuals who need it most. Working in partnership with Wellbeing in Action the Hub will be a safe space for everyone! I will be offering: SEND groups, Craft sessions for all, Home Education groups, 1:1 enabling sessions, plus the opportunity for small businesses to hire out the space.
My first mission is to turn one of the rooms into an amazing sensory room that will be used for my sessions, as well as the possibility for private hire ✨

07/10/2025

⭐️

We’ve been shortlisted for a Stars of Teignbridge Award ⭐️ This is such an incredible achievement for us. We’ve only been set up for 6 months so to have already been nominated for this award is just the best feeling 🥰
Our Neurodivergent Home Ed Groups are a lifeline for some of the families who attend. It gives them a safe space to socialise and access educational activities. Our groups are a place where neurodiversity is celebrated 🎉
I am so proud of NeuroNest and really can’t wait to see what the next 6 months bring ❤️⭐️

30/05/2025

New Name!
I’ve decided to change the name of my business from Sunshine Respite to Sunshine SEND Services ☀️ I’m still so passionate about advising, supporting and advocating for disabled people and their carers but I’m no longer providing respite so this new name reflects that! 💛