A NEW social event providing opportunities for children and young adults with special educational needs (SEN) to dance and let their hair down has been set up in Basingstoke.
The SEN Disco, at Brighton Hill Community Association in Gershwin Court, is held on the last Wednesday of every month.
Set up by Harriet Woodward, 30 and her friends Sammy Parker, Lana Constable, Kelli Hewett and Marie White, the disco aims to give social opportunities for SEN youngsters in the town.
Harriet said: "I'm a children's nurse at SEN schools in Basingstoke, and I also work with children and take them on days out.
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"I realised that there are limited extracurricular activities for SEN children in Basingstoke so I spoke with my friends, and one of them had set up something similar in Winchester, so I looked at doing the same here."
Harriet, who is originally from Farnborough but has lived in Chineham for a few years now, explained that she and her friends wanted to "give everyone equal opportunities."
She continued: "It is important to give children with SEN the same opportunities as children who don't have disability issues."
The SEN Disco, which is held on the last Wednesday of every month from 5.30pm until 6.30pm for ages four to 11, and 7pm until 8.30pm for ages 11 to 19, has been going for two months now, and is supported by Guiding Stars, a dedicated support service for children with additional needs, their families, and the educational settings that nurture them for more information, visit guidingstars.net
Tickets to the SEN Disco cost £3.50 for the primary school age group and £4 for the secondary school and up age group. More information can be found by visiting eventbrite.com/e/sen-disco-primary-age-tickets-1402811138879
Harriet explained that organisers have been "really lucky" that the Brighton Hill Community Association is letting them use the space for free, and the resident DJs Bev and Craig Watts - known as flipside and Jewksie, along with John Crawford - are performing free of charge.
She said: "The volunteers are very generously giving up their time to help, and we want to use the money we do make to set up a summer fete and a Christmas ball, to give more fun activities."
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