News / South Bristol Sports Centre
One of UK’s largest sensory rooms opens in Bristol
After a fire three years ago, South Bristol Sports Centre was reconfigured to make an additional space. But the impact of Covid left the room without a purpose.
After working with SOS!SEN, an independent helpline for special education, members of the centre felt compelled to turn the space into a safe sanctuary for children and adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
On Friday, June 24, the ‘Super Sense Sensory Room’ will open its doors, an 150 metres squared space full of sensory equipment.
The sensory room hopes to provide a calming and soothing space for babies and toddlers to explore and interact with their environment through light sound and touch, with equipment ranging from a hip-hop activity box, colour wall controllers and projections to mirrors and bubble tubes.
The centre offers booked sessions of 60 minutes each for children and young people. Provisions include “quiet sessions” for families that require a restful environment with their SEND children.
No form of diagnosis is required to attend Super Sense sessions, and the centre works with various organisations that specialise in this field to ensure every SEND child in the community has the opportunity to benefit from the facility.
“Any child with SEND has the right and ability to develop into adulthood, capable of taking an integral part in a wider society. The Imperial Sports Ground as a Bristol based registered charity has the responsibility to give them every opportunity to succeed”, said the centre.
Equipment ranges from a hip-hop activity box, colour wall controllers and projections to mirrors and bubble tubes – photo: South Bristol Sports Centre
The centre is keen to reach all parts of the community, particularly those living in isolation and deprivation, with talks with the local authority ongoing.
Resonance, one of the UK’s leading social impact investment companies, worked with the centre to raise the funds needed through its South West SITR Fund.
The fund is designed to provide affordable growth investment opportunities for social enterprises tackling poverty and disadvantage in the South West region.
Resonance has also worked with organisations such as Action to Prevent Suicide, St Mungo’s, The Skill Mill, Beyond Autism and Fareshare.
The centre opens on Friday, June 24.
Main photo: South Bristol Sports Centre
Read more: Resonance
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
