Review: How SEN-Fit Could Support Your Family

Bethan from The Yallop Family shares why she and her sons love SEN-Fit CIC

SEN-Fit CIC is a truly amazing company run by Fiona. For our family it has become a life line and I’m sure a lot of other SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) families feel the same.

Fiona started SEN-Fit due to personal experience. Her oldest child has SEND and loves sports but as he got older it became more difficult for him to do this. They started going to the gym and she saw other young people not knowing what do and needing support too.

So Fiona retrained as a personal trainer and started to work with individuals. SEN-Fit grew from her passion for supporting families, having worked with families for over 15 years and seeing the need for support (especially during holidays). This led Fiona to start running holiday clubs and tea time club sessions in Spondon, Borowash and Heanor. Her belief is that families should be able to access the information and support they need which means family support work was needed to wrap around it all. They want to deliver opportunities for children and adults to get active and connect. These form the pillars of what they do at SEN-Fit. 

We met Fiona completely by chance when Toby was overwhelmed and struggling on an outing during a school holiday. She was so lovely and understanding and made us feel at ease. From that point on, we started accessing her services and it’s made such a huge difference for us. 

Toby started attending the holiday club and he’s had so many amazing experiences through this. At each session there is a wide range of activities on offer and themed days. This summer, he attended a music themed day which included making their own instruments and a special guest came in to do a music workshop. The holiday club has also been on trips to Lea Green where he got to go on the zip line, try out the assault course, toast marshmallows round the bonfire and so much more. This term they have also been lucky enough to go on trips to the farm. Looking after goats, making bird feeders and spotting local wildlife were just a few of the wonderful things they did there. 

School holidays are particular hard for Toby and other SEND children as routine is so important for them. Having holiday club gives him back a routine and he gets to make new friends and enjoy new experiences too.  

Fiona also offers 1:1 support for families such as applying for EHCP, DLA or PIP. She recently helped me apply for Jasper's EHCP and let’s just say it’s a good job she offers this service as I had no clue what I was doing! 

She also offers Emotional Literacy and Fitness sessions for children over 5. Toby has had a few of these 1:1 sessions with her and they have really helped him. He really struggles to understand his emotions and why he’s feeling a certain way. He doesn’t always like talking to me or his dad about these things but having someone else like Fiona to talk to and work through activities with has been so helpful for him. 

As well as all of these things we've tried out, SEN-Fit offer lots more! 

• Three tea time clubs (Spondon, Borrowash and Heanor) for 8-16 year olds where they come do some exercise, have tea and do something social (Fitness Food and Friendship).

• Anxiety & Fitness classes which are weekly circuit sessions for adults on Thursdays in Heanor from 9:30-11:00. This involves a work out and a chat.

• Adult support groups twice per month, one of which is a walking group. 

• Monthly workshops on topics to support parents navigate the world of SEND. 

• 1:1 personal trainer sessions on gym and community for anyone over 14.

• Run club will be starting 23rd September at Rutland Sports Centre in Ilkeston at 6:15pm on Mondays for all children (under 16s need an adult with them).

It’s hard to believe that one company can offer so much but they do! SEN-Fit is a community interest company so any profits they make are reinvested to provide more and better services. 

Fiona has built an amazing support for SEN children and their families and I’m truly thankful we found them. 

Check out their Facebook page for more information and full details of their services 💚