In December 2025, The Fidget Project reached an important milestone: our first anniversary as a Community Interest Company (CIC).
Our first year has been one of learning, listening and growing. Most importantly, it has reinforced why our work matters.
Every conversation with a parent, every partnership with a school, and every child we’ve supported has strengthened our belief that families of children with Sensory Processing Differences (SPD) deserve practical support when they need it—not months or years later.
None of this would have been possible without the encouragement, generosity and belief of our supporters. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Our Mission
From the beginning, our mission has been to improve understanding of Sensory Processing Differences and the ways they affect children’s everyday lives.
Sensory processing differences underpin many neurodevelopmental conditions, including Autism, ADHD, AuDHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia. When these differences are misunderstood, they can contribute to sensory overload, anxiety, school refusal, emotional dysregulation and challenges with learning, relationships and wellbeing.
We believe every child deserves the opportunity to be understood, supported and celebrated for their strengths.
What We’ve Achieved Together
Over the past year, we’ve been proud to:
- Establish a welcoming community base at the Kingsbridge Hub.
- Host twice-monthly support sessions for SEND and neurodivergent parents, carers and allies.
- Develop a growing lending library of sensory tools, equipment and books for families to borrow.
- Deliver training and awareness sessions in schools and community venues across South Devon.
- Work alongside Kingsbridge Community Primary School to help develop a dedicated SEND and neurodiversity space where children can regulate, feel safe and return to learning.
- Grow our online presence, sharing resources, guidance and practical information with families.
- Build a community of hundreds of supporters through newsletters, social media and local events.
- Raise vital funds through our Crowdfunder, community fundraising events, prize draws and local partnerships.
We have also been grateful to receive support from South Hams District Council and the Devon County Council Innovation Grant, helping us extend our reach across rural communities.
Every milestone represents children and families receiving support that simply wasn’t available before.
Listening, Learning and Making a Necessary Pivot
When we first launched, our ambition was to create a mobile sensory hub—a specialist bus that could travel between rural communities, bringing support directly to families.
The need for this was clear.
However, after exploring funding opportunities, it became apparent that while organisations recognised the value of the idea, the long-term costs associated with purchasing, maintaining and insuring a specialist vehicle made securing sustainable funding extremely difficult.
Rather than allowing that challenge to slow our progress, we asked ourselves a simple question:
How can we create the greatest impact with the resources available today?
The answer led us to rethink our approach.
A Stronger Direction
Our decision wasn’t about changing our mission, it was about strengthening it.
Instead of focusing our efforts on a single mobile service, we’re investing directly in services that families can access now.
That means continuing to:
- Support families before, during and after diagnosis.
- Help parents understand and respond to sensory processing differences.
- Work alongside schools to create more inclusive learning environments.
- Deliver practical training and specialist guidance.
- Build partnerships that improve access to sensory-informed services.
- Keep support affordable through fundraising, grants and community partnerships.
This approach allows us to reach more families, more consistently, and with fewer barriers.
Investing in Specialist Support
As part of this new direction, we’ve expanded the specialist support available through The Fidget Project.
We now work with sensory integration-trained practitioners who provide training, practical guidance and therapeutic support for children, families and schools.
Our ambition is to make these services available at low cost, or wherever possible, through donations and grant funding, so that financial circumstances never become a barrier to accessing support.
Why This Work Matters
Many families in our area wait more than three years for an autism or ADHD assessment.
Others are not yet on a diagnostic pathway but are already managing the daily realities of sensory overload, anxiety, school challenges and emotional regulation with very little support.
Our 2025 Community Survey, completed by more than 400 local people, found that 67% believed SEND and neurodiversity provision in the South Hams was “poor or non-existent.”
Those findings continue to shape everything we do.
Families shouldn’t have to wait years to receive understanding, practical advice and community support.
Looking Ahead
As we move into our second year as a CIC, our focus is clear.
We’ll continue developing services that have the greatest impact for children, families, schools and communities across South Devon.
We’ll keep raising awareness of sensory processing differences.
We’ll continue supporting parents who often feel isolated and overwhelmed.
We’ll work alongside schools and professionals to create more inclusive environments where neurodiverse children can thrive.
And we’ll keep listening to the families who inspire everything we do.
Help Us Continue This Work
Every donation, fundraising event, partnership and shared conversation helps us reach another family who may otherwise struggle alone.
If you’d like to support our work, we’d love you to get involved.
Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, fundraise or simply help spread the word, you’ll be helping us build communities where neurodiverse children are understood, supported and given every opportunity to shine.
Visit our Get Involved page to learn more about supporting The Fidget Project and our ongoing fundraising campaign.
Thank you for believing in our mission and for helping us create positive change, one family at a time.
