Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Me too & Co is a local charity run by parents, for families. We aim to remove the isolation that can be created for families when their children are affected by disability and additional needs. We provide a supportive and active community where the whole family is cared for and given the opportunity to develop and feel empowered.
We were founded by parents in 2006 to fill a hole in the local community where no all round support existed for the whole family. Our mission became to provide a one stop shop where families can receive practical and emotional support, and children could access therapies and creative activities. We continue to be run by a Board of Trustees who all have personal or professional experience of additional needs, which makes sure that our charity’s goals and strategies have a really authentic empathy with our families.
We are based in Richmond-upon- Thames, but have an open door policy. Anyone, from anywhere, is welcome! Families come to us from miles around because we are the only charity offering the type of support we do.
We now support over 600 families, and the list is growing! Over the last 10 years we have held sessions every Tuesday and Friday during term time where the activities and therapies on offer have grown and grown. During the last decade we have travelled from at first providing inclusive play sessions, to now offering a wide range of therapies and services that would be otherwise inaccessible to families, such as hydrotherapy and free legal advice for Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Unconditional support
Many families come to us having just received a diagnosis for their children and are at the very beginning of their journey. Others find us after they have been living very challenging lives without the right support for their family. Whenever people join us, they receive unconditional support, information and guidance.
No child or family needs a professional referral to come to us; we welcome anybody struggling with any aspect of disability and additional need at any point in their journey.
At first relying on donations, we built a strong and impactful charity that meant we were lucky to receive a grant from BBC Children in Need as well as other local grant giving bodies Richmond Parish Lands and Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity. This means we can keep most of our services free of charge, so that we can keep our mission of being accessible to everyone. We are completely independent, which means we can adapt and change our services to meet the real needs of our families.
Like most local charities, Me too & Co is dependent on and indebted to our wonderful volunteers. To those that provide therapies and to those that support our children at the sessions. We couldn’t do it without them. Families rely on us to provide consistency and unconditional support in what is often a very stressful and emotional journey. Find out more about donating to me too & co.
Supporting #LocalCharitiesDay on 16 December means that organisations like ours, that make a real and tangible difference to people and communities at a very personal level, can continue to grow and develop. Please get involved and show your support for the wonderful work that goes on every day.
Get involved in #LocalCharitiesDay ahead of 16 December
- Download the Digital Toolkit
- Sign up to the #LocalCharitiesDay Thunderclap
- Add the #LocalCharitiesDay Twibbon to your social media channels
