West Sussex disability charity celebrates 18th birthday and launches Pay it Forward campaign to mark the milestone

Reaching Families was founded in Littlehampton in 2008 by parent-carers and now delivers a range of services to families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities across West Sussex, including information, training, support groups, befriending and benefits advice.

To mark the milestone year, the charity has launched its first public fundraising campaign, called Pay it Forward.

More than 90 children and parent gathered for the family fun day at Out of Bounds in Rustington and they were joined by Worthing mayor Lysanne Skinner.

Lysanne and her daughter Trixie have both been diagnosed with ADHD and she has named Reaching Families as one of her three charities for her mayoral year.

Lysanne said: “It's just so hard for these families to get the help they need. I was, therefore, delighted to give my support to Reaching Families, particularly on their 18th birthday. So many families depend on the services they provide."

One mum whose daughter cannot attend school said her girls had a wonderful afternoon. “It was just so lovely to see them calm and relaxed," she added.

The charity's Facebook group has recently passed 10,000 members. The Pay it Forward campaign is asking these parents, families and the wider community to donate to help the next generation of SEND families that need support.

Brian O'Hagan, director, said: “It's getting harder and harder for us to keep up with demand for our work. We've done everything we can to maximise our resources but every week, more and more families come to us for help. We desperately need additional funds to ensure we can be there for them.”

Visit www.reachingfamilies.org.uk for more information about Reaching Families and the Pay it Forward campaign.