About Us
Here at aScEND we are committed to providing a wide range of events and sessions including -
Arts and crafts activities
0-5 play sessions
Sensory sessions
Lego Therapy Sessions
Animal Interaction
Social Groups
All our sessions and groups are tailored to meet the needs of the SEND community and their families.
Our animal interaction service can be within our planned sessions or we can come to you.
Please contact us with any inquiries or ideas you may have.
aScEND Animal Interaction
At aScEND, we recognise the need for alternative provisions and sessions while offering a unique experience to children and adults with special educational needs and disabilities. We understand that going the extra mile for children and adults with additional needs helps to make them feel included, appreciated, and thought of.
With this in mind, we have launched aScEND Animal Interaction.
aScEND Animal Interaction has a strong passion for sharing the love of goats and small animals for fun and connection. All of this is to promote positive well-being and make a difference in the lives of the children and adults who access our service. Our animals offer so much in the way of therapy, building connections, and learning new skills.
We want to be able to offer a therapeutic animal service, interactive fun craft sessions, social groups, days out, and above all make a difference.
Animals are great therapists and they don’t even know it. All of our animals are non-judgmental, full of character, funny, caring and calming all at the same time. Don’t get us wrong they are also full of life, sass, excitement and the odd bit of mischief too.
Connecting people of all ages to animals of all shapes and sizes can help promote empathy, enjoyment, and overall increased well-being.
What is animal interaction?
Animal interaction involves animals of various species. The idea is to provide psycho-social, emotional, and physical benefits for a variety of people. It proves especially valuable when working with vulnerable groups of children and adults, including those with a mental or physical disability, the young or the elderly.
Who can benefit from animal interaction?
The basic answer is everyone and anyone. However, animal interaction can be highly beneficial for children, elderly people, people with illness or injuries, and also people with disabilities, anxiety, or depression.
Animal interaction can also boost workplace morale and be the uplifting experience your work colleagues, your office and your team need. Just being with animals is massively beneficial and makes people feel happy. We know this as we have tried it.
As well as people the animals also benefit from the interaction and human contact.
How does animal interaction help?
Studies have shown a correlation between positive changes and human-animal interaction. The actual presence of animals has a multitude of benefits for children, adults and seniors alike. The human and animal interaction can improve an individual’s social, emotional, mental and physical health.
Whilst not a conclusive list these are some of the benefits of animal interaction –
• Lowers anxiety and stress levels
• Reduces blood pressure
• Encourages exercise and movement
• Improves communication
• Builds confidence and trust
• Encourages the release of endorphins which aids those to feel better especially if depressed or isolated.
Animal interaction can help individuals build confidence, self-efficiency, communication, trust, perspective, social skills, impulse control, and learning about boundaries.
What we can offer at aScEND
• Craft sessions
• Craft and animal interaction sessions
• Social Group
• Trips
• Animal visits to you - Yes we can come to your -
o Home
o School
o Nursery
o Care home
o Wedding
o Party
o Office or place of work…….why not book us for a coffee break or lunch break to boost morale in your office or work environment?
• And SO much more coming in 2025!!
Please keep up to date on our social media channels for when our craft sessions are and also our craft and animal interaction sessions.
We will try and accommodate any requests within the capabilities of our animals and are happy to discuss your requirements.
Bespoke packages can be arranged so contact us with your ideas and thoughts.
Event and Sessions
If you would like to know more about the events and sessions that we have available click the link below to be taken to our calendar.