OUR MISSION

We are a parent/staff association with a difference. Linden Lodge School’s wonderful pupils are aged between two and 19 years and happen to have complex disabilities and needs.

Students travel from all over the south east of England to attend this specialist school. Their families know the joys of parenting a disabled child but are all too familiar with the frustrations and isolation that can come from having a son or daughter with a rare or life-limiting condition.

We don’t feel sorry for ourselves. We support each other. Community at Linden Lodge (C@LL) was set up by parents and staff hoping to reach out to mums, dads, grandparents and carers. We understand the unique challenges life with a disabled child brings. Our aim is to build a supportive network around the children, giving them the best possible chance in life. We celebrate their differences and help families feel embraced, confident and informed.

Other families might take for granted everyday pleasures like going for a walk with friends, having family portraits taken, or even having their child’s hair cut. For our families many simple tasks present difficulties, so instead of going without, we problem solve. We bring specialists to the school, for example hairdressers, to cut that fringe without the sensory overload of a salon, top photographers to take beautiful portraits, lawyers to advise on complex wills and trusts and counsellors to help with issues faced by siblings. We organise wheelchair-friendly and accessible walks so families can meet and chat.

Brothers and sisters of school pupils have created their own peer support group Sibings Herd at Linden Lodge (SH@LL). With only a little bit of guidance from adults they came up with the name and decided how SH@LL would work. They have held their first event - a school takeover on a Sunday.

During lockdown we facilitated an online forum. We kept families up-to-date with relevant government and third sector advice and encouraged parents to talk and share their experiences. We didn’t want anyone to feel alone.

C@LL is run by a group of volunteer parents and staff. Because the number of pupils at the school is relatively small, we can’t raise huge sums of money ourselves - you won’t find a bake sale on our calendar! So we rely on generous donations. We are hugely grateful to our supporters in the local community who help raise funds and to organisations who donate.

We are bursting with ideas and ambition to make life better for Linden Lodge School families.

If you would like to know more about us do get in touch.