Thank you, BBC Children in Need!
At the Sycamore Trust, we’re rightly proud of all our projects and services, but perhaps none more so than Speak With A Picture because of the help it offers to the youngest members of the community. When SWAP began in autumn of 2018, we could not have predicted that it would become so successful in such a short space of time. From that very first intake, it was clear that the programme was going to help a great many pre-school children and their families, and in it's first two years, the project has exceeded 200 referrals.
In short, Speak With A Picture helps non-verbal children or children with limited communication skills by using an alternative communication system designed to provide individuals with the ability to share their own wants and needs. There can be few things more frustrating for both parents and children than being unable to communicate and the aim of the programme is for children and their families to develop communication skills that can be widely used every day. We were able to launch SWAP two years ago thanks to the support of Children in Need fund, the BBC's UK charity.
Since 1980 Children In Need has raised over £1 billion for disadvantaged children and young people in the UK, and it was thanks to their support that we have been able to help and continue to help so many families across Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge. As this Friday is the annual appeal, it’s the right time to thank everyone at BBC Children In Need for their support, enabling us to help so many families. Thank you!
For more on SWAP, go to http://www.sycamoretrust.org.uk/our-services/swap
Barking MP Dame Margaret Hodge at the SWAP launch in September 2018