Special Lioness: Mothers' mission to support families with disabled children

Claire Stewart, 42, and Amy Howes, 34, both have children with profound disabilities and life limiting conditions, meaning they may never live to see their teenage years.

Claire and Amy both found they had nowhere to turn for honest advice and support, so in 2017 launched the Special Lioness charity, reaching out to other parents and children in similar situations and thinking of ways they can offer support and create memories.

Now in its third year, the charity is supporting families and disabled children across Wearside by providing tailored events, offering advice and helping parents create memories that will last a lifetime.

Co-founder of Special Lioness, Claire Stewart said: “We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity within our local community to come together and celebrate our children rather than facing obstacles.

“We fundraise all year round because the majority of our children have life limiting conditions and will never reach teenage years or adulthood. We give families the opportunity to experience events they’ll likely miss out on such as prom’s and first dances.”

The inspiration behind starting the charity is Claire’s son Bailey, 8, who is not expected to live beyond 10, and Amy’s daughter Aoife, 7, who was also born with a number of complications.

Despite facing a difficult year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Special Lioness have continued to support families over the last few months in a safe way with activity packs and giving parents things to do with their children in the house.

Most recently, they sent out special Halloween packs meaning children could still get involved with the fun and creativity of Halloween while staying safe at home.

Claire added: The support we’ve had during the pandemic has been amazing.

Most of our children are having to shield and are unable to attend school, so we’ve been sending out activity packs to support them while ensuring they stay safe at home.”

To learn more about Special Lioness and see how you can get involved, visit their website.

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