As a Grandparent I know first hand the feelings and emotions that you get upon hearing that your Grandchild has been born with different needs/disability. I know how hard this can be to discuss with other family members, I know how difficult it can be for your friends to fully understand your concerns. I also know how comforting it can be to talk to others in similar situations who understand the emotional roller coaster that you are on. I understand how empowering it is to be able to find out information and to be able to share that with others.
After speaking to a few Grandparents one morning at my Granddaughters SN Nursery I realised how good it was to be able to talk to others who had the same feelings as myself. It also became apparent that what Grandparents often want is more information so that they can understand more about their Grandchild’s needs and therefore be able to be of more help. I wanted a local group where I could meet up with other Grandparents like myself to be able to share information, listen to others and also within that group chance to listen to professionals and charity representatives so that I could find out what was out there which might be of help to my family.
I could not find anything at the time therefore after much discussion and help from others, SNUG (Special Needs United Grandparents) was born.
Having the idea was the easy part but without the help of others who believed that such a group was needed it would never have got off the ground. In the early days we had difficulty finding a venue that did not require us to have insurance.
I initially outlined the basics of my idea for such a group at a networking meeting organised by Staffordshire S.E.N.D. (Formerly Parent Partnership). From that meeting others got in touch with me offering help and in particular a lovely lady called Tracy from Skillshare. Tracy has been fantastic in helping us to have a venue for our meetings (a room in the offices of Staffordshire S.E.N.D) and also in getting information leaflets printed about SNUG. She has also been able to organise very informative guest speakers.
Initially I was concentrating upon just a local group but then decided I wanted to provide a platform for all Grandparents of SN children to be able to share information and experiences no matter where they lived. The SNUG Facebook Group was formed. Now it doesn't matter where you live, by joining the Facebook Group you can be sure of a warm welcome from other Grandparents just like you.
So to summarize, the group is currently in two parts and to become part of it is simple:
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
The closed Facebook Group allows Grandparents of SN children worldwide to be
able to connect with each other. To join you need to be logged into Facebook
then search for SNUG (Special Needs United Grandparents) and click join. Your join request will then be dealt with asap. It is a closed
group to offer a certain amount of privacy.
MEETING GROUP (CURRENTLY IN STAFFORD, STAFFORDSHIRE,UK)
The Stafford Group is for Grandparents who live in Staffordshire who like to meet up during term time for tea/coffee and a chat. Sometimes we have informative talks from professionals or other organisations. To join this group please contact me via our e-mail address snugstaffs@gmail.com and I will add you to our mailing list to be kept informed of all meetings as soon as they are arranged. Although e-mail is preferred so as to keep costs down to a minimum you can also telephone 07471178128
You can belong to both the Facebook Group and local group if you wish.
It would be lovely to see the group grow to an extent where local meet ups can be organised by members in other areas. Facebook is brilliant for being able to share with people worldwide but it is also nice to be able to chat to someone face to face over tea and cake!
If you are interested in organising a SNUG meeting in your local area then please contact me (Anne) and I will be happy to help or advise if I can.
One of our Facebook members came up with the slogan “because Grandparents care too” and I think this is very fitting because not only do Grandparents of special needs grandchildren care in the caring sense of the word but now many more Grandparents also share in the physical day to day care.
SPREAD THE WORD
Help us reach as many Grandparents of special needs grandchildren as possible by talking about this group, sharing this blog and passing on our contact details.
Anyone can follow us on Twitter @SNUGnews The twitter account is a good way to find out more information about the group.
Information leaflets are available upon request or for any further information contact us via one of the methods below:-
E-MAIL – PREFERRED snugstaffs@gmail.com
Tel: 07471178128
or send us a Tweet
