About Us

Every weekend Amy’s House gives special needs children the chance to play, laugh and learn with their siblings in a fun and friendly environment.

It may sound like a basic requirement for a child, but sadly it’s something that a lot of special needs children miss out on during the week, due to the specialist individual care many of them require. 

Amy’s House was set up by Maurice and Meriel Littlewood after they experienced first hand the lack of facilities available for children and families dealing with special needs. When their granddaughter Amy contracted meningitis, they recognised how necessary respite facilities are to give families help and support when they need it most as their other granddaughter Molly had severe special needs. Sadly after Amy’s death aged 8 they set up the Amy’s House charity in her memory to provide her sister and others with this much needed service.

Our Staff

We employ expert care staff who work with the children and engage them in fun and challenging activities, encouraging them to undertake basic domestic tasks, which equip them with the skills required for a more independent life.

Welcome Respite

As well as caring for children our facility also provides welcome respite for parents and carers, who often don’t get a chance to meet and talk to other adults at the weekend. Despite there being a growing number of families in need of weekend respite, Amy’s House is the only facility of its kind in Sheffield to offer this type of service.

When Amy’s House was trialed as a pilot scheme in 2005 the response we had was incredible, and proof that such a facility was desperately needed in Sheffield. Since then, we’ve continued to go from strength to strength, employing additional qualified staff and working with the Special Needs Inclusion Playcare Service (SNIPS) as part of our pledge to help the ever-growing number of deserving families in Sheffield.

Our Base

Currently we’re based in Ballifield Primary School, Sheffield, where Head Teacher, Sheila Haigh, has been incredibly supportive in allowing us to use the after school facility at weekends and during school holidays.

In the coming months we plan to gain funding to offer more places and longer opening hours, enabling us to help even more families put the fun back into their weekends.

A working partnership

Amy’s House is run by a management committee comprising of trustees who work in partnership with SNIPS. Our excellent specialist care staff are funded by grants, but other than that we rely almost entirely upon fundraising.

It’s through fundraising that we’re able to continue to offer what one parent referred to as “an oasis in our lives” completely free of charge. The only time we do charge is when a parent or carer cannot stay with their child and even then it is only a nominal fee of £1 per child per hour.

If you’d like to help to support Amy’s House, or if you’d like any further information about the wonderful work we do, please contact Julie Pickering.