Open Letter

A message from our founder and chair of trustees, Maurice Littlewood:

When I look back over the seven years that "Amy's House" has been active I am very proud of what we have achieved to date.

Those early days were basically a personal vision of helping families with special needs children in a practical and affordable way. Of course, all of this needed funding, and from those first days I have been repeatedly humbled by the generosity and support of so many good people, both in the local Handsworth community and the wider area of Sheffield.  So much so that "Amy's House" is now regarded by the Handsworth Community as "our" charity.
 
That our support facilities were sorely needed was immediately proven by the families who gratefully accessed our unique services. Over the years additional qualified staff have been engaged to allow a growing number of deserving families to be helped. This need continues and we are in the process of employing yet more staff to accommodate the families who are currently waiting for a place in "Amy's House". We are pledged to providing these families with our help.
 
Some eighteen months ago I approached several qualified, respected and experienced members of the community and together we formed the "Amy's House" Board of Trustees.  This is proving to be a tremendous success and with the recent opening of the "Amy's House Nearly New Charity Shop" in Handsworth providing a stable funding source, we can confidently continue to serve the growing number of families who, without "Amy's House", would have no weekend respite to help them.
 
I and my family and, of course, our daughter Jayne, are comforted that our beloved Amy inspired a “vision” that has become such an important and worthwhile force for good in the care of families who have children with special needs.
 
Finally, I would thank the families who trust us with their precious children’s welfare, our dedicated staff who are inspirational in their love and understanding of our special children, and my Trustee colleagues who are totally committed to "Amy's House" and what we stand for.
 
Maurice Littlewood
Founder and Chair of Trustees