Sowing Seeds Wellbeing is Hitting the News!
We are delighted to once again be featured in the Telegraph and Argus ahead of the launch of Sowing Seeds Wellbeing CIC. The T&A have supported Sowing Seeds since the very beginning, and we are truly grateful for the opportunities they provide to share our journey with a wider audience. Their continued coverage helps us highlight the growth of our work and the services we deliver to young people and individuals with SEND across our local Bradford community.
Images courtesy of the T&A
Article by the Telegraph and Argus
A NEW centre to help people with special educational needs and their families has opened in a former MOT garage.
Sowing Seeds is transforming the unit at 26 Park Road in Thackley into a wellbeing centre after planning permission for a change of use was granted late last year.
The organisation already has a centre in Idle, but decided to expand by creating a new wellbeing, training and sensory centre.
What is Sowing Seeds?
The group offers support to SEND families and began as an alternative tuition provision with a strong focus on children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Founded by Director Rachel Girling in 2022, Sowing Seeds came about after she saw first-hand the growing pressures not only on children, but also on parents and carers in the community.
She said: “It became clear that families needed more support than schools alone could provide.”
“There were gaps in emotional wellbeing, sensory provision and practical support that simply weren’t being met and resources were already stretched in school.”
In February 2023, Rachel joined forces with Director Laura Jackson to establish Sowing Seeds Wellbeing CIC, expanding the organisation’s offer beyond education and into therapeutic and community-based support.
Their aim was to create a safe, inclusive space within Bradford where families could access meaningful services without feeling isolated or overlooked, particularly the most vulnerable families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
What will be at the new site?
The new Thackley site builds on the success of Sowing Seeds’ Idle base and introduces a fully equipped, bookable centre designed to support children, young people, adults and services across the district.
The facility includes specialist sensory and wellbeing rooms to support emotional regulation, calming strategies and therapeutic work, alongside dedicated spaces for workshops, clubs, parent support groups and inclusive community sessions.
A studio flat has also been created to help young people develop independent living skills as part of preparation-for-adulthood programmes, while secure outdoor sensory areas and gardens provide opportunities for nature-based learning and wellbeing activities.
‘Place where children feel safe, listened to and empowered’
Jen Round became a director in 2025, and believes the new base will make a meaningful difference to families across Bradford.
She said: “Mainstream education environments don’t work for every child.
“We want this to be a place where children feel safe, listened to and empowered to learn in ways that suit them.”
The creation of the Thackley centre has been possible thanks to the support of the wider Bradford community with some national donations, which have come through organisations Amazon Wishlist, alongside funding and practical contributions from The Masons Foundation, Travis Perkins, The Screwfix Foundation, Coop Funeralcare, KS Services, Timothy Taylor, Howdens, Original Joinery Ltd and Karndeen Flooring, have already played a vital part in transforming the space.
Available for private bookings by families, schools and community groups, the centre will also offer respite and sensory support during the week.
