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Credit: Jenny D Cooper Photography

Florence shortlisted for BBC Radio Leeds Young Hero Award

We’re delighted to share that Florence Wyatt has been shortlisted in the Young Hero category of the BBC Radio Leeds Make a Difference Awards 2026! 

The Young Hero Award celebrates remarkable young people aged 16 and under who make a positive difference to the lives of others through their courage, kindness and determination.

Florence (pictured above on the right with friends at the SNAPS Superhero Challenge) and her family have been part of the SNAPS community since she was just three years old. Florence had suffered from a very rare paediatric stroke and lost movement on the left side of her body. She had to relearn how to walk, talk and carry out many everyday tasks that most children take for granted.

What followed were years of rehabilitation, requiring extraordinary resilience and determination from Florence. Throughout that journey, SNAPS played an important role, with regular swimming and rebound therapy sessions becoming a key part of her rehabilitation and recovery.
 
Alongside this, SNAPS gave Florence and her family opportunities to connect with other families who understood what they were going through. The family describe SNAPS as “an absolute lifeline”.

Five years after her stroke, Florence wanted to celebrate how far she had come in a meaningful way.

At the SNAPS Superhero Challenge 2025, seven-year-old Florence set herself an ambitious goal: running five laps of a 400m athletics track, one lap for every year since her stroke. While most children take on one or two laps, Florence wanted to push herself further.

She didn’t do it alone. Friends and family joined her on the track as “Team Florence”, running alongside her and helping her complete the full 2km challenge together. Despite health setbacks in the lead-up to the event, Florence tackled the challenge with determination, positivity and a huge smile.

 Florence raised an incredible £1,656 through the challenge, helping more children with additional needs access support through SNAPS. Over the years, Florence and her family have raised thousands of pounds for the charity through a variety of fundraising efforts.

What makes Florence’s story so inspiring is that she turned a personal milestone into an opportunity to help others. By sharing her journey and raising funds for children and families facing their own challenges, she has inspired countless people while showing that age is no barrier to making a difference.

As part of the awards process, Florence and her dad, Tim, recently joined BBC Radio Leeds to talk about Florence’s journey, her fundraising and what SNAPS has meant to their family. You can listen to below: 

The BBC Radio Leeds Make a Difference Awards take place in Leeds next month, where winners from across the region will be recognised for the positive difference they make in their communities.

We’re incredibly proud of Florence and everything she has achieved, and we’ll be cheering her on when the awards take place.

Good luck, Florence!

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Could you be a Parent Trustee at SNAPS?

At SNAPS, families are at the heart of everything we do. We are currently looking for two Parent Trustees to join our Board and help make sure the voices, experiences and priorities of our families continue to guide the future of the charity.

If you are a parent or carer of a child who attends SNAPS, your lived experience could make a real difference. Parent Trustees bring an invaluable perspective to board discussions, helping us make decisions that reflect the joys, challenges and realities of family life with a child with additional needs.

You do not need any previous trustee experience to apply. We will provide a full induction, training and ongoing support so you can feel confident in the role and understand how your contribution can help SNAPS grow and thrive.

The Board is a friendly and supportive group, and we actively welcome diverse opinions, experiences and perspectives. You do not need to have all the answers; we simply value people who are willing to listen, contribute and help us make thoughtful decisions for SNAPS families.

We are keen to hear from parents and carers with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and skills. As SNAPS continues to develop, we would particularly welcome interest from someone who can bring business experience, professional expertise or valuable networks to support the charity’s long-term sustainability, although this is not essential.

Board meetings take place every two months on the second Wednesday of the month, from 7pm to 9pm, at Irwin Mitchell, Leeds. Online attendance is also available.

The most important qualification is not board experience. It is understanding what SNAPS means to families and wanting to help protect and develop that support for the future.

Find out more

If you would like an informal chat about becoming a Parent Trustee, or would like to apply, please contact Chris Eatwell, Chair of the Board of Trustees, at chriseatwell@aol.com.

Your voice matters. Your experience is crucial. Help shape the future of SNAPS.

SNAPS Superhero Challenge

SNAPS Superhero Challenge 2027

An inclusive family fun day, giving children the opportunity to take part in a tailored fun run. Participants can walk, run or wheel around the track as far as they would like to. Everyone receives a medal and goodie bag for taking part in their own personal challenge. We want all our kids to feel like a superhero for the day!

A father in a SNAPS t-shirt celebrating with his two daughters after running the 10k

Leeds 10K: 13th June, 2027

Event details
  • Sunday, 13th June 2027
  • 9:00am
  • The Parkinson Building, Leeds City Centre
  • Registration fee: £15 (or £10 per person for groups of 4+)
  • Minimum fundraising pledge: £100
  • 15 years or over on event day
  • Register here

The Leeds 10K is one of the city’s most iconic events – inclusive, vibrant, and supported by thousands of cheering spectators. Whether you’re aiming for your first 10K or chasing a new PB, this is the perfect opportunity to run for a cause that truly matters. 

By running for SNAPS, every step you take helps fund vital therapies for children with additional needs. SNAPS receives no government funding to deliver its services, so your support makes a real difference to around 100 families each week. 

What’s Included: 
  • Official chip timing 
  • SNAPS running shirt 
  • Dedicated fundraising support 
  • Finisher’s goody bag 
  • Exclusive medal 
  • A fantastic experience! 
Run as a Team 

Want to make it a team challenge? The first person to register can create a team, and others can join when they sign up. Perfect for friends, family, or colleagues! 

Ready to take on the challenge? Register for your place below! 

Register here
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Our Superheroes hit the headlines

This year’s Superhero Challenge was featured in the Yorkshire Evening Post and on BBC Radio Leeds, helping shine a light on the brilliant children and families involved.

Participants at the SNAPS Superhero Challenge 2025

The SNAPS Superhero Challenge returns!

The Superhero Challenge is back on Sunday, 31st May 2026, at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds.

A group of runners celebrating at the Leeds half marathon

Leeds Half Marathon: 9th May, 2027

  • Sunday, 9th May 2027
  • 10.00am
  • AMT Headingley Stadium
  • Registration fee: £25, or £15 for groups of 4+
  • Minimum fundraising target: £250
  • Register here

The Leeds Half Marathon is one of Yorkshire’s biggest events of its kind.  

The much-loved run raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity every year and often attracts thousands of runners. Could you take part in 2027 and raise funds for SNAPS? 

What makes the event such a joy to run is the crowds. Support for runners along the route is always phenomenal, whatever the weather. Every runner gets a boost from the cheers of encouragement they receive along the route. 

The Leeds Half is suitable for runners of all abilities and ages. With a fantastically vibrant atmosphere guaranteed, this run could be right up your street. 

So get yourself to Leeds and let’s see you on the start line. 

Anne Gait

Introducing Anne’s Shining Light Award

We are proud to introduce Anne’s Shining Light – a new termly award created in memory of Anne Gait, who was a cherished member of the SNAPS family.  

As one of SNAPS’ original founders, and later a Trustee and President, Anne played a key role in shaping the charity and supporting children with additional needs across Leeds. 

Anne devoted her life to helping families, and her warmth, kindness and dedication continue to shine through everything we do. This special award will be given each term at both of our sites to two children at each of our sites, who have achieved something meaningful to them. This could be reaching a personal milestone, showing kindness to others, trying something new, or simply shining brightly in their own way. 

Anne’s Shining Light celebrates the spirit she brought to SNAPS – reminding us to notice, value and champion every child’s unique journey. 

We can’t wait to celebrate our first winners soon – watch this space!

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George takes on the London Marathon for SNAPS

This April, one of our brilliant SNAPS dads, George Chilcott, will be taking on the London Marathon to raise funds for SNAPS. 

George is running in honour of his daughter Olive, who is eight years old and has quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Olive can’t sit, walk or talk, and is fed through a gastrostomy tube. She lives at home with George, her mum, and her two younger sisters, Etta (6) and Rose (2).

We’ve supported Olive and her family since she was a baby, and over the years we’ve seen just how much she lights up at SNAPS. Despite the daily challenges she faces, Olive is full of personality and is often described by her family as cheeky. She especially loves being in the water.

For the last seven years, Olive has attended hydrotherapy sessions with us, and the impact has been incredible. Hydrotherapy is Olive’s favourite part of the week. Seeing her splash, kick and enjoy that sense of freedom brings so much joy, not just to Olive, but to her whole family.

Olive enjoying hydrotherapy at SNAPS
Olive enjoying a hydrotherapy session at SNAPS

At SNAPS, we support children with additional needs and their families through a wide range of therapies and inclusive activities.  Around 100 families come through our doors every week, and many describe SNAPS as a lifeline.

SNAPS doesn’t receive statutory funding to deliver its services, so we rely on the generosity of supporters to keep our doors open and continue supporting families across Leeds.

George has a clear goal in mind: he’s aiming to raise £6,236, which is enough to fund a full week of SNAPS services. So far, he’s already raised over £3,000, with amazing support from family, friends and the local community.

George has shared that while the London Marathon will be tough, it feels like a small challenge compared to what families like his face every day. Running is his way of giving something back to the charity that has been there for Olive and for their family over many years.

We are incredibly thankful to George for his commitment, determination and support. We’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.

We’ve been really touched by the response to George’s story, which has also been shared by Leeds Live and the Yorkshire Evening Post. 

How you can support George

If you’d like to support George’s London Marathon run and help us continue supporting children like Olive and their families, you can donate at George’s Enthuse page.

Olive and her family!
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SNAPS receives grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation

We are very pleased to share that we have received a grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

This significant grant over the next 2 years will help us to continue our vital work supporting children with additional needs and their families across Leeds and West Yorkshire.

At SNAPS, we do not receive any statutory funding to deliver our services. Everything we offer is made possible thanks to the generosity of supporters, trusts and foundations who believe in our work and the difference it makes to families.

Grants like this play an important role in helping us provide consistent, high‑quality support and plan confidently for the future. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their generous support and for helping us continue to be there for the families who rely on SNAPS.

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