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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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SNAPS Launches a Lottery!

We are really excited to share that we have launched the SNAPS Lottery! 

This is a simple new way to support our work with children with additional needs and their families.

The SNAPS Lottery is an easy, weekly online lottery that costs just £1 per ticket. There is a draw every Saturday, with the chance to win up to £25,000. Best of all, 50p from every £1 ticket comes straight to SNAPS and helps fund our vital services.

It only takes a minute to sign up, and once you have joined, you will be entered into the draw automatically every week. You can choose to pay monthly or buy tickets in advance, making it a flexible and hassle free way to support SNAPS.

Families often tell us how much our services mean to them. One parent shared:

“Coming to SNAPS has had a positive impact for our whole family and we are forever grateful for this charity and the volunteers.”

By playing the SNAPS Lottery, you are helping us continue to offer activities, support and connection for families who need us. Whether you choose one ticket or a few, every entry really does make a difference.

Thank you for supporting SNAPS, and good luck!

Please play responsibly. 18+ UK only. Full terms and conditions are available on the lottery page.

Join the SNAPS Lottery
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Important Service Update: Changes at Broomfield SILC

What’s Happening

SNAPS currently supports children with additional needs and their families across three Leeds locations: Penny Field SILC, Broomfield SILC and Co‑op Academy Brierley.

Unfortunately, Broomfield SILC has informed us that, due to an upcoming development project on their grounds, we will no longer be able to hire their facilities after this term. This decision is outside of SNAPS’ control.

Our sessions at Broomfield will continue as usual from January through March 2026, but we will not be returning to this site for the summer term (April 2026) onwards.

We understand this news may be upsetting, and we’re truly sorry for any distress it may cause.

Next Steps

Sessions at all three SNAPS sites will run as normal until the end of March. After this period, families will be welcome at Penny Field and Co‑op Academy Brierley.

We’re committed to making sure families continue to receive the care and support they rely on, and our priority is to minimise disruption and maintain continuity of services. We’re working hard to explore options for relocating some Broomfield-based services to our other SNAPS sites and will share updates as soon as plans are confirmed.

Our Commitment

Our mission remains unchanged: to continue providing vital care and support to as many families as possible who need us and to provide practical, therapeutic, and inclusive activities that make a tangible difference.

Questions and Support

If you have any questions or need further details, please contact Jo at Jo@snapsyorkshire.org or Lucy at lucy@snapsyorkshire.org. We’re here to help.

Thank you for your continued support during this transition.

Anne Gait

In memory of Anne Gait: thank you

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Anne, a cherished member of the SNAPS family.

Anne devoted her life to supporting children with additional needs and played a key role in SNAPS as a Founder, Trustee, and President. Her passion and hard work were instrumental in the organisation’s achievements over the years. She was a wonderful, kind, and caring individual who will be greatly missed by all who knew her. We feel privileged to have had Anne’s support, and we will carry on her legacy by continuing the important work she began.

In celebration of Anne’s life, supporters have so far raised £3,404 for SNAPS, in her memory. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated. Your generosity will help SNAPS to deliver essential support for children with additional needs and their families across Leeds and West Yorkshire.

If you would like to make a donation, please visit the memorial page here. You can also read our full tribute to Anne.

Thank you for helping us celebrate Anne’s life and legacy. 

Evolve Your Digital

Evolve Your Digital becomes a SNAPS Business Hero

We’re thrilled to welcome  Evolve Your Digital as a SNAPS Silver Business Hero!

Shipley-based Evolve Your Digital is an award-winning digital business development company, specialising in beautifully designed websites and all things digital.

By joining our Business Hero community, Evolve Your Digital is helping SNAPS to provide vital support to children with additional needs and their families across Yorkshire. Their commitment means more therapy sessions, more smiles, and more opportunities for families to thrive.

David Krushell, Co-Founder and Operations Director, Evolve Your Digital, says: “We’re really excited to be supporting SNAPS and the amazing work they do for families. Being able to give back to the community in this way feels extra special. We can’t wait to see the difference we can make through this partnership!”

Debbie Hardy, Business Development Manager at SNAPS, comments: “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Evolve Your Digital to our Business Hero community and so grateful for their commitment to helping us deliver our life-changing services.

“Our Business Hero programme is a way for local businesses like Evolve Your Digital to support SNAPS and make a real difference for children with additional needs and their families. It’s about partnership, community, and creating positive impact together.”

You can find out more about our Business Hero Programme here. 

 

BBC Children in need

SNAPS on BBC Children in Need!

We were super proud to see Ava, her family, and our amazing SNAPS team on screen during the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show 2025 on BBC One! 

Ava is almost two years old and lives with her mum, dad, and two big sisters – Maya (7) and Maysa (6). Ava has a rare genetic condition called DDX3X, which affects her development. Through SNAPS, Ava enjoys hydrotherapy and rebound therapy, helping her build strength and confidence while having fun.

The film beautifully shares how SNAPS support has made a real difference to Ava and her family, and why services like ours matter so much.

A huge thank you to BBC Children in Need for their incredible support and for shining a spotlight on the work we do to help families! 

Anne Gait

In Memorium: Anne Gait

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of Anne Gait, the President of SNAPS, a former Trustee and one of the founders of what was then Special Needs and Parent Support.

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Notice of SNAPS AGM: Saturday, 29th November 2025

We will be holding our Annual General Meeting 2025 on Saturday, 29th November at 10.00am at Broomfield SILC.

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