Emily's story

Emily has cerebral palsy affecting her left side and is visually impaired, alongside other medical conditions and additional needs that can have an impact on her day-to-day life. Despite the challenges she faces, she is an incredibly determined young person who wants to get involved, try things for herself and live life to the fullest.

But there came a point when school had become a very difficult experience for her.

After six years at her primary school, the school finally admitted that they could no longer meet Emily's needs. By then, the impact had gone far beyond her education. Emily had lost confidence and was struggling with her attitude towards school and with how she felt about herself.

That's when Little Miracles stepped in.

What they offered Emily wasn't simply an alternative to school. They created an alternative provision package built around Emily as an individual, unlike any other alternative provision we had seen.

The staff at The Spinney treated Emily with such love, patience, understanding and respect. They saw Emily for who she was, rather than simply seeing her disabilities or focusing on the things she found difficult.

And that made an enormous difference.

The way she was treated positively influenced Emily's own attitude and outlook. Being somewhere that valued her, listened to her and recognised what she could do helped her start to believe in herself again.

Little Miracles gave Emily the chance to reset.

The time she spent at The Spinney wasn't about putting education to one side. It was about giving Emily the space she needed to rebuild herself emotionally and mentally, experience success and get ready for the next chapter of her education.

That experience helped pave the way for Emily to move forward with a much more positive outlook.

And what makes us particularly proud is that the qualities the staff saw in Emily — her determination, resilience, empathy and caring nature — are now qualities she is increasingly able to share with others.

Emily isn't defined by her cerebral palsy, visual impairment, medical conditions or additional needs.

She's Emily: caring, determined, resilient and someone who wants to experience life and help other people.

Little Miracles helped her remember that.

Sophie's story

Sophie has autism, and one of the biggest challenges she has faced throughout her life is simply being understood.

Her disability isn't always immediately obvious to other people. From the outside, Sophie can look like a bright, lively, confident and very chatty young girl. What people don't always see is how hard she can have to work to understand the world around her — particularly other people.

Social communication doesn't always come naturally to Sophie. She can find it difficult to understand another person's perspective, interpret situations in the way her peers do, or understand why something she has said or done might have caused a disagreement.

Sophie isn't trying to be difficult, rude or uncaring. In fact, one of the things that makes us so proud of her is how caring she actually is. Sometimes her intentions can simply be misunderstood.

That's why Little Miracles has become so important to Sophie.

She absolutely loves Little Miracles events and looks forward to going. At the Ramsey Stay and Play sessions, we've seen a side of Sophie that makes us incredibly proud. Families have noticed her caring nature and the way she tries to encourage and support other children.

She naturally wants to help, and Little Miracles has given her somewhere where that side of her can shine. People aren't simply seeing the difficulties that can come with her autism. They are seeing Sophie.

She's also beginning to discover that she can contribute to the community around her.

Sophie would eventually love to become a fully-fledged young volunteer herself. For now, she already finds ways to help at sessions, encouraging other children and supporting families.

The difference she makes has even been recognised outside Little Miracles, with Sophie becoming a finalist for the 2026 BBC Make a Difference Awards, in part because of the positive contribution she makes to families at the sessions.

For us, that's incredibly special, because there was a time when so much of the focus was on helping Sophie understand other people. Now we're watching her help other people.

Little Miracles hasn't changed who Sophie is. It has helped create an environment where who Sophie is can be understood, appreciated and valued. And for a child whose biggest challenge has so often been simply being understood, that means everything.

Our story as parents

As the years went on, Steph and I found ourselves becoming more and more involved in the sessions ourselves.

We'd be mucking in with activities, helping out and getting involved far beyond what families would ordinarily be expected to do.

Eventually we thought, we may as well make it official! So we became volunteers. And we've never looked back.

It's amazing to be part of such an incredible charity. We've experienced first-hand the support that Little Miracles can give families, and we wanted to show our gratitude by not only receiving that support, but by giving something back and trying to make a difference to other families too.

For us, volunteering isn't something separate from being a Little Miracles family. It's part of what Little Miracles has become to us. We've seen what a difference the charity can make to children and parents, and being able to play even a small part in creating that experience for another family is incredibly rewarding.

Steph's story

For Steph, there is an even more personal side to being part of Little Miracles.

Steph was diagnosed with autism later in life. That diagnosis helped answer so many questions that had built up throughout her childhood and into adulthood and helped make sense of experiences that she had previously struggled to understand.

Being involved with Little Miracles has meant a huge amount to her too. It's given her the opportunity to get involved, contribute and help other families, while also experiencing something that can be incredibly difficult to find: a sense of being understood and a feeling of belonging.

There is something very special about being somewhere where you don't feel that you constantly have to explain yourself. And that's probably what Little Miracles has become for all of us. It isn't simply somewhere Emily and Sophie go. It isn't simply a charity that we volunteer for. It's a community that our whole family feels part of.

Giving something back

When we look at what Little Miracles has meant to our family, it's difficult to separate the support we've received from the people we've become because of it.

Emily found somewhere that helped rebuild her confidence and prepare her for the next chapter of her education.

Sophie found somewhere that understands that a disability doesn't have to be visible to have a profound impact — and, perhaps most importantly, somewhere that allows her caring nature and desire to help others to be recognised.

Steph found a community where she feels understood and accepted.

And we, as parents, found friendship, support, understanding and a reason to give something back.

Perhaps the most amazing part is that the journey hasn't stopped with us. We're now watching Sophie begin to discover the joy of helping other families, just as Little Miracles has helped our family. That's what makes the charity so special to us.

The support doesn't just stop with the person receiving it. It creates confidence, relationships, friendships and a desire to help others.

Little Miracles has given our family support, opportunities, memories and a sense of belonging. But it has also given us the opportunity to give something back.

We came to Little Miracles because our children needed somewhere they could belong. We stayed because we all found somewhere we belonged."