Background
Ladybug Lodge is a newly formed children’s charity organisation in Coventry, supporting children and young people aged 0 – 25, by providing accessible activities, events and recreational opportunities. We aim to bridge the gap by supporting mainstream organisations and companies in becoming more accessible, adaptable, and inclusive, particularly for a broader range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) than they may currently be accustomed to.
We became involved in the work with Ascension Dance through recommendation from another company
which we had previously and currently worked with. Ascension Dance approached us with their idea, which we loved and from there we have worked together across the last few months to enhance their inclusive dance groups!

The challenge
Being a part of Ascension Dance’s Inclusive Dance Groups has supported us as a charity, to begin our
portfolio of companies that we work with, ensuring there are accessible activities for families within Coventry and surrounding areas. In my work across the years in a variety of settings, I have seen the impact of dance for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities within both educational and respite settings. Having the opportunity to provide this for families in a recreational setting was an exciting and new opportunity which I was delighted to be a part of.
Personally as an individual, I faced no barriers before taking part in the project, However as founder of
Ladybug Lodge, I recognise that many of the families we support faced barriers such as; lack of confidence, being young carers / unpaid carers and apprehensiveness.

What have you worked on as part of the project?
Throughout the project, I have supported Ashley Jordan (Co-Founder of Ascension Dance) to enhance and deliver Inclusive Dance sessions by bringing expertise and experience to their current dance programmes. I have participated in meetings with Ashley Jordan to ensure areas of need for multiple children and young people are met and appropriate adaptations can be put into place. I have advised Ashley Jordan on varying approaches – communication, accessibility, technology – which are specific to children and young people with SEND in a recreation setting.
I have attended all of the 5 dance sessions for the Explore group. Within this session, I have worked with
children and young people to engage them in dance, communicated with parents/carers to generate
feedback and information and worked alongside Ashely Jordan and India-Rose Cox.

The result
Being a part of the project has enabled me to be involved in a greater variety of dance forms which can be adapted and appropriate for children and young people with Special educational needs and disabilities. It has been refreshing to work with individuals who are so keen to develop their expertise in SEND provision and working with them to integrate knowledge and skills. Working with Ashley Jordan has provided a sense of security that moving forward we will be able to provide dance sessions in a variety of capacities due to his passion for dance and inclusion.
The children and young people who have accessed the inclusive dance sessions have enjoyed every session and always left giggling or smiling which is a joy to witness. The offer that Ashley Jordan has created has re-imagined the mindset of many families who believed there was no dance offer for their child. This project has created a space and an activity which children have enjoyed but also flourished in a range of skills; dance, participation, communication and mental wellbeing.

Looking forward
Moving forward with Ladybug Lodge, we aim to build a bespoke venue which can be accessed by individuals with SEND across the whole year, hosting a range of activities, events and opportunities. The work we have begun with Ascension Dance is something which we would love to continue to be involved with in a variety of capacities. Ladybug Lodge will continue to support Ascension Dance in all their inclusive groups and are excited for a long term partnership with them.