Meet our team!

What’s your role at SensationALL and what does it involve?
My role as Service Team Lead bridges service demand, design, and delivery with operations and HR. I collaborate with the operations team, session coordinators, and Clinical Team Lead to schedule and deliver services, recruit and allocate staff, lead our team of practitioners and youth workers, manage appraisals and training needs, as well as have fun in some sessions too!

What do you like most about SensationALL?
The shared passion within the team for supporting neurodivergent individuals, their families, carers, and the wider community. The genuine, authentic care shown by the team drives our work and ensures that a needs-led, person-centred approach remains at the heart of everything we do. I feel proud to work for a charity that retains such a strong sense of purpose and fosters an environment built on inclusion, understanding, and lived experience.

How long have you been at SensationALL?
I have been at SensationALL for over 3 years now, starting in a Youth Worker position in 2022, and becoming Service Team Lead in 2023. 

What’s your favourite sensory activity?
My favourite sensory activities are movement-based. I especially enjoy using the balance boards and vibration plates, as well as active games in the soft play room, particularly hide and seek or grounders. I also love making slime!

What do you like most about SensationALL / what does SensationALL mean to you?
What I love most about SensationALL is the deep respect for every child and adult as an individual. SensationALL means safety, understanding, and possibility to me. It’s a place where differences are welcomed, nervous systems are honoured, and children are supported to thrive in ways that feel right for them.

How long have you been at SensationALL?
I’ve been part of SensationALL for 8 years.

What’s your favourite sensory activity?
My favourite sensory activity is anything involving deep pressure or heavy work. It’s grounding, regulating, and such a powerful way to help children feel safe and settled in their bodies.

Meet our team!

SensationALL volunteers!

Volunteers are the backbone of what we do and we wouldn’t accomplish so much without them. Our volunteers mirror our values, and are an invaluable extension of our team. One volunteer who has proved to be priceless is our maintenance volunteer, Donald who the staff have unofficially entitled “Superman”.

Donald started volunteering with us shortly after retiring. He knew about the charity due to the support SensationALL had provided for his Autistic grandson. As someone who likes to be busy, he simply wasn’t ready to ‘do nothing’ so, his daughter suggested he might be well suited to helping with facility and maintenance jobs around our centre, The Old Schoolhouse in Westhill.

Throughout 2022, Donald’s contributions proved to be invaluable to us as he can turn his hand to pretty much anything! He surpassed all our expectations in undertaking DIY tasks such as painting and decorating through to skilled work upgrading fixtures in the building. His efforts to the improve the Old Schoolhouse have not only enhanced the aesthetics but, importantly, increased safety for the children and adults with complex needs who use the building.

He is always eager to complete jobs as soon as they are given and no matter how obscure the request may be; he thinks outside the box to fulfil our ideas. He excelled himself with his carpentry skills when he fitted out our new van with bespoke shelving and storage for transporting our sensory equipment.

Donald’s biggest project to date has been the installation of a soft play frame which transformed our facilities. He roped in his cousin, Sam and the pair used their creativity and initiative to reconfigure the second-hand equipment to fit our space. As always, he tackled the task with positivity and a “can do” attitude and never gets deterred when things have to be adapted to suit our unique needs due to our work with individuals with sensory and behavioural issues.

Donald has undoubtably saved the charity hundreds of pounds in maintenance costs and trades people and we simply cannot express the extent of our gratitude to him for his unwavering dedication and enthusiasm.

Recently, Donald has experienced health issues, including undergoing major surgery. However, he played this down to us saying it’s “no big deal” and that he wanted to keep volunteering. Donald shows no signs of slowing down during his ongoing medical treatment and despite our protests for him to take it easy, he continues to pop in to see what jobs he can do!

Volunteers frequently tell us that they “get out as much as they put in” but we are totally indebted to all our generous volunteers who make a huge difference to our charity.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, there is more information here or get in touch at, volunteering@sensationall.org.uk

SensationALL and Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, after Black Friday and Cyber Monday it is a day to give back and do good. At SensationALL we love the idea and thought it was the perfect opportunity to shout about the ways you can support our charity.

SensationALL are dedicated to providing outstanding therapeutic services for individuals with support needs and their families however, we simply couldn’t operate without help from our volunteers, supporters and local community! We rely on our volunteers giving their time to our users during services , fundraising committee giving their time at events, we rely on corporate supporters giving donations and raffle prizes. 

We have just launched our Christmas Card Campaign 2018 when we’re asking people to donate instead of sending cards this year. One of our parents was the first to sign up because of the experiences she’s had at SensationALL:

“SensationALL has provided an exemplary location for our son to feel at ease, the staff and other families provided a welcoming respite in a demanding world. Every £1 here makes a real impact!”

Here are some other ways you can give to SensationALL.

  • Volunteer at upcoming events (SensationALL Ceilidh, Friday 30th November, Winter Wonderland, Saturday 08th December)
  • Donations for our Winter Wonderland fayre – Chocolate, Home baking (drop off at the Old Schoolhouse by 06th and 07th December) and bottles for the bottle stall.
  • Fundraise for SensationALL – we’ve got places at Run Balmoral and Ride the North 2019 or organise your own fundraiser doing whatever you like!

If you want to give some time to SensationALL in any shape, we’d love to hear from you – email volunteering@sensationall.org.uk #SensationALL

Check out what the SensationALL team do here

SensationALL welcome new faces to the team

More than halfway through the year and our SensationALL team have been busier than ever ! As well as being the gold charity sponsors at Run Balmoral in April, supporting our runners in the Baker 10k in May and being the charity partners for the Westhill 10k in June; we also had a stall at the Westhill Gala, Aberdeen Highland Games and the Westhill 10k. We have hosted our annual Tipsy Tea Party, ran a very successful April holiday events programme, launched our summer events programme and opened our newly refurbished and super fancy sensory room! To add to that list we have had Subsea 7 and M&S Westhill in the Old Schoolhouse giving the walls, garden and rooms a much needed make over.

As we approach the summer months and our school holiday programme of events, we are also delighted to welcome some new faces to the team! Gemma Ross joined the Services team as Services Practitioner, alongside Rebekah Moorhouse as Support Worker and Lisa Grainger as Volunteer Co-ordinator.

Talking about the new team members and the work SensationALL is doing at the moment, Suz Strachan, Team Lead, says: “We continue to adapt and make great developments in widening our team and our services. Building our team will help to strengthen our efforts going forward and give us a wider skill set to support our families living with children and adults with support needs.” 

Are you SensationALL?

SensationALL is a small charity with big ideas and we are growing… which gives us the opportunity to add to our team!

We are currently recruiting for the following posts, based at the Old Schoolhouse, Westhill:

  • Service Practitioner
  • Sessional Support Worker

The successful candidates will be joining a dynamic, innovative and friendly team who provide support, advice and training in the field of multiple support needs (MSN) for people of all ages. You will work in a supportive environment, where you will be encouraged to bring new ideas to the table and put them into practice and watch things grow!

The Service Practitioner will be degree level qualified in a relevant field (Occupational / Speech Therapy,  Psychology, Teaching or similar) and will have a professional registration, such as HCPC, GTLS or SSSC. They will have some experience of working with children or adults with a disability and be able to evidence an appreciation of complex needs. They will have strong team skills; will enjoy researching and developing new ideas and will work towards leading some of our MSN sessions.

A detailed job description and person specification is available via email.

The Sessional Support Worker will have experience in working with young people and or adults with support needs and hold a qualification in that field or be willing to work towards one. They will have experience of leading small groups and activities and show an understanding and appreciation of MSN. Experience of working with volunteers is desirable but not essential.

A detailed job description and person specification is available via email.

These posts are offered on a temporary basis with the aim of making them permanent; selection will be based on CV review, with successful candidates being invited to interview and a relevant practical skills test. Interviews are likely to be held during the week commencing 2nd April 2018.

Read more about SensationALL here and see how full services here, you can also see 

To apply for either of the positions, please email a CV with covering letter to info@sensationall.org.uk by 30th March. #SensationALL

Sensory Playgroup Round Up

Our first Sensory Playgroup of 2018 is done and dusted! This is a relatively new group for SensationALL and ran once towards the end of 2017. This session ran on Thursday mornings for a 4-week block and was fully booked within weeks of being announced! The next session for term 1 starts on 01st March and runs on a Thursday from 1pm – 2pm (01 March to 22nd March).

The Sensory Playgroup is held in the Old Schoolhouse and run by experienced practitioners. Each week is themed and the group spend time in our soft play room and the sensory room too.

In this recent block we followed four themes:

  1. Transport
  2. Farm Yard
  3. Monsters
  4. Rainbow

Each week we had different sensory trays exploring textures, smells and surfaces that related to the theme. We also had a sensory story for each theme and ended the sessions with a period of relaxation for the children, this usually took place in our Sensory Room or the soft play room.

Here’s what some of the parents and carers had to say about out recent Sensory Playgroup:                                                                                                                                                                                                          

“…I feel that as they [SensationALL service practitioners] use Makaton it helps enforce using it and it’s the only group we’ve been to that uses it.”

“…I don’t feel like my child is the ‘odd’ one out at this group, it’s more inclusive and not judging.”

“It’s a chance to meet other parents.”

“…useful to guide and play with him at home.”

“The ideas and knowledge of the staff are great strengths of the group.”

“The group is very relaxed and accepting. Positive and progressive approach for the child.”

We had amazing feedback from our parents and carers and the children enjoyed exploring the different sensory experiences available to them. We can’t wait to start the next block!  

To sign up for the next block of Sensory Playgroup (01 March to 22 March from 1pm to 2pm), please email info@sensationall.org.uk or telephone 01224 746699 #SensationALL

DIY sensory play activities

After a busy few months in the SensationALL Old Schoolhouse, including the summer and October holiday programmes and our new group, Sensory Playgroup; the services team have put together a collection of some of our most successful sensory play ideas. How do we measure the success of our sensory play ideas? By the feedback and experience on the day of the children with additional and multiple support needs and their parents and or carers who are on site!  

Play is an important way for children to spend their time, not only is it fun, but it gives the child(ren) plenty of opportunities to learn-through-play about the world around them. Children start off by exploring the world through their senses – enjoying how things look, feel and even taste. Sensory play is a way for children to explore all of their senses and build up a tolerance for different sensory experiences and the environment around them; it also helps support language and communication development, social interaction, problem solving and fine and gross motor skills.

Children who have multiple support needs (MSN) may have more specific difficulties with some sensory sensations and this can sometimes result in challenging reactions. Children with multiple sensory needs require more tailored learning experiences, like sensory play activities, to help them makes sense of these experiences and build up tolerances to different sensory stimulation.

Sensory play is not only about touch but also taste, smell and colour; here’s some DIY sensory play activities that the services team at SensationALL used recently that utilise all the senses.

  A rainbow rice tray, we used this play activity for a weather-themed session at our Sensory playgroup. You will need:

  • 1kg uncooked rice
  • Food colouring (yellow, green, blue and pink)
  • Zip lock bags

Method: separate your rice evenly into four zip lock bags, then add the different food colourings to each bag of rice. Add about a teaspoon of colouring to each bag to begin with and mix together with a spoon. Add more food colouring accordingingly. Once evenly coated you should be left with four different coloured bags of rice. Leave these to dry overnight with the zip lock open. Your rice should be dry the next day and ready to assemble into your sensory rainbow rice tray! Arrange the rice into four sections, with the separate colours, then watch them all mix together as they are played with.

The Under-the-Sea Jelly Tray was used during one of our themed-weeks during our recent Sensory playgroup programme. You will need:

  • 4 packs of gelatin (each pack should have 4 gelatin leaves in it)
  • Blue food colouring
  • Assorted ‘under-the-sea’ themed toys

Method: According to the packet instructions, separate your gelatin into individual leaves and add boiling water to it. The ratio should be around 1 pint of water to 1 leaf of gelatin. Do this individually for each leaf of gelatin, stirring the gelatin into the water until it dissolves completely, then add each pint of water/gelatin mix into your tray. Once your tray is three quarters of the way full, add a few drops of the blue food colouring to the water/gelatin mix and mix in until you get the desired shade of blue. Next you can add your ‘under-the-sea’ themed toys to the tray, positioning some of them so they stick out a bit of the water/gelatin mix. We used some sea animal bath toys, penguin toys and boats for our tray but you can use anything that you think may be a good addition! Leave the tray on a level surface or in your fridge to set overnight and by the next day the jelly will have set and the Under-the-Sea jelly tray will be ready to use!

The Sensory Ice Tray was used during one of our Sensory playgroup sessions and we put the coloured and flavoured ice cubes into a water tray to allow the children to safely explore touch, taste and temperature. The ice cubes can also be used to “paint” onto paper, for a fun sensory drawing activity. You will need:

  • Four ice cube trays
  • Food colouring (red, green, yellow and blue)
  • Teabags (Red Berry, Peppermint and Lemon and Ginger)

Method: Brew three mugs of tea, one with a red berry tea bag, one with a peppermint tea bag and one with a lemon and ginger tea bag. Leave the tea bags to brew for around 10 minutes, then remove the tea bags and add a couple drops of the corresponding food colouring to the individual mugs (red for the red berry, green for peppermint and yellow for lemon and ginger) until you get a strong colour for each one. Take three of your ice cube trays and fill them up with the tea you have brewed. For the fourth tray, add a few drops of blue food colouring to a mug of cold water then stir so the food colouring is evenly distributed and pour the blue liquid into the fourth ice cube tray (this tray will be unscented to allow children that are more sensitive to smell to still have an enjoyable sensory experience). Put all four ice cube trays into the freezer overnight then take them out the next day ready to use.

The next SensationALL sensory play group session will start in 2018, as well as our Chill-OOT programme and Early Communications Group. Email info@sensationall.org.uk for more information about these or any of our other groups and workshops. #SensationALL

SensationALL & Schools Out! inclusive partnerships

This year we are celebrating our fifth birthday! We have achieved so much since we registered our charity back in 2012, now employing six staff and working towards the Community Asset Transfer of the Old Schoolhouse in Westhill too. In 2017, SensationALL have also set-up an associated social enterprise business, Schools Out! Club, to provide a much needed out of school care provision in Westhill.

It’s early days for this start-up organisation, nicknamed SOC Westhill; and numbers are on the rise as more families in the area become aware of it’s existence. The Schools Out! club has access to two multi-purpose activity rooms, a small soft play area, outdoor play space and a wide range of resources; just some of the benefits of operating from the same Old Schoolhouse facility as the associated charity.

From this partnership, a joint monthly after-school social group has developed, including children with and without support needs. Children who already attend the Schools Out! club have the option to join the SensationALL Social Group, which runs the first Wednesday of every month between 4.30pm and 6pm. This Inclusive Social Group is for primary-school aged children and their siblings; and is a safe environment perfect for building friendships, learning new skills and having fun.  

Diane Forbes, the manager of Schools Out! club says: “the joint group provides opportunities for more peer contact, a wider range of activities, socialising and fun!”.

Suz Strachan, Operational and Service Lead for SensationALL, tells us that the monthly Social Group “completely reflects the inclusive ethos of SensationALL and all that we are trying to achieve and promote in the local Westhill community”.

Suz continues: “We offer our service users a safe environment to enjoy themselves and more importantly, to be themselves whilst benefitting from specialist support from the staff to optimise valuable opportunities to socialise with peers.”

The Social Group is a drop-off and drop-in session on the first Wednesday of every month in the Old Schoolhouse, Westhill between 4.30pm and 6pm. The group is for primary school aged children and their siblings, and is £4 / person including snacks and refreshments. Contact SensationALL to book your space at info@sensationall.org.uk.

The Schools Out! Club is open for children from Elrick and Westhill Primary school and is a before and after-school’s club. Contact Diane directly for more information socwesthill@gmail.com. #SensationALL #SOCWesthill

New key appointments for SensationALL

Aberdeen charity SensationALL has recently added two key players to their team. Michael Goodlad, in the newly created role of Charity Development Manager and Ellie Turner as a Support Worker in the Services team.

Bob McCracken, chairman of SensationALL, told us “Michael and Ellie’s appointments is another exciting step towards achieving our goal of creating a first class community asset in Westhill. We are very grateful to The Tudor Trust and Aberdeen Charitable Foundation whose contributions have made the new Charity Development Manager role possible.”

In this role Michael will be responsible for driving forward the charity’s ambitious plans to create a vibrant community centre for the provision of services to people with disabilities, their families and carers, and address the need for enhanced indoor and outdoor play and recreational facilities. Ellie’s appointment significantly strengthens the charity’s capabilities to delivery the quality services they have become known for.

Michael hails from Shetland and maintains close contact with the islands. He has had a successful and varied business career including six years as Head of Finance and Support Services with Cornerstone Community Care in Aberdeen. He is a non-executive director of Instant Neighbour Charity, Aberdeen and a former non-executive director of Aberdeen Harbour Board.

Ellie first visited SensationALL in 2015 to photograph the sensory room for her final collection of work at Gray’s School of Art. Her brother has Autism and Ellie helped care for him from a young age, she has worked as a support worker for over two years and her work with textiles looks at the unique relationship people with Autism have with their environment, particularly on sensory stimulation.

Michael Goodlad says, “I am delighted to join SensationALL and to be able to contribute to their ambitious plans. I am impressed with how much they have achieved in the last five years and can already appreciate the dedication and vision of the existing staff, directors and volunteers.”