Christmas, New Year and then Hoorah! … the famous Parents In Need Annual Quiz!!!
Next year it will be held on Friday 27th February and once again be hosted by the fantastic Jim Carter! A spectacular evening of food, drinks, quizzing and prizes! Do book early as tickets always sell out so fast!
Friday 27th February 2026 at Blossom House School, Motspur Park, KT3 6JJ
Doors open at 7pm Quiz starts at 7.30pm
Tickets: £37
As always, we thank you for your support.
Parents In Need celebrated a highly successful launch of its new charity shop on London Road, North Cheam welcoming a vibrant crowd of local residents, supporters, and families for a day filled with community spirit, sunshine, and celebration.
The grand opening was officially marked by acclaimed TV and stage actor Stephen Mangan, patron of the charity, who addressed attendees and spoke passionately about the organisation’s mission to support children with additional needs in accessing the right education to reach their full potential.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, Radio Jackie presenter Neil Long kept the energy high, ensuring a lively and welcoming environment throughout the event.
Visitors enjoyed browsing a wide selection of high-quality pre-loved items, with bargains available for the whole family. A dedicated children’s section proved especially popular, with young visitors delighted by a variety of toys and activities tailored just for them. Refreshments were served as guests explored the shop and connected with the charity’s team.
Shop manager Debbie Wilson and a team of dedicated volunteers were on hand throughout the day, warmly welcoming guests, sharing information about the charity’s work, and encouraging the community to get involved.
The new shop, located at 581 London Road, North Cheam, Surrey, SM3 9AE, will play a vital role in raising funds and awareness for Parents In Need’s ongoing efforts to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families.
Those who were unable to attend the grand opening are warmly invited to visit the shop, donate quality clothing, toys, and household items, or simply come and discover the wide range of affordable goods available.
PIN is looking for an experienced and motivated full-time manager for our new Charity Shop in North Cheam, which is due to open shortly. This is an exciting new venture for PIN and we would like applications from those who have a good knowledge of the Sutton area and the communities it serves. The shop intends to provide a wide range of goods ranging from furniture to clothing and toys.
Salary in the region of £26k depending on experience. Hours are 40 hours a week over 5 days including Saturdays. Starting date is 1st March 2026.
If you think you have all the necessary qualities and are interested in joining us please send a short CV to our Retail Team at admin@parentsinneed.org
Closing date for applications is Friday 20th February 2026. if you are selected for interview, we will contact you within 2 days of the closure date.
Parents In Need Trustees Joey Burgess and Bini Slingsby at the Fight For Ordinary SEND parent and young people rally, attended by more than 800 people. It was organised by Let Us Learn Too and The SEND Sanctuary UK.
Sir Ed Davey MP and Helen Hayes MP addressed the crowd, as did parents and young people.
The rally also appeared on Panorama’s SEND special presented by EastEnders star and parent Kellie Bright, which people can still watch on iPlayer.
Ministers Stephen Timms and Georgia Gould met parents afterwards in the House of Commons.
If you would like to get involved in campaigning for improved health and social care for disabled children, young people and their families get in touch with the Disabled Children’s Partnership https://disabledchildrenspartnership.org.uk/
We have some greatnews!
It’s that time of year again and we are excited to invite you all to our Annual Quiz hosted by Jim Carter.
A spectacular evening of food, drinks, quizzing and prizes! Book now as tickets selling fast!
This year we will be at Blossom House, Motspur Park, KT3 6JJ
24th March, doors 7pm, Quiz starts 7.30pm
Tickets: £30
As always, we thank you for your support.
The PIN Team
Every year, as more and more cuts are made by Local Authorities, children with special educational needs are finding themselves without the appropriate education.
The pandemic has been extremely hard on the families of children with additional needs. Lockdown resulted in large numbers of children feeling too anxious to return to school. This means more parents having to give up work and become full time carers, so when it comes to having to fund the help they need to get their children back into education, they simply don’t have the money.
We can see by the amount of applications we are receiving daily that the situation is at crisis
point…
There is much good news to report since our last Newsletter in June. And a timely reminder of why Parents In Need exists. When we invest in families who have children with additional needs we want to give them the best possible chance, however the process can be very long. We rarely see instant results. But just recently we have seen the value of our efforts and we want to share them with our supporters without whom none of this would be possible.
Take Mary for instance. Her sister applied to us for help early in 2018. The Local Authority refused to place Mary in the correct educational setting and what ensued was two years of anguish and heartache. Thanks to the persistence of Mary’s sister and the funding she received from PIN I am pleased to report that they did win their case and Mary is now happily settled in the right school with a sunny future ahead of her.
Then there is Riley and Kyle. The Local Authority tried to separate these twins and send them to two different care homes. They were adopted by theirgrandparents who were struggling to cope. After two years of fighting we had total success in keeping them together and they are now in a school where they are well suited which also offers respite to their grandparents.
There have been many other success stories recently. Here are just a few of the messages we have received:
“Today I have been told the outcome of the appeal which was last week, the LA has been ordered to issue a plan. I could not have achieved this for H without the support from Parents in Need, you went over and above helping me and I cannot thank you enough.”
Jane
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for funding this young man’s assessment. I know the family are so grateful. You really have changed a young man’s life.”
Melinda Eriksen- Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist
“Amazing to have an Educational Psychologist to help. It’s such a minefield… I can’t believe she’s leaving school, and we never managed to actually get the support she needed! I’ve been on the case since she was 7! Thanks again.”
Kiersten
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to you for everything that you have done for Mary and our family. As parents who have a child with special needs, we are often put in the position of feeling like it’s “Us” against “Them” but you have made those feelings go away. Thanks to PIN Mary is now happily settled into her new school and we have PIN to thank for that. The generosity you have shown has gone far beyond the financial means but also one of kindness and compassion. You were there for us just when we needed support and because of this, Mary’s future is so much brighter now. Your support has been immeasurable, thank you so much for everything!”
Best Wishes from Mary and Family
“The tribunal has ordered that my son be issued an EHCP. We will be forever grateful for your support.Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Kerry and Dale
“We have had a super report and now a super new school. Thanks so,so,so much. It’s been life changing for my son.”
Becky
The not so good news is that we have had to heavily rely on our resources and so funds are dwindling as we continue to support the ever-increasing needs of more and more families. So far 120 since we began raising funds in 2017.
Without any fundraising activities in this unique year of 2020 we have survived but once again find ourselves asking for, however small, a donation.
Once again we would like to thank our Patron, Stephen Mangan, for naming our charity on the TV programme ‘Tipping Point’ and winning us £2,700 and thanks to Ann McManus and Eileen Gallagher for their very generous donation too. We also want to thank you, the friends of PIN who have supported us throughout and a very special thank you to those of you who have set up a monthly standing order, it makes SUCH a difference especially in these troubled times.
AND FINALLY!
PLEASE LOOK OUT FOR OUR CHRISTMAS RAFFLE AND IN THE NEW YEAR OUR ANNUAL QUIZ ZOOMING TO YOU!!
THANK YOU
Catherine Bailey
Chief Exec, PIN
Patron of Parents in Need, Stephen Mangan, bravely appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on the celebrity Christmas day special. Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Stephen’s intelligence and quick wit led him to win our charity huge £64,000!
