A decade of making a difference

19th July 2017

We’re only halfway through 2017, but the year has already been noteworthy for a number of milestones for SNAP.

In particular, May was a standout month as SNAP celebrated two firsts. On the 10th of the month SNAP brought world renowned clinical psychologist Professor Tony Attwood from his home in Australia to Essex for the first time. Tony spoke to more than 300 parents and professionals in two memorable presentations on Autism.

A week later the charity celebrated 10 years since The SNAP Centre opened its doors to families. On 17th May at the Open Day more than 200 supporters joined the SNAP team and founder, Hilary Needham, to mark this special moment in SNAP’s 23 year history.

All visitors were invited to watch a specially commissioned film made by volunteers that showcased the life of The SNAP Centre, and all were moved by the testimonial interviews and clearly visable dedication to SNAP families. Visitors also enjoyed a tour of everything that the Centre has to offer, and gained an insight into the huge project that was undertaken by a small and passionate team to reimagine the bare bones of a building 10 years ago into the vibrant environment that it is today.

Supporters and baking experts Torte Cake Art presented the charity with a special 10 fashioned from cupcakes, and SNAP family children who were also turning 10 that month, were invited to come in and help the team tuck into the special gift.

Among the guests were the outgoing Mayor of Brentwood who was delighted to pay tribute to the centre as her last official duty as Mayor. MP for Brentwood and Ongar Alex Burghart broke off from his then pre-election campaigning to visit the centre for the first time and was very impressed, and West Ham legend Trevor Brooking and his wife Hilkka also dropped in to see how the centre had developed as they have been long term supporters of the charity.

The day was also a poignant one for SNAP’s founder Hilary as she stepped down from her role as Development Manager and became SNAP’s Honorary Life President.

Throughout the day a message wall filled up with heartfelt messages from families that have been supported by SNAP over the last decade, and some fantastic endorsements from education and healthcare professionals.