Helping families one cuppa at a time

Claire Naylor is a mother of 4 children, 3 with additional needs. She is the founder of a coffee shop and support hub. It helps struggling parents to secure the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision they desperately need.

The Den Coffee House enables parents from across the county and beyond to come together in a safe and supportive space. They can build friendships and seek guidance from professionals such as healthcare experts and legal advisers.

In new research commissioned by The National Lottery Community Fund*, 7 out of 10 parents of children living with a disability or additional needs reported a lack of support during their child’s pre school years. This included parents of children with SEND. The lack of support negatively impacted their ability to look after their own mental health. This drops to 6 out of 10 among non-SEND parents.

Additionally, 64% of parents with a child with a disability or additional needs, said insufficient support during their child’s pre‑school years negatively impacted their confidence. Consequently, they felt unsure about how to support their child's development. This is compared to 55% of non-SEND parents.

Valued lived experience

Claire set up The Den to address this problem. Her own experience is a huge draw for visitors, with some travelling 3 hours to attend. Having previously worked as a SEND teacher, Claire knew what to do when her son MJ began to show signs consistent with autism. However, after getting a diagnosis relatively quickly, she faced a huge gap when it came to finding emotional support.

She says: “As an older mum of a child with SEND needs, I suddenly found myself in a position where I didn’t have many friends that I could relate to and was craving that connection with other parents in the same boat.”

MJ is now 6, autistic and non-verbal. Claire also has 3 other children, 2 with additional needs. Her son Jackson is 8 and has ADHD and autism. Her daughter Jamie, 26, is visually impaired and a wheelchair user.

Claire says: “It wasn't until MJ started growing up that I began noticing more and more gaps in his development. All of a sudden, I found myself fighting for all kinds of support, including the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) he needed to secure a space at a specialist school.”

With no support network to guide her, Claire was left feeling helpless and confused. However, that didn’t stop her from reaching out to other parents.

She says: “I was just left thinking, hold on a minute, if I don’t understand what’s going on here as someone working in the area of SEND, what chance do other parents have?”

She decided to host a coffee morning at her local café. It helped to bring together parents from all backgrounds, those with children with SEND needs or otherwise.

“I just didn’t know what to expect,” she says. “I was blown away when 35 people turned up! So many of them said that they had desperately needed something like this.”

A home from home

The Den provides sessions to groups including: 

• grandparents

• young mums

• dads

• adults with ADHD

It received £20,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to help it continue to support and grow its thriving community.

Claire says: “The Den provides a real home away from home, where parents can spend as long as they want chatting to people just like them that are dealing with the same day to day challenges.
“It’s hard to emphasise just how vital this kind of support network is for parents that have come to the end of their tether, as they often don't have friends or family to turn to that fully understand their situation.”

“MJ has been my driving force through all of this, because the goal is to create a world where he can be understood and accepted. With more coffee shops and support networks like this, we can help make this a reality for so many families.”

One parent that benefitted from the advice and support is Sophie Olivia Blest.

She said: “I feel so thankful for The Den Coffee House. When my son was at risk of being excluded from our local primary school, I felt like I had nowhere to turn. Finding the support at The Den Coffee House helped pick me back up when I needed it most.”

“Thanks to all the support I received, my son is now doing so much better at school, and I have been able to rebuild myself again.”

Claire said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players, without which we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and help those parents seeking answers and support for their children.”

*The UK-wide survey of 4,750 of parents of primary school age children was conducted by Censuswide - 19% of respondents had a child with a disability or additional needs. Data was collected via an online survey, and fieldwork took place between 4 – 15 December 2025.