 News 12 October 2017This week's Thursday Afterschool club got in the Halloween spirit and had lots of fun. The children carved pumpkins, made witches soup, witches hats and wizard wands. |  News 11 October 2017The amazing team at PALS raised £150 for PARC in their lunchtime club. Chris came to the Centre to present a cheque to us and he loved having a look around our facility. His PA Dave had great fun in the ball pool! |  News 9 October 2017At this week's Saturday Afternoon club the children had fun making handprint spiders and witch bubbles. There was also lots of messy play which is always a great hit. |
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 News 7 October 2017The Thursday Afterschool club had an amazing time this week! Look how much fun they had making handprint spiders, footprint ghosts and playdough Monsters! |  News 2 October 2017Everyone at this week's Saturday afternoon club had lots of fun with Autumn. The children painted Autumn leaves and even made hedgehog's out of paper plates. |  News 3 October 2017This week the Youth Club celebrated Harvest Festival. The children and young people had lots of fun going on a scavenger hunt for Harvest food and making Bread rolls and flapjack. |
 News 28 SeptemberTo celebrate Book Week we had lots of special visitors at the centre. Today we had a visit from Gangster Granny, Where's Wally and Winnie the Pooh. Look how who is coming tomorrow! |  News 26 SeptemberExciting news at this week's Friday Youth Club. Jake Butler won the Jack Petchey award for being incredibly brave and courageous in the last few weeks. Everyone is incredibly proud of Jake! |  News 25 SeptemberThis week the children who attended the Saturday Afternoon session took part in a special treasure hunt, looking for the squirrels acorn. There was also lots of arts & crafts and ball pool fun. |
 News 24 September 2017As usual it was a fun filled evening at the PARC Friday Evening Youth Club. |  News 17 September 2017The Under 5's session focused on 'All about me' last week. The children played with emotion cushions, made footprints and even tried their hand at gardening. |  News 16 September 2017Twice this week the Vulnerable team held a Mexican Fiesta this week. Everyone dressed up for the occasion and the children enjoyed sampling some Mexican food and playing Mexican music. |
 News 15 September 2017The Youth Club held a Superhero part on Friday. There was lots of dressing up again and superhero activities, such as making masks. Everyone had a 'super' time! |  News 14 September 2017To celebrate Roald Dahl Day, the children in the Whizzy group had a Roald Dahl themed session. There were lots of games such such as 'Pin the Beard on the BFG'. The children also had fun with Gelli Bath. |  News 13 September 2017The Saturday Session children took part in lots of back-to-school activities, including making a friendship tree. |
 News 12 September 2017For the first session after the summer holidays the Youth Club team held a Back-to-school disco. Everyone had an amazing time and the children were pleased to see their friends again. |  News 11 September 2017The Sunday Session held a Star Wars Party which was an amazing success. The children loved all the activities and meeting characters. Thank you so much to UK Garrison for bringing the Storm Troopers and Andy from Chameleon Costumes for providing the costumes. |  News 11 September 2017A massive thank you to the Notley Green Community Association for donating £250 from their Great Notley Village Fete. We are incredibly grateful and it was a pleasure to be at the fete this year. |
 News 9th September 2017We were privileged to be invited by TWICE (WI campers in Essex) and speak about PARC. We met some lovely and it was a very inspirational experience. Thank you for the generous donations. |  News 7 September 2017Georgina Riordan raised a fantastic £40 by holding her very own coffee morning. Well done, Georgina, and she has requested that the money will go to the Under 5's sessions at PARC. |  News 6 September 2017The fantastic Lady and the Tramps team took part in the 3 Peak Challenge and managed to climb three mountain in England, Scotland and Wales in just 24 hours. What an amazing achievement and the team managed to raise more than £1,600 for PARC! |
 News 4 September 2017We took advantage of the windy weather and flew our kites at the Discovery Park. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we certainly blew the cobwebs away. | News 3 September 2017The Dog & Partridge Pub in Great Leighs raised an amazing £375 for PARC at their Fun Day, together with D. Mart Plumbing and Beatz Disco. Thank you very much for your support- we are truly grateful. |  News 31 August 2017The Under 5's team had an amazing time at the Maldon Splash Park and got thoroughly wet. Even the weather did not put the children (and some grown-ups) off and everyone had fun. |
 News 26 August 2017The Vulnerable Group spent some time learning about The Land Before Time and dinosaurs. The children had fun with clay and role play. |  News 24 AugustThe Vulnerable group had a great day at Colchester Zoo. They saw lots of the animals and the elephants were a big hit in particular. |  News 20th AugustThe Whizzy Group went to London Zoo today and saw some amazing animals. The children even spotted some dinosaurs! |
 News 18th AugustThe Under the Sea party for the Under 5's group was a huge success this week. There was lots of arts and crafts, and some yummy cake too. |  News 16 AugustThe Vulnerable group went for a trip to Paradise Wildlife park this week and took part in lots of activities. There was even time to meet the mascot and play in the splash pool. |  News 15 AugustThe Vulnerable team went to the beach in Walton this week and had a fabulous time. The weather was very kind and everyone had a paddle in the sea. |
 News 14th AugustThe Ride for PARC team completed the Prudential Ride London and have raised an amazing £3,093 for PARC. What a fantastic achievement for them and thank you so much for all you have done for PARC. Aidan had a serious accident half-way through the race and despite sustaining some injuries he decided to carry on- you are our hero! |  News 11th AugustLots of fun was had by the Youth Club team at Pleasure Wood Hills. The kids loved the big rides the most. |  News 10 AugustThe Under 5's team had a Pirate and Mermaid party and everyone had an amazing time. We saw some amazing dressing up too! |
 News 8 AugustOur Whizzy group went to Adventure Island and had a fantastic time. The children braved the cold weather and went on as many rides as they could. |  News 6th JulyThis week's Sunday session had an 'Up' theme. The children made 'Up' biscuits, 'Up' finger paintings and had lots of fun. |  News 4th August 2017The trip to London Zoo was a great success and everyone has a brilliant time. The children saw some amazing animals and some of the monkeys came very close! |
 News 2 AugustAnother trip to Rainbow Rural this week for our Whizzy team. Everyone loved the horses! |  News 1 AugustThe Vulnerable team had a fantastic day at Pleasure Wood Hills this week. All the children had an amazing time. |  News 1 AugustOur Under 5's and Sunday Family Activity Club teams held a Paw Patrol Party this week. Everyone had a great time and had a cuddle with the characters. |
 News 31 JulyThe amazing Ride for PARC team have completed the Prudential RideLondon in support of PARC on Sunday. Well done to everyone involved and thank you so much for all your hard work. |  News 30 JulyWe have had some fun baking at PARC this week. Everyone joined in to make some tasty cakes and the best bit was eating them. |  July 29 JulyOur Youth Club holiday sessions went to Colchester Zoo. Everyone had an amazing time and spotted some rare animals. |
 News 28 JulyThe first of the Under 5's summer adventures saw us team up with some Sunday Family Activity Club families for a day out at Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich. A Dinosaur Trail through the shady trees to spot a dinosaur or two, zip wire rides, a deer safari and fun at the splash park all made for a roar-some day. |  News 28 JulyBouncy Castle days are always a huge success and everyone likes to join in. This is one of our favourite Summer Holiday sessions. |  News 27 JulyRainbow Rural was a great success again. The children saw lots of animals, fed a lamb and much, much more. We can't wait to come back. |
 News 26 JulyOur Whizzy group went to Chessington World of Adventures and had a brilliant time. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and we have already had requests to go back. |  News 24 JulyCalling all Co-op members. You can support us further by nominating PARC as your chosen charity. To find out more or to become a Co-op member register or sign in at www.coop.co.uk/membership. |  News 20 JulyIt was Dinosaur week in our Under 5's sessions this week to celebrate the last week of term and the start of the summer holidays. Thank you to everyone who has been coming to our sessions and good luck to all that start school in September. |
 News 17th JulyThe fantastic team at Barker Associates LLP have completed the Three Peak Challenge within 24 hours and raised an amazing £1,560 for PARC. Thank you from everyone at PARC. |  News 16 July 2017In our Thursday After School session we went to Pizza Express and made our own pizzas! The children had great fun playing with the dough and deciding which topping was their favourite. |  News 12 July 2017The Mushroom Company is offering special Summer Holiday Workshops in Saffron Waldon in August for children and young people up to the age of 19. |
 News 12 July 2017The Friday Youth Club held their very own Sports Day and it was very competitive. Everyone had an amazing time in the beautiful weather. |  News 11 July 2017It was Bouncy Castle Day at Parc and everyone joined in. This was one of the most fun days ever. |  News 10 July 2017This week it is dinosaur week in our Pre-School sessions. Put on your favourite dinosaur costume and join us on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. |
 News 8 July 2017This week we worked up an appetite with some sporting activities in the beautiful weather. And afterwards we made some yummy brownies. |  News 7 July 2017We had some special visitors in our After School session- cute kittens. We learned everything about kittens and had lots of cuddles. |  News 6th July 2017Just a reminder that the centre will be closed from the Saturday 15th July until Friday 21st July for staff training. We are open as usual from Saturday 22nd July. 2017. |
 News 5th July 2017The Braintree and Witham Times have published an article about PARC and our fantastic Ofsted outstanding rating. Our team has worked so hard and this is an excellent achievement. Image curtesy of Newsquest. |  News 4th July 2017Charity Football match: Parc staff versus Braintree Churches 9th July 2017 at Tabor Academy Come and support us or play for just £10 per person. |  News 3th July 2017On Monday in our After School session we made pizzas. The children had fun and couldn't wait to eat them. |
 News 2nd July 2017Date for the diary! Join us on the 26th July to visit the Dinosaur Adventure Park in Norwich. Lots to see and do! |  News 29th June 2017The After School session on Thursday held their very own Sports Day and everyone had lots of fun. |  News 28th June 2017We are proud to announce that PARC has been awarded the OUTSTANDING rating after our latest Ofstead review. Thank you to the team at PARC for all their hard work which has paid off. |
 News 26th June 2017Our Fun Day on Sunday was a massive success and we raised more than a £1,000 for PARC. Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who supported us. |  NEWS: 5th April 2017Helen Briggs, a postgraduate research student is offering a free Mindfulness, meditation and “Self-Compassion” workshop to 40 parents and carers of children and young people with autism spectrum conditions and/or social communication difficulties in Chelmsford in May and June, as part of her research dissertation. This is an exciting opportunity for parents and carers to learn personal skills to enhance their wellbeing. The closing date for application is Friday 5th May. Click to apply: |  NEWS: 4th April 2017The lovely team over at Bluemanor Windows Ltd are holding an Easter Egg hunt in Braintree over Easter weekend, for PARC. Click above to find out how you can get involved: |
 NEWS: 30th March 2017We're currently looking for stallholders for our Family Fun Day in June! Stalls are £20 and you must provide your own gazebo and table. For more information and to book a spot please email: amanda.richardson@parcstaff.co.uk ~ Thank You |  NEWS: 30th March 2017Saying a big big thank you to The Chelmsford Ballet Company for inviting some of our families & staff along to see their amazing performance of 'Alice's Adventures' last week. We also collected a fantastic £150.01 in donations and would like to thank everyone who made a contribution to PARC on the night. |  NEWS: 29th March 2017Well done to some of our PARC staff for dressing up and fundraising for Comic Relief: Red Nose Day on Friday! Such an awesome team! |
 NEWS: 28th March 2017Please head over to Ride for PARC 2017 and show this amazing team some love! They are cycling the 100 mile Ride London and raising vital funds for PARC. Click above to visit the official Facebook page and find out how you can sponsor. |  NEWS: 28th March 2017Date for the diary, a great day out for the Easter Hols! Join Rainbow Rural CIC and Trailnet CIC on Sunday the 9th of April for fairground games, pony rides, carriage rides, tractor trailer rides, tea, cakes and much more! If you have not heard of Trailnet they are another C.I.C. who encourage cycling to people of all abilities and provide all the bikes that will be necessary. Free entry to the traditional and organic farm. |  NEWS: 24th March 2017The lovely team over Toby Carvery are collecting Easter eggs for us, here's what they had to say: "These guys do amazing things for children with additional needs by providing play and recreational facilities, and a much needed break for families and carers so please, next time your in the shop grab an egg or 2 and make your way down to us so we can put a smile on some faces. All donations small or large are very, very much appreciated!" Click above for more: |
 NEWS: 23rd March 2017Just a reminder to our PARC Parents & Carers that our yearly staff training dates have now been arranged and will be taking place over three weekends this year, the dates that we will be closed are: (this weekend) Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd April 2017, Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th July 2017 and Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th December 2017. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Thank you, PARC Team. |  NEWS: 22nd March 2017Amazing news! We've recently been awarded a grant of £3,948 from The Morrisons Foundation which will fund speech & language sessions for our Under 5's Activity clubs. We are so grateful to the foundation for their generous funding, as so many children and parents will benefit from this. More news on our speech and language sessions coming very soon! |  NEWS: 20th March 2017Date for the diary for PARC Parents & Carers |
 NEWS: 21st March 2017Join us this Thursday 23rd March at 7.30pm for our Annual General Meeting at PARC (Essex), Great Notley Country Park, Braintree, CM77 7FS This meeting is for you and your charity. We’d love you to come along, see how funding is spent, help us make PARC better, have a cup of tea with us, help share ideas, look at how you can help PARC, and meet our Trustees. Simply come along on the night to get involved or click to find out more. |  NEWS: 19th March 2017We are currently recruiting a Senior Childcare Services Manager to work at our Great Notley Centre. Please Email: Louise Thain at louise.thain@parcstaff.co.uk for an application form. Closing date Monday 27th March 2017 |  NEWS: 16th March 2017Saying a huge well done and congratulations to our Trustee Siobhan today, as she has been awarded 'Inspirational Role Model of the Year Award' by Braintree District Council. The award is for volunteers who have made an exceptional contribution through inspiring others to achieve outstanding success, or who inspire others with their achievements. Siobhan gives up a great deal of her time to be the Chair of PARC, and is also an Ambassador for Healthwatch Essex. |
 NEWS: 16th March 2017It's our lovely Service Manager Jade's very last day at PARC today. Jade has been part of PARC for almost 12 years and will be terribly missed by all the team, as well as the children and families who use our services. A huge heartfelt thank you goes out for all her hard work and dedication, and we want to wish her love and luck in her future adventures ~ We will miss you Jade, love all the PARC team x |  NEWS: 14th March 2017We are currently recruiting a Finance Officer to work at our Great Notley Centre. Please Email: Louise Thain at louise.thain@parcstaff.co.uk for an application form. Closing date Wednesday 22nd March 2017. |  NEWS: 13th March 2017Please help us say a huge thank you to the team over at Cofunds, as they have kindly offered to take part in an Easter Egg Collection for PARC. We hope to be able to use the donated eggs to put on an Easter egg hunt during our holiday sessions in April! More on this coming soon! |
 NEWS: 14th March 2017The Essex Mums Awards 2017 Nominations are now open! You can nominate the people, places and things that make life as a parent that bit easier, and you can nominate PARC (Essex). Nominations will be taken until June, then voting will take place over the summer. Winners get a badge of approval which tells parents that they are the best Essex has to offer, as well as a prize of £100 worth of advertising on Essex Mums! Make your nominations by clicking above. |  NEWS: 8th March 2017Essex Mencap are working in partnership with Carer Ambassadors at Healthwatch Essex to assist Essex County Council in their process of engagement for the Carers service design from April 2018. Essex County Council would like to gather your views from the engagement that has taken place so far on the content of the draft specification. The online survey is now live and can be accessed by clicking above. We would encourage as many carers as possible to take part in the survey. |  NEWS: 8th March 2017Date for the diary for Braintree Shoppers. Pop along to Fever Accessories in George Yard Braintree next weekend and help raise vital funds for PARC! |
 NEWS: 7th March 2017Visitor Coffee Morning ~ Friday 17th March: We will be visited at PARC by Dr Siobhan Timmins on Friday March 17th, from 10am-12pm. Siobhan will be talking to Parents & Carers on how to help children with ASD through Social Stories. An acclaimed author of the book "Successful social stories for young children with Autism" Siobhan will be talking about her new book and answering questions, plus providing support to help with your children. Please put the date in your diary and come along. |  NEWS: 6th March 2017Stress Free Spring Portraits with Ross Willsher Photography: If you're looking for some new family photographs, then why not take a look at Ross Willsher's current Spring offer. We have worked with Ross at PARC previously, and he comes highly recommended. Ross has a laid-back nature with his shooting and these sessions take place outdoors, designed to be free from studio lights and rigid posing which some children can find upsetting. Find out more about this Spring offer by clicking above. |  NEWS: 2nd March 2017Join our Family Stay and Play Club on Sunday 19th March for our very special Alice in Wonderland Day! From 10am - 1pm families will be able to take part in fun themed games with plenty of tea and cake! Please feel free to dress up in costume or wear your wackiest or craziest colours. Regular Sunday families can pre book online by clicking above or email: emma.jane.mayes@gmail.com to find out more. See you there! |
 NEWS: 26th February 2017Huge thanks to High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford for hosting us on Saturday. Thank you for allowing us to come along as we spoke to many families, some who felt they could benefit from PARC and our services, and others who felt that we offered a unique service to those who need it. Big thanks to everyone who came along, we will be back in Chelmsford promoting PARC on the 20th May, so please come along and say hello if you missed us this time. |  NEWS: 23rd February 2017Today we are all thinking of a very special Lady, whom we had the privilege of knowing as a colleague and a friend at PARC. Catherine was an amazingly strong lady, who sadly lost her life at the beginning of the Month. We are all deeply saddened by her passing, and will miss her, and her Zest for life terribly, as will the Children. Our love, and thoughts go out to her Family today, as they say their Goodbyes. - "Adieu cher ami, pour toujours dans nos cœurs" x |  NEWS: 20th February 2017Huge Thank you to the guys over at Delamode who raised an amazing £410 from their Charity Quiz Night recently. The money raised helps support the services we provide to children and young adults with additional needs. |
 NEWS: 7th February 2017Look out for our PARC collection tins and promotional material at Toby Carvery this Spring. Michael and his team have very kindly offered to support PARC in a variety of different ways from volunteering and fundraising, to teaching some cooking skills to our children and young adults. We love being able to work with local businesses and we'd like to say a big thank you to them for choosing to support PARC this year. |  NEWS: 6th February 2017Some of our PARC team will be out promoting our services and raising awareness of PARC, at High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford on Saturday the 25th February. Come and say hello, pick up a leaflet and have a chat about what we do. We will also have face painting for the little ones to enjoy! Look forward to seeing you there! |  NEWS: 5th February 2017Saying thank you to our friends over at Saxon Leaflets today, as they've regularly supported PARC, by offering free printing of our leaflets for the last couple of years! Thanks to help like theirs, we are able to spread the word about the services we provide to children and young adults with additional needs in Essex. Click for more: |
 NEWS: 31st January 2017Fantastic New Beginners Yoga Class starting at PARC on Friday 24th February (for 6 weeks) ~ Open to PARC Parents & Carers. A great way to de-stress and relax! Why not give it a go, first session is free! Click to find out more or to book a space, please email your details to: paula.ross@parcstaff.co.uk |  NEWS: 31st January 2017Please donate your Sainsbury's Active Kids Vouchers to PARC! We will be collecting these vouchers until May 2nd so we can get lots of great sports and cooking equipment for the children who use our specialist services. You can drop them into our Great Notley Centre or our PARC. Charity Shop in Braintree. Click to find out more: |  NEWS: 26th January 2017If you're thinking of a new challenge for 2017 then why not enter The Maldon Mud Race and help raise funds for Charity! We are so grateful to have been chosen as one of the charities supported by this event, and funds raised go towards keeping our services going, providing play and recreational facilities for children and young adults with additional needs in Essex . Click to sign up and find out more: |
 NEWS: 23rd January 2017Fantastic fundraising from our supporters Barker Associates LLP who recently raised £150 for us with their Christmas Jumper Day in December! We can't thank them for their continued support and look forward to working alongside them in 2017. |  NEWS: 19th January 2017We're very pleased to announce that our friends over at Braintree Rivers Rotary Club have raised an amazing £1100 for PARC during December with their Christmas Santa Float! A huge thankyou to everyone at Braintree Rivers Rotary, and to all who donated at this event. With your support, we can continue providing our specialist services to children and young adults with additional needs. #EpicSupporters |  NEWS: 16th January 2017Join Braintree Rivers Rotary Club for a Charity Quiz Night raising funds for PARC, on Saturday 25th March at Marks Farm Community Centre ~ Pop over to the event page to find out more: www.facebook.com/events/406899799653863/ Huge thanks for your continued support of our services |
 NEWS: 13th January 2017The Chelmsford Ballet Company have kindly offered 30 complimentary tickets to PARC Parents & Siblings to see the opening night of 'Alice's Adventures' at Chelmsford Civic Theatre on Wednesday 22nd March 2017. (Performance starts at 7:30pm). Please note that due to the nature of this performance PARC children are unable to attend. If you would like to apply for tickets please email: paula.ross@parcstaff.co.uk |  NEWS: 11th January 2017Join in with our Under 5's sessions next week where we will be dressing up for our Colours theme, by wearing brights and neons! We will also be giving the children a taste in interior design, with our painters and decorators role play area, playing parachute games, and more: |  NEWS: 10th January 2017Saying a big heartfelt thanks this evening to Delamode who raised over £350 for us in December, after holding a Christmas Jumper day and Christmas gift raffle! Please give them a like and help us say thank you for being epic PARC supporters! The money raised will go towards supporting children and young adults with additional needs at our specialist centre in Great Notley. |
 NEWS: 9th January 2017How awesome was our Veterinary Surgery at last Thursday's holiday activity club! The children got to be vets for the day, helping the animals at PARC :) Big thanks to Georgina and the team for another great session. More over on the PARC Facebook page: |  NEWS: 8th January 2017So pleased to announce that we have received a £500 grant from this year's Starbucks #redcupcheer campaign! Big big thanks to Starbucks, and everyone who cheered us on Facebook and Twitter, as the money donated will go towards this year's PARC Mini Marathon. More on this coming soon! |  NEWS: 7th January 2017On Christmas Eve we held a very festive party for some of the children at our PARC Centre in Great Notley! It was such a special day, and as you can see from the snaps, we all had a great time, starting the Christmas holidays off in style! Huge well done to Georgina and the team for their amazing efforts with big thanks to Inflate2celebrate, Sweet Inventions, Chameleon Costumes, Braintree College, George Yard Shopping Centre for their donations and time. More on Facebook: |
 NEWS: 5th January 2017What a fantastic time we had on our recent Sunday Stay & Play visit to the O2 in London, to see Disney On Ice ~ Big thanks to all the families who came along and also to our Family Support Manager, Paula, for organising another brilliant trip. |  NEWS: 4th January 2017Booking for our 2017 February Half Term Holiday Club is now open! Click for more: |  NEWS: 3rd January 2017Snaps from our Under 5's recent Christmas visit to Audley End Miniature Railway are now on the PARC Blog! Take a look here: |