Rochdale Town Hall launches exclusive invite to SEND families

Wednesday, 23 April 2025 18:11

By David Murphy

A new and inclusive activity for local families has launched at Rochdale Town Hall, as this historic Grade I-listed landmark expands its already popular inclusion offer for visitors.

Titled ‘SEND Sundays’, these sessions exclusively invite children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to explore this recently restored public space on the first Sunday of every month, from 2 to 4pm.

With the building closed off to the general public and its features adapting to their needs with dimmed lighting and sounds switched off, families have a wonderful opportunity to share this exciting area together and enjoy the local history embedded within each room.

SEND Sundays also feature a variety of different activities, with these sessions suitable for families with children aged three and above.

Councillor Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children’s services and education at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Making our town hall more inclusive and accessible was always at the heart of its recent work.

“I’m delighted to see how popular this beautifully restored space has already become with families far and wide, and I invite others to visit if they haven’t done so already, especially families with SEND.

“We want people of all abilities to enjoy this building, especially our children and young people, and this latest offer reaffirms our dedication to becoming even more inclusive as a borough, so I hope everyone who comes along has a great time.”

This latest addition builds on the town hall’s wider offer of inclusion for families, including its creative Zen Den, which features lots of sensory lights, calming toys, and a quiet space for children and young people to play when they visit.

Sensory carts are located within each of the building’s historic rooms too, with each box including various textures and materials which replicate the look and feel of the room visitors are in.

Young visitors can also use the town hall’s sensory backpacks as another fun way to discover this wonderful space, with all sorts of creative items inside to enjoy.