Our Special Angels - Walsall

In early 2025, Our Special Angels, a childcare initiative based in Walsall, partnered with Play Creations to create a transformative softplay environment tailored for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Founded by Mariyam Ji Akhter and Sahdia Caan, parents who deeply understand the challenges of finding inclusive childcare.

Their vision was to repurpose a historic building into a facility featuring a sensory room and a softplay area for children aged 0-12. Our team conducted a thorough site visit to assess the aging structure, collaborating closely with the founders to align the design with their mission of creating a safe, stimulating, and inviting atmosphere.

Our project management team also provided valuable recommendations and health and safety advice to the landlord and other tradespeople working in and around the building, ensuring a cohesive and safe construction environment. The project required creative solutions to overcome the challenges of the old building, which featured exposed, outdated piping and structural limitations. Play Creations worked hand-in-hand with Our Special Angels to develop a detailed design brief focused on accessibility and sensory engagement for SEND children, creating two unique areas: a sensory room for calming experiences and a softplay area for safe play. To address the exposed piping, we designed a solution to box in the pipes and constructed robust stud work to securely mount wall boards, ensuring a safe foundation for the play equipment.

Two stages made up the softplay project, the first involved installing the softplay frame and the second added in custom non-slip matting to enhance safety and accessibility in both of the rooms. Our lifetime warranty on steel frameworks, including tubes, clamps, and volumetric play pieces like cube floors and step blocks, provided Our Special Angels with confidence in the durability and long-term reliability of the installation. The sensory room was designed with calm lighting to create soothing atmospheres, sound boards for auditory stimulation, fibre strands for tactile exploration, and Play Creations’ unique Cozy Cove, a custom-designed nook cherished by children and parents for its calming effect. The softplay room featured an LED infinity mirror to spark visual curiosity, interactive wall games to encourage engagement, and a large slide integrated into the building’s bay window to optimize space, flowing into a vibrant ball pool for safe, joyful play. The two-stage installation began with the softplay frame and stud work, carefully executed to accommodate the building’s age, followed by custom matting in both rooms.

Our project management team coordinated seamlessly with other tradespeople, offering health and safety guidance to ensure safe working conditions. The project was completed in mid-2025, delivering a fully functional, SEND-focused play environment. Play Creations has forged a lasting partnership with Our Special Angels, committing to regular maintenance to keep the sensory and softplay rooms safe, functional, and welcoming. The transformed Walsall facility stands as a vibrant, inclusive space, reflecting Our Special Angels’ dedication to supporting SEND children and their families. Structual integrity is guaranteed for softplay equipment such as the Cozy Cove and LED infinity mirror. Our warranties support all the steel framework and timber panels.

Our project management support extended beyond installation, providing ongoing recommendations to the landlord to maintain the building’s safety and functionality. This collaboration ensures the facility remains a nurturing, creative hub where SEND children can explore and play in a secure, family-like environment, backed by Play Creations’ commitment to quality and longevity.