Our Special Angels

In early 2025, Our Special Angels, a compassionate initiative based in Walsall WS1, partnered with Play Creations to create a transformative play 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, the organization aimed to address the critical gap in supportive, engaging spaces for SEND families, particularly during school holidays. Their vision was to repurpose a historic, underutilized building into a dual-purpose 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 fostering a safe, stimulating, and family-like 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project required innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of the old Walsall building, which featured exposed, outdated piping and structural limitations inherent to its historic architecture. 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 distinct areas: a sensory room for calming experiences and a softplay area for dynamic, 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. The project was structured in two stages: the first involved installing the softplay frame and foundational stud work, while the second added custom, non-slip matting to enhance safety and accessibility in both 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 thoughtfully designed with sensory lighting to create soothing atmospheres, sound boards for auditory stimulation, fibre strands for tactile exploration, and Play Creations’ proprietary Cozy Cove—a custom-designed, enveloping 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. These features, including the slide’s structural theme panels and interactive surrounds, are backed by our 15-year warranty against structural failure, ensuring lasting quality. 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 WS1 facility stands as a vibrant, inclusive space, reflecting Our Special Angels’ dedication to supporting SEND children and their families. The Cozy Cove and LED infinity mirror, along with durable components like the ball pool spinner and structural panels, are supported by our lifetime and 15-year warranties on key elements such as steel frameworks and timber panels, guaranteeing structural integrity for years to come. 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.