A train club which will welcome children with special educational needs is set to open in Sheffield this weekend.

Nicola Fletcher and her son Jude will open the doors to the first of these clubs on Saturday December 14 in Oughtibridge.  

The idea from the event started in June after Mrs Fletcher tried to find clubs that supported her six-year-old son’s autistic needs.

She explained Jude loves trains and wanted to join a relevant club, but the only suitable ones are based in the south of the country.

Mrs Fletcher said: “At the end of July, Jude and myself, started to collect all the pre-loved tracks, which is something that is important to me. We wanted to recycle unwanted but well maintained trains and tracks for us to use at the club and be continually loved by loads of children.”

The train club is open for everyone who loves trains, of all ages, and children with special educational needs are welcome.

Mrs Fletcher continued: “Jude and I understand the importance of making this train club sensory safe and open to all. There will be plenty of activities to do during the one hour session and plenty of friendly faces.” 

The first club is set to start tomorrow morning (December 14) at the Chapel Hall, on Church Street, in Oughtibridge at 11 am and the second one will be on Sunday at Broomhill Scout Hut. 

Mike Cassell, head of the Scout hut in Broomhill, said: “This may be the first of its kind around here and it seems to be a really great idea. I wish Nicola all the success with it. We have told our Beavers and Cubs about the event, so, maybe this club can have a mutual benefit for both parties.”