Our Mission | Brody's Trust

Brody's Story.

Brody was born in 2009, our beautiful baby boy, diagnosed with complex needs and given little chance of survival. Despite the prognosis, we had ten precious years filled with love, laughter, challenges, and unforgettable moments. Through hospital stays, sleepless nights, and countless obstacles, I cared for my happy, cheeky little monkey, learning that life with additional needs is no less meaningful—it's filled with magic and joy.

However, the lack of local resources made it difficult for our family to enjoy experiences together. Traditional baby groups didn’t accommodate Brody’s needs, leaving us feeling isolated. Every milestone he achieved in his own way was a victory, but finding accessible activities and essential sensory equipment was both challenging and expensive. Brody loved his sensory toys—the soothing vibrations of his music mat and the calming bubble tubes brought him peace on the hardest days.

Inspired by our journey and Brody’s boundless joy, we created Brody’s Trust to support families like ours. We aim to provide an accessible, inclusive space where children with additional needs can thrive, and families can create cherished memories without financial strain. Our facility offers a safe, fun environment with specially trained support workers, ensuring every child experiences the laughter and joy they deserve.

Brody’s infectious smile and love for monkeys shaped the heart of our Trust. While he may have spread his wings, his legacy lives on—bringing hope and happiness to families facing similar challenges. We know firsthand the joy and fulfillment, but also the stress and isolation, that comes with caring for a child with complex needs. Sometimes, all you need is a helping hand, a listening ear, and a place where your child belongs.

We hope to be that place—where families find comfort, support, and a community that understands. Brody’s Trust is our way of giving back, ensuring no family feels alone, and every child has the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.

Nikki Baggott

Chair and Founder

Our Mission

"Inspired by our journey and Brody’s boundless joy, we created Brody’s Trust to support families like ours, providing an accessible, inclusive space where children with additional needs can thrive."

Our Mission.

Brody massively benefited from a range of light and relaxation therapies, but to find a sensory room with a wide range to satisfy him was exhausting and meant often we went with out. Brody was blind along with many other complex needs due to catching an illness at birth so sensory touching and lights often brought a huge smile to his face.

Our cheeky monkey made us realise we can make a difference to children in Gloucestershire by opening a charity in his name and providing the community with multiple therapies designed to aid mental wellbeing and bring joy & laughter to other children in the area.

Brody's trust is an accessible experience. During our search with Brody we found that some of these sensory rooms could be very expensive and as you all know, having a child with a disability or complex need can be very financially draining. There will be an opportunity to donate to aid the facility to keep it running but there's no obligation. All children deserve fun and laughter regardless of their situation.

We want to offer other parents/carers an opportunity to capture beautiful memories. With the extensive range of facilities that will be on offer there is something to cater to everybody's needs and ensure no child is left out.

This much-needed facility will offer:

Free activities
Safe play areas
Coffee mornings
A safe, non-judgemental place to relax

Group sessions
Children's devices
Advanced Specialist Technology

Support our Mission

Brody’s Trust is purely run of the kindness of people's hearts. We need your help.

The resources and support within the Forest of Dean for families and carers is severely lacking. Brody’s Trust is here to change that.

By supporting us you can ensure that families not only can build precious memories but can access full support from our team of knowledgeable support workers.

Support us

"I am so privileged to say that Brody is my brother. Growing up with him was one of the best things I could ask for; it wasn’t like growing up with a normal sibling—it was like growing up with a forever best friend, going places together and spending quality time together. It wasn’t easy having a disabled sibling, but I wouldn't ask for it to be changed. Brody made me realize the meaning of life, and he made my life the best life.

One of our favorite things to do together was spending time on his sensory bed with lights and his favorite music playing. Knowing that children like Brody can experience these things puts a smile on my face because it truly is a beautiful thing to see your brother smile so big and have such a contagious laugh to brighten up any room."

Lexi, Brody's Little Sister

Changing Area

Sensory Room

Soft Play

Chillout Zone

The Activity Room

Changing Area

Changing Area (The Mandrills)

The changing area will consist of a vinyl flooring making it easy to clean and disinfected after each use of the room. A changing bed with a hoist will mean that regardless of the ability of the child, all children will have appropriate access to changing facilities. The room will also consist of a hand sink with a low sink to meet everyone’s needs and toilet to use.

A clinical waste bin will be situated in the room to ensure the correct disposal of waste products which will be collected by a specialist company.

Sensory Room

Black Out Sensory Room (Gold Leaf Monkey)

This Room consists of Blacked out walls to maximize the brightness of the lights. The flooring in the room will be dark with illuminated pictures and items to maximize the experience for the service user. This room is designed for utmost relaxation and stimulation. Bean bags and a fibre optic rug makes for ultimate comfort. A bubble tube corner will be lit with different colours. This will be surrounded by free flowing curtain strips. An LED projector can display a variety of scenes, shapes,lights and sounds to accustom to the service users preference. Sensory tiles will be situated throughout the room with some textural differences and lighting. There will be a heated water bed, for the children to experience riding the waves while listening to sensory music, it feels like they are out at sea.

A rocking therapy chair will be placed in the corner of the room that gently moves and will be draped with a waterfall fibre optic curtain that can be interacted with. A DST lighting box will be available to control the overall mood lighting and give the child control of what they would prefer. There will be a lockable cabinet filled with illuminated toys and stimulants to maximize the overall Twilight Experience. A ceiling mirror ball and multiple bubble mirrors will be used to enhance the light projection also with A vibrating floor mat in the room.

This room will be fully equipped with touch sensory switch lights for the children to be able to work these, different interactive switch boards, to accommodate every need possible.

Soft Play

Soft Play (The Macaque Room)

This room is designed for fun! The flooring in this area will be of crash mat material along with lined walls to adhere to the health and safety policy. A ball pit to the back of the room will be jammed packed with multi coloured balls and soft play items dotted all around, and there will be a soft play where families can climb around. This will mean that some serious energy can be burnt. Soft building blocks so that children can build towers and allow for imaginative play.

We will include 8 giant piano tiles which will play music once touched.

Chillout Zone

Chillout Zone (The Chimpanzee Room)

This area will be an area for little to take the time to chill, away from the busy Macque room if needed. Bean bags, sofa, TV, Music, gaming, texture tiles and mini library will all facilitate the room making it the perfect place to wind down after a busy day of play. The room will also consist of sensory items such as weighted blankets and soft toys.

The Activity Room

The Activity Zone (The Ape Room)

This room will have multiple activities to do, we will have interactive boards and activities for fine motor skills. This room is designed for Arts and Crafts, games, puzzles, messy play, sensory play etc which will be stored in locked cabinets. A large table and chairs will situate in the middle of the room and again a vinyl floor for hygiene purposes. This room will be used for tactile stimulation, encouraging the service users to use imagination and intuition into a play setting.

There are several ways to get involved and support our mission of providing sensory experiences and inclusive support to children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families in Gloucestershire.

Donate

Donations to Brody’s Trust help us provide accessible access to sensory rooms and therapy resources. Your generosity makes a lasting impact by improving the lives of SEN children and their families in Gloucestershire and beyond.

Donate

Volunteer

Becoming a volunteer with Brody’s Trust means you’ll directly support SEN children by assisting with sensory play, organising events, and helping families feel welcomed and included in a safe, fun environment.

Become a Volunteer

Become a Trustee

Trustees at Brody’s Trust oversee the charity’s development, governance, and future plans. They help ensure Brody’s Trust stays true to its mission, grows sustainably, and supports more SEN families in need of our services.

Become a Trustee

Partner with us

Corporate partners help Brody’s Trust through sponsorships, team volunteering, and fundraising. Together, we can create lasting partnerships that benefit SEN children while supporting your CSR goals and community engagement.

Partner with us

Help our Cause.

Brody’s Trust is purely run of the kindness of people's hearts.

By donating you are helping make a huge difference to our community with our Multi Sensory room which is designed to cater to all needs. Often people in the community who are in need of resources are often overlooked. Brody’s Trust is here to provide that much needed support.

Every penny counts to us here at Brody’s Trust and no matter the size of donation we are extremely grateful for the support and difference you will be contributing to these children's lives.

Your donation will be going towards:

Specialised CBT Equipment

Children's Play Equipment

Facility Running Costs

Handling Equipment

Specialist Technology

Children's Devices

Relaxing Coffee Mornings

Organised Activities

By donating to Brody’s Trust we can ensure a safe, therapeutic and non judgemental place for families to come and enjoy our resources in the facility.

Brody's Trust is a registered charity with charity number 1206710.

Leave us a message.

Please feel free to get in touch to find out more about our mission or how you can help.

The best way to get in touch with us is to use our contact form. That way you can be sure your enquiry will reach us.

Help us change lives.

Help us change lives.

Brody's Story.