Amy Henderson
Amy has been with The Sensory Place since the very beginning. She is passionate about helping others and loves animals, live music and art. Amy has been a self employed hairdresser for over 15 years bringing with her, excellent business management skills as well as a wealth of creativity. Her imaginative approach and passion for the arts shines through when planning activities and events. Amy is also parent to a beautiful daughter who was diagnosed as autistic at the age of four and who was Amy's initial motivation behind The Sensory Place. Amy has been thoroughly educated in slime making, Minecraft and Harry Potter since having her daughter! Amy has also recently been diagnosed with ADHD herself. You will find Amy and her daughter at many of The Sensory Place's events so feel free to say hello if you see her.
Louise Monaghan
Louise is one of the founding members of The Sensory Place having realised that there simply wasn't enough things for children with additional needs and disabilities to do that were accessible, non-judgemental and fun. Louise is a passionate advocate for young people and is currently studying children's mental health in order to train as a counsellor.
Louise has a son who is autistic and also has diagnoses of ADHD and SPD, she has recently been diagnosed as autistic herself so her first hand experience of this is crucial in helping to shape events to ensure they are appropriate for autistic children and young people.
Louise has a vast experience in customer care having worked for many years in call centres dealing with customer complaints. She has also trained in Early Years and is The Sensory Place's playgroup leader, a project which she has been instrumental in making happen
Outside of The Sensory Place, Louise enjoys reading, gaming and drinking coffee, coffee and more coffee! She also has two cats called Fluffy and Bendy.
Ann Young
Since joining The Sensory Place as a trustee in June 2021, Ann has played a crucial role in the continued success of the charity. Ann has had a thriving career, having worked for Northumbria Police and the NHS. She has been a foster carer for the past 12 years which she describes as something she absolutely loves.
Ann has a daughter who is a primary school teacher and she currently cares for four young people who have additional needs including Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD and FASD so has first hand experience of raising children with SEND and the challenges that both they and their parents have to overcome. Ann has been involved with The Sensory Place for several years now having taken the young people whom she cares for to past events. The Sensory Place were delighted when Ann joined as a trustee as her past experience has been invaluable in the development of the charity. Ann continues to attend activities with her young people.
In her spare time Ann enjoys relaxing at her caravan and walking the two family cockapoos!
Helen Abernethy
Helen originally trained as a primary school teacher specialising in Early Years before becoming Centre Manager of an alternative education provision for KS4 children. She has a long history of working in education in various roles. Helen is the proud Mam of two children, Max and Amelie. Since having her son, who despite various tests and assessments still remains undiagnosed, she has developed a keen interest in SEND. She continues to develop her knowledge of strategies to support children with SEND as well as taking an interest in SEND law. The Sensory Place was pleased to welcome Helen as a trustee in June 2021 and she has thoroughly enjoyed planning and arranging activities for families to enjoy.
Outside of work, Helen enjoys spending time with her family, sleeping, baking and relaxing with a glass of wine.
Rebecca Follesa
Rebecca is our newest trustee, having joined The Sensory Place in March 2023. Prior to this, Rebecca brought her two children, Mia and Leo along to activities and enjoyed being able to relax knowing that they were going to enjoy themselves in a safe and friendly environment. Wanting to give something back, she joined the team and as they say, the rest is history! Due to her past experience, Rebecca was able to hit the ground running and has played a key role in arranging many of our events and activities. Rebecca is relentless in her approach and is always coming up with new ideas for things to do. or ways to raise funds for us to continue to provide exciting activities.
