7 March 2025
In the autumn last year, St Mark’s Church, Marks Gate opened its new sensory room.
St Mark’s has an open heart for inclusion of those with special educational needs in the church community. With an award of funds from the Church of England’s Strategic Development Fund, the church was able to convert an unused meeting room into a sensory room for use by those in the community with special educational needs.
Talking about the impact the sensory room has had on both the church family and the local community, Revd Alexandra Joseph said:
“St Mark’s is home to a preschool and a day centre for young adults with learning needs and physical disabilities, as well as a significant number of our children within St Mark’s Church
“Many other young people and children in the wider community are also registered or have some form of special educational needs.
“This room has allowed us to meet the needs of more people in the community, serving to embody Psalm 139’s recognition that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, and that in 1 Corinthians 12 we are all part of one body.
"Through the sensory room, the pre-school has been able to further meet the needs of some of their children and engage with the church in a new way; the day centre has continued to transform our understanding of holistic hospitality; and members of the church with children who use the sensory room can see that everybody has a place of welcome in our church, our ministry, and our worship.”
As the project continues, St Mark’s will be installing more equipment in response to the needs of those who use the room and will promote its use to the wider community.
