29/10/2026
A HEARTFELT POST FROM US AT CHEEKY CHIMPS…
I'm writing this with a really heavy heart this morning, because if I'm honest, I'm feeling incredibly disappointed and a little disheartened.
Over the last week, i've been advertising our SEN sessions, and the response I received was absolutely overwhelming. I had so many comments, private messages and conversations with people who told me they had no idea these sessions existed, asked lots of questions, and said they would be coming along.
So many people told me there was nowhere in Scunthorpe offering something like this, and that it was something our community really needed. We've gone to a lot of effort behind the scenes, too. I've ordered additional items to make the sessions more personal and enjoyable for the children, thought carefully about how we could make the environment calmer, and made the decision to close Cheeky Chimps to the general public during these sessions so that SEN children and their families could have the space to themselves, without the usual noise and busyness.
But after all the interest, all the lovely messages and all the comments from people saying they would be there, last night's session was practically empty.
And honestly, it really hurt.
Please understand that this isn't about any individual family, and we know that life happens. We know that plans change, children have difficult days and sometimes getting out of the house can be a challenge in itself. We would never want any parent to feel guilty about that.
But we also have to be honest about the other side of things.
Cheeky Chimps is a small family-run business, and like many businesses at the moment, we're struggling with rising costs and keeping everything going. When we close to the general public for these sessions, we're turning customers away and losing valuable income. We've done that willingly because we genuinely believed this was something special that could make a difference to families who often struggle to find somewhere suitable to take their children.
We weren't doing this just to make money. I wanted to offer something meaningful, somewhere children could feel comfortable, parents could relax a little, and families could enjoy time together without feeling overwhelmed or judged.
I really, truly thought that, judging by the feedback and interest I'd received, this would be something that worked brilliantly for our community.
So now I'm left wondering… is this something families genuinely want and need, but perhaps the time or format isn't right? Or is it simply not something that will work for our community or for Cheeky Chimps?
I don't want to give up on something that could be valuable, but I also have to be realistic about what we can sustain as a business.
If you have a child with additional needs and would genuinely like to attend our SEN sessions, please comment below or send me a private message. I'd really appreciate honest feedback about what would work for your family, including days, times and anything that might make attending easier.
Please don't just tell me it's a lovely idea — I need to understand whether families will actually be able to use it, so I can decide what to do next.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the idea, shared our posts and taken the time to message us. It really does mean a lot. ❤️
I just need to know whether we're building something that families will use, because we can't keep closing our doors to the public if the sessions aren't being attended.
