A PROTEST advocating for SEND children, as well as their families, struggling to have their needs met was held outside of County Hall, Taunton.

The protest, which took place on Monday, October 13, was organised by Somerset SEND Army, and was attended by MP Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrats, Taunton and Wellington) and Adam Dance (Liberal Democrats, Yeovil).

County Hall is the building in which Somerset Council meet and hold their offices. Somerset Council leader cllr Bill Revans was also in attendance at the protest

Somerset SEND Army is a Wellington-based group established by Georgina Dykes and Tatjana Bodman, which aims to advocate for the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), alongside their families.

Both of them are parents of children with SEND. Georgina describes her child as being academically gifted, but has had to be out of education for three years due to gastrointestinal issues with schools unable to provide support.

The group is working closely with Mr Amos with the aim of opening up a SEND hub within the King’s Arms, Wellington, which recently completed its conversion into a community centre.

They are also hoping that they would be able to hold regular meetings there, and to hold other events across the area that people can attend.

Alongside this, Somerset SEND Army also plan to open up a pair of clinics, with one located in Wellington and one in Taunton.

Tatjana said: “I think what happened today is the start of something big. I never thought that I would be here today four weeks ago, because our group is very new, it was Georgina’s idea and we’ve done it together.

“It’s hard, it is very mentally exhausting, but having the support of local MPs and the people here who are listening shows me that this is something that parents can feel hope from and maybe start to get some support because nobody knows our children more than us parents.

“I want Somerset to be a safe place for those parents who are struggling to navigate themselves, because having to navigate all those forms, appeals and complaints is not for everyone.

“Our aim is for Somerset SEND Army to become an inclusive community who can also feed into Somerset Council decisions.”

Georgina added: “I’m absolutely amazed that so many people have come. I knew that a lot of people were interested, but to see the leader of Somerset Council here and have MPs turn up is amazing.

“The point of today wasn’t to beat down this council. I know a lot of issues come down to a lack of funding, a lack of training, a lot of it is that there is not enough people doing the jobs that need to be done to help these children.

“So if Tatjana and I can inspire more people to do what we’ve done today, then the I think that the gods above us are hopefully going to start listening.”