Chorus West Lothian CIC

My name is Sarah Bowes and I have recently registered as a Community Interest Company. Chorus will provide much needed services and support for ASN children in the local community as well as their families.

I have teamed up with a group of incredible people who between us have a vast combined experience of working with children in early development through music, children with Additional Support Needs (ASN) in Mainstream Schools as well as children with severe and complex needs in Specialist Provisions.

Between us we have supported hundreds of children and their families, including supporting their attainment and inclusivity in the

classroom. However, we have found the services out-with school hours and term time have become extremely scarce or are too expensive for families to engage with. This creates a barrier for these children to be included in society and leaves parents and care givers struggling and isolated with very little support.

This is where Chorus steps in by offering free classes and support groups. This distinguishes Chorus from commercial businesses as these companies can only offer funded or paid places within their remit.

Chorus are on a mission to create an inclusive environment for all children and families regardless of any diagnosis or neurodiversity, removing the barriers between children with ASN and society.

We are creating a safe place to enjoy classes, activities, tuition, coffee mornings, support drop in sessions and much much more.

Chorus will encourage relationships between like-minded families making inclusion in the community possible without any stigma.

We’ve already sourced and leased a fantastic building in Bathgate and we also have highly skilled and experienced volunteers ready to start making a difference. What we need now is support from you!

To offer these services for free we need to raise funds to cover our initial costs and make adaptations to the space until funding can be applied for.

They say it takes village but we need a community! People who recognise how important it is to support ASN children and their caregivers and the support of local companies who share our vision of inclusivity and affordability are key to our success.