Dreams Come True unveils exciting new sensory garden at Park Community Academy

April 2025 –

Dreams Come True recently launched a new programme of dream-making in Blackpool and the North-West after being awarded a five-year £867,500 grant from The Kentown Wizard Foundation. Dreams Come True provides dreams to children living in poverty, who have life-limiting conditions and serious disabilities and last year identified Blackpool as one of the many North-West areas they would like to target.

Upon launching the programme, Park Community Academy became the charity’s first beneficiary. The special educational needs school, which supports over 300 pupils with complex physical and sensory challenges, partnered with Dreams Come True after finding out about the charity via their outreach work in the community.

Anna Twentyman, CFO of The Kentown Wizard Foundation says:
It was wonderful to hear that Park Community Academy was the first to benefit from this exciting new Dream Making program. It’s great to see the children of Blackpool receiving the support they truly deserve from such a dedicated charity. I look forward to following the next chapter of Dreams Come True’s journey as they continue to deliver many more dreams in the years ahead!

Following preliminary discussions, Park Community Academy was thrilled to discover it was eligible to apply for a high-quality, purpose-built space and received a £25,000 Community Dream grant through the new “dream-making programme.”

Many pupils attending Park Community Academy have complex sensory needs so it was decided the grant would be used to create a sensory garden. A safe space for self-regulation, time out and sensory learning.

Dougy Oliver, Dreams Co-ordinator (Blackpool and North West) from Dreams Come True says:
“Having had the opportunity to visit the new space following it’s completion it is fantastic to see the finished project and hear the benefit it is already having. The lovely colours in the roof, the quiet seating area and of course the various equipment that the garden has on offer, makes it a brilliant multi use space for the pupils of this school. Whilst visiting, I have witnessed first hand the importance of this area in providing the pupils with a calm, safe space for sensory regulation in order to support their school day. It has been a pleasure to have been able to make this community dream come true for Park Community Academy”

The Dreams Come True team worked alongside staff at Park Community Academy to bring their vision to life. The end result is a joyful and magical environment that accommodates fun and play, while also supporting children to develop new skills such as gross motor skills and social interaction.

Laura Pownall at Park Community Academy, says;
“Our pupils were extremely eager to try out our new sensory garden space. Pupils used their gross motor skills to climb over the obstacles and loved exploring the wide range of new equipment with their peers! The students have started to build social skills by working and playing together, and also gross motor skills by balancing on the beams and spinning the wheels!”

Lisa King, OBE, CEO of Dreams Come True says:
“It is wonderful to see our first dream come true thanks to funding from our wonderful partner and local funder The Kentown Wizard Foundation. This dream – which will bring much joy and magic to children at Park Community Academy today – will continue to bring so much more respite, learning and fun to many more children in the years to come.”

“Better still, this is only the beginning of delivering hundreds more dreams to children over the next four years of this grant.”

Dreams Come True is calling upon community projects and also children who would be eligible for an individual dream to come forward via the easy to use referral system: https://www.dreamscometrue.uk.com/forms/blackpool-nw-referral-form

For more information, please visit: www.dreamscometrue.uk.com
or Contact Dougy on dougy@dreamscometrue.uk.com

Charity Registration number: England and Wales (800248) and in Scotland (SC043878)