MOVE over Pudsey, Beni is the bear bringing smiles to children’s faces in Swindon and providing their devoted carers much-needed respite from physically and emotionally wearing roles.

For the past six months The Beni Bear Club, named after its furry mascot, has strived to break down barriers in the town by bringing children with learning difficulties and disabilities together under one roof, allowing their parents to take a breath – a rare luxury for many of them.

“We didn’t want this segregation between disabilities and conditions,” said founder Maxi Scattergood, from Gorse Hill.

“You have groups that only deal with autism or Down’s syndrome but we don’t care, as long as they have bear love, they’re welcome.

“It’s about breaking down barriers.

“It’s not about me or the trustees – it’s about Beni and the joy he brings to children.”

It all started in 2011 for Maxi – and Beni – when her partner Gary Griffin gave her a fluffy teddy bear for Christmas.

When Gary’s four-year-old god-daughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder the following May and started using the Hop, Skip And Jump centre in town, the pair decided to raise funds for the charity.

Over the next few months they collected £2,000 for HSJ, which offers respite care for children and young adults with disabilities and special educational needs, and started volunteering at the centre with Beni.

This sparked the idea for The Beni Bear Club.

“We visited Hop, Skip And Jump without Beni and the children weren’t really interested in having adults there,” says the 38-year-old.

“But when we came with Beni they loved it.

“They took him to soft play, he would get taken everywhere.

“We were fundraising already for Hop Skip And Jump so we continued to start our own all-inclusive evening club for children with a range of conditions, their siblings and parents or carers.

“It was two years of hard work but we pushed for what we wanted to.”

The Beni Bear Club, which is based at Moredon Community Centre, became a charitable company in the spring of 2015 and opened its doors in July.

Children aged between three and 12 and their families are invited to attend from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Older children then join the club until 9.30pm.

Users are invited to play games and take part in activities such as arts and crafts, music and movement sessions or workshops teaching them life skills such as tying their shoes in a fun and engaging way – with help from Beni.

And parents get to spend time with other adults, unwind and share their daily struggles.

Conscious of the practical challenges facing parents and the need to arm them with the knowledge to give their children the best possible opportunities, Maxi also invites experts and speakers to attend the meetings.

So far, the informal talks have covered anything from applying for financial support to information on the latest sensory and therapeutic equipment.

Crucially the club welcomes youngsters with any learning difficulty or disability.

It means that families with children who are suffering from different conditions have the opportunity to attend together – something few have had the chance to do.

For Lindsay Arkell, whose daughter Virginnia, 14, has developmental delay and suffers from epilepsy and son Lawrence, 10, who has global developmental delay, The Beni Bear Club has been a lifeline.

For years the severity of her daughter’s fits meant she was barred from attending certain children’s groups.

“She tends to have a lot of seizures and I can never leave her with anybody,” Lindsay said.

“They don’t want the responsibility.

“Here I don’t have to worry about her; I don’t have to worry about both my kids or watch them every second in case something happens.”

The group has also allowed her to socialise with parents in similar situations and, within just two short months, build a close support network.

“I have epilepsy myself so I don’t have a wide social circle, so the club is an opportunity for me to socialise with other adults,” she said.

“It’s just knowing you’re not on your own.”

Maxi said: “Having a cup of tea and biscuits even just for an hour is as good as having a holiday for them. It makes a big difference.”

Fellow member Andrea Tilling, who was left unable to work due to severe back problems, has also found comfort and peace of mind since joining the club with her three children: Phoenix, 10, who has additional needs, epilepsy, social and emotional difficulties and is on the autistic spectrum; Kieran, eight, who was diagnosed with suppressed anxiety; and Lexi, six, who does not have additional needs but attends the group with her siblings.

Like Lindsay, being able to take all her children to a single group regardless of their needs – or lack of them – has been invaluable.

As a single mother, having to split her children to accommodate different support groups’ prerequisites or provide “proof” of her children’s conditions had been a major hurdle.

“Certain groups won’t accept Phoenix because we haven’t been able to provide statements confirming her condition,” she said.

“Her epilepsy masks a lot of other things.

“This is a group where I can take all three of them. They can spent time together and get involved – there’s no difference.

“You don’t have to worry about anything happening.

“If a child has a meltdown the other children carry on.

“They understand. It’s the same with the parents.

“There is no need to be embarrassed.

“When you’re there with everyone you have peace of mind.”

With an estimated 3,500 children and young people with learning difficulties or disabilities in Swindon, the creation of new charitable groups like The Beni Bear Club is vital, Maxi believes.

Not content to rest on their laurels, she and the team recently extended their reach to the rest of the UK – and beyond – through the Brave Bear Academy project.

The campaign involves buying and dressing up teddy bears like superheroes, miniature masks, capes and all, and donating them to sick children in need of a little bit of courage in hospital, or youngsters battling a serious illness.

“We gave the first three to the children’s ward at the Great Western Hospital and they’ve helped distract children who were scared of MRI machines,” says Maxi.

“One has gone to Australia to a little boy.

“We gave one to a little girl who was waiting for a transplant at Great Ormond Street.

“Ideally we’d have a brave bear in every hospital in the country. We will continue to send them anywhere we need.”

But the project is an ambitious and costly one, at £10 per bear. And the fledgling charity, whose patron is former Miss Swindon Hannah Golding, is only sustained by Maxi and partner Gary’s relentless fundraising efforts.

“We’re out there every weekend doing collections,” said Maxi, who works as a senior project manager for BT IT services.

“I sell jewellery and we make bears and sell them to make money for the kids.

“We will continue as long as I’ve got breath in me.”

The Beni Bear Club is poised to launch the Sponsor A Bear Appeal, to ensure every child who needs a Brave Bear across the nation and beyond receives one.

To find out more about The Beni Bear Club or make a donation go to www.benibear.co.uk, visit The Beni Bear Club Facebook Group or search for the club on justgiving.com