Weekend jobs can sometimes be run-of-the-mill, with a dash here to cover this and dash there to cover that, although often always enjoyable.

For me, on Saturday, there was a job that put into the diary late, and it turned out to blow my mind and fill my heart about the work that people do to make others happy and safe.

One such place is a charity called Empathy For Special Children, which is based at the Sure Start Children’s Centre, in Middleton Road.

There, they work with pupils with hidden disabilities, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to give them what mainstream schooling often can’t.

Sam Goddard, one of the founding members of Empathy, is hoping that their work can inspire donations from people to keep them going.

“We started this around 10 years ago in Craven Arms,” she said. “We were three parents with children with special needs.

“We were all quite close because of the nature of our children’s’ difficulties and because their needs were very specific, they couldn’t access the relevant funds.

“Their needs were in a certain way that meant they couldn’t access what they needed through mainstream education.

“So we set this up and it was based on a model in East Anglia.

“We started up the group down in Craven Arms and we got some financial support there.

“Shropshire Council soon saw what we were doing and they asked us to run something similar in Oswestry, but it was wasn’t used, but we came back about eight years ago.

“We’ve been here ever since and have been putting on lots of different sessions. We now run four projects at three locations across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, including Oswestry.

“We’ve had access to grants and that’s paid for our play leaders for the next two-and-a-half years.

“But it’s not just about receiving donations – it’s about how people can help us each week, whether that’s donating free food for snack time or equipment to play with. But if they have got money, then great.”

Two projects that Sam is hoping to bring more support for includes ‘Social Sibs’ which allows for sibling carers to come and meet once a month with other sibling carers to give them respite and fun time.

Sam says that two out of every class now has pupils who care for siblings, whether at home or in school, and feels this project needs support.

They also provide ‘Out and About’, which takes families with support and affordable opportunities for activities during non-term time.

Mir Hughes, 10, from Shrewsbury, travels to the group each week and is now young trustee, meaning that she can work with both her younger peers and the adults at Empathy to ensure everyone is given a safe environment.

She added: “I have been coming here since I was seven, stopped when I was eight but now I’ve been coming again in the last few months.

“It’s nice coming to meet new people, where I have fun. Being a young trustee is like being a school councillor – if people can’t go to the adults, then they can come to us and we can try to help them.”

One such person is regular attendee, Martha Castello, who is autistic and also has ADHD.

She said: “When I can’t speak to an adult, I can speak to someone like Mir, and it really helps that I can speak to them.”

On Saturday, Oswestry’s mayor, Councillor John Price, was present to see the work Empathy does first-hand, and he was certainly a popular attraction for some of the youngsters.

He is keen to do as much for the group as he can, and hopes people come forward to give Sam and her associates the help they need.

“I can’t stress enough how groups like Empathy need to receive as much help and funding as possible,” he said.

“I was proud to go to meet all of those kids on Saturday, and to see how they are so happy because they have an environment, a place, they can call their own and be with people who understand them.

“I know it’s hard for schools to give all the help they can to young people like this, so that’s why if there is a chance of helping them, then we must do that.

“Please, if you can help Empathy in any way, shape or form, then do. They need that extra bit of help for supporting people who might get swallowed up in school and not be confident to speak people about how they’re feeling.

“When I was at school, sometimes it was difficult for me to always have the confidence to speak up for what help I needed. I would have been delighted for a group like this so if I can help them, I will.”

For more about Empathy, head to www.empathyforspecialchildren.org