Holding Space, Building Belief: How We Are Fish Is Supporting Families from the Ground Up
When Sandra Ritchie founded We Are Fish, it wasn’t to build an organisation. It was to make sure no other parent felt as lost, unsupported, or overlooked as she once had.
What began as a quiet determination to change things for her own neurodivergent children has now become a community-led movement that’s reaching hundreds of families across Grimsby — and changing lives in the process.
Who are We Are Fish?
We Are Fish is a grassroots community organisation based primarily in the Sidney Sussex ward of Grimsby. Its mission is simple: to provide safe, inclusive, and welcoming spaces for children with additional needs and their families.
Sandra, a lone parent and lived-experience advocate, knows firsthand the barriers that exist when systems don’t work, and she’s spent the last few years building practical alternatives that do.
Their main home is the Sidney Sussex Pavilion, a community hub that’s gone from an underused building to a vibrant centre for connection, creativity, and care.
But the work doesn’t stop at one address. We Are Fish also supports projects across the town — from art hubs and pop-up events, junior football clubs and youth entrepreneurship.
The Pavilion: A Space Where Community Comes First
In the last few months, We Are Fish has supported the launch of several new groups and activities, all driven by local people and powered by inclusion:
- 🎮 Future Trainers Club: A Pokémon card game group for children and their parents, where everyone is welcome and hot meals are served.
- 👶 Mini Moshers: A toddler group for families who don’t feel they ‘fit’ at traditional baby sessions — offering a space to be exactly who you are.
- 🧩 SEND Friends and Late-Diagnosed Adult Workshops: Peer-led support for neurodivergent adults, run in partnership with Leanne Thompson.
There’s always something new starting. Art groups. Craft sessions. Cooking events. Everything is built on the same principle: if the community needs it, we’ll help make it happen.
Meet Sushi: The Axolotl with a Purpose
Of all the residents at the Sidney Sussex Pavilion, one of the most loved is Sushi — We Are Fish’s axolotl mascot.
Sushi has become a quiet emotional support figure for many of the children and young people who visit the Pavilion. Curious, calming, and slightly magical, he gives anxious or overstimulated children something to focus on, and many feel a strong connection to him.
Sushi now even has his own fundraising campaign.
As he’s grown (and gained some serious fan following), the Pavilion community has come together to help raise funds for a larger tank — ensuring Sushi has a proper home and can continue being part of the warm, welcoming environment that We Are Fish is known for.
It’s a small example of something much bigger: how this organisation builds community through shared care, compassion, and joy.
“We’ll Sit By You While You Do the Paperwork”
One of the most powerful things We Are Fish offers isn’t a programme — it’s a presence.
Sandra and her team don’t claim to have all the answers. But they offer something many services don’t: someone to sit beside you while you figure it out.
Whether it’s writing policies, applying for funding, or holding your nerve as you start a new group — We Are Fish is there with mentoring, moral support, and a quiet “you’ve got this” energy that helps people step into leadership.
The result? A growing network of peer-led initiatives, run by local people who were once isolated and are now bringing others together.
Warm Spaces, Hot Meals, Big Hearts
Through Warm Space funding and ongoing support, We Are Fish has been able to meet some of the most basic but urgent community needs — warmth, food, and connection.
From delivering over 120 winter packs (blankets, scarves, gloves, socks, and more) to offering free meals at community events, everything is done with dignity and heart.
There’s no judgment here. No need to prove your struggle. Just people helping people.
Investing in Young People
One of the proudest stories this year is Coco Mascots — a small business started by a young person with additional needs through Lynsey Powles Urban Youth Market, supported by We Are Fish.
From running mascot appearances to hosting events, they’ve become a familiar and much-loved presence at Pavilion parties — showing what happens when young people are given the right kind of encouragement.
And there are more like this in the pipeline.
Want to Help?
Whether you live nearby or just want to be part of something good, here’s how you can get involved:
🧁 Pop in for a cuppa — the Pavilion is always open and welcoming
🎁 Donate — from raffle prizes to your own time, every bit helps
💷 Support Sushi’s Tank Fund — the beloved axolotl needs a roomier home
🖌️ Volunteer your skills — run a session, help with admin, or simply be present
📣 Share the word — tell someone who might need a place like this
We Are Fish is proof that real change doesn’t come from systems — it comes from people. People who see a gap and fill it. Who sit beside others. Who believe in small, beautiful things — like warm meals, shared stories, and one very special axolotl.
If you'd like to visit, donate, or find out more, head to www.wearefish.uk or drop into the Sussex Pavilion, Brereton Avenue, Cleethorpes.
Because when we build safe spaces together — no one is left behind.
