Wolverhampton based CIC, 'HugglePets In The Community', have launch their £100,000 fundraiser to create the city’s first community aquarium and sensory playroom. 

The fundraiser aims to fund the build of the facility which will help benefit children and adults within the local community who live with autism, Alzheimers, stress and anxiety, depression and sensory disabilities including visual impairment. The classroom will also include technology which will help all children learn and play. 

If successful, the fundraiser will see the aquarium built with advanced technology to ensure inclusivity for all people including using several methods for communication such as sign language, to be able to communicate information on the variety of aquatics animals and their environments and build interactive information boards for people to navigate themselves. 

The project has been launched through fundraising platform 'SpaceHive' and will deliver a sensory aquarium with 100 tanks, a sensory play classroom, run classes for children with disabilities to learn about animal welfare and offer animal-related therapy sessions. Mike Dixon, Director at HugglePets, said:

“This is an ambitious fundraising project, but I truly believe it will benefit our local community for both adults and children, as well as supporting the City. We are a family run business and have been based in our local community for over seven years.

"I believe through animal-related therapy and educational animal workshops we can help tackle some of the significant issues in society today, including loneliness and improving mental health issues.”

The community interest company was launched to help motivate, inspire and empower members of its local community through animal-related therapy and initiatives. It’s onsite pet groomers, 'Huggles Pamper Lounge', is now part of the community project - all profits made from the successful grooming business will now be reinvested into the community to help support future projects.

The fundraiser is open now, and all donations can be made via spacehive.com/hugglepets or in-store on Cooper Street, Wolverhampton.