• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Tuesday June 24 2025

Subscription box for neurodiverse children launched with Start Up Loan support

A Swindon entrepreneur has launched a subscription box designed to make life easier for neurodiverse children and their families, with the help of a £7,000 Start Up Loan.

Kayleigh Timms of LMW Adventure Box was inspired by her own experience of autism and ADHD, both as a parent and as an individual. Aimed at children aged four to eight years, her “adventure boxes” will be delivered monthly, with the first launched this month.

Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director and free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business.

Kayleigh’s business journey began after the birth of one of her children.

“I started to think that I’d like to do something different with my life,” she explained. “I was working full-time in an office as an IT project officer, not seeing the children much and not earning that much either.”

The result was her debut children’s book, published in September 2024, called The Adventures of Lady Mouse and Wolfy – Beach Day Bother.

“It features two neurodiverse characters, Lady Mouse who has ADHD and Wolfy who has autism, and children reading it seemed to enjoy the representation. The wellbeing subscription box was a natural progression – I thought it would help both parents and children,” Kayleigh said

The contents were influenced by Kayleigh’s own experiences with one of her sons. “When he was little, I struggled to cope with his behaviour. He had particular difficulty leaving the house and going anywhere different resulted in tantrums and crying.

“Writing down where we were going helped, as did showing him pictures online, writing an itinerary and letting him take a toy or an item with him.”

The boxes are themed, with the first aimed at a visit to the beach, echoing Kayleigh’s first book. Future themes include travel, gardening, picnic fun, rainy day and forest explorer, along with plans for products to be personalised by the purchasing adult.

Sample contents include checklists and sensory toys such as chewable necklaces and fidget keyrings, and practical tools including a Hidden Disabilities sunflower lanyard, SEN Talk Tags – visual aids devised for times when verbal communication is difficult – and an activity booklet containing empowering autism facts and support information.

Awareness of neurodiversity in the 2020s is worlds apart from previous decades. “Knowledge means you can parent better, and the boxes are part of that,” said Kayleigh, who is from Swindon. “Some parents are clued up, but others might find the boxes help them understand their child better, and the difference between a meltdown and the result of overstimulation. That way, everyone is happier.”

Kayleigh recognised behaviours from her own childhood and made the decision to get tested herself. She received a formal diagnosis of ADHD and found that many aspects of her life suddenly made sense.

“I have always been very forgetful, and struggle to focus,” she said. “I skip meals and eat junk food. I’m very spontaneous, and I don’t learn from mistakes; and I deliver great work at the last minute, but if I have a long deadline, I procrastinate. All these years, I didn’t know why I was like this; now I can be open about it.”

Judging from the requests for adult boxes, Kayleigh is not alone. This is a potential opportunity for expansion through a sister company with a more grown-up approach.

An internet search for “how to start up your own business” threw up a link to the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

“I applied before I could talk myself out of it,” Kayleigh laughed. “I had never run a business before and really liked the idea of having a mentor – I thought it would be beneficial to me, and it’s certainly made me feel supported and less alone.”

One of the British Business Bank’s lending partners, GC Business Finance, guided Kayleigh through the Start Up Loan process.

Alex Mearns, head of start up lending at GC Business Finance, said: “Kayleigh’s business is a fantastic example of how lived experience can inspire meaningful innovation.

“Her subscription boxes have the potential to make a real difference to neurodiverse children and their families, and we’re proud to have supported her through the Start Up Loans programme.

“At GC Business Finance, we’re passionate about helping entrepreneurs like Kayleigh turn their ideas into reality and create lasting positive change in their communities.”

Since its inception in 2012 the Start Up Loans programme has delivered over £102 million to 10,358 entrepreneurs in the South West.

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