Saturday Activity Club saved by community grant

Nov 20 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

A VITAL service for families with autistic and disabled children has been secured thanks to a North East charity foundation.

The ‘Saturday Activity Club’ run by the Newcastle Toy & Leisure Library twice a month at Hadrian School, Newcastle, had been under threat after funding was withdrawn earlier this year.

But a grant of £12,000 over two years from the Community Foundation means the service will be able to continue.

The club provides a key facility for disabled children and their families to enjoy sports and other activities in a safe environment.

It gives disabled children, both boys and girls, the opportunity to be coached properly in sports such as football and basketball, plus other activities including trampolining and aromatherapy sessions.

Margaret Vane, 52, of Jesmond, has a 13-year-old son, Arthur, who has autism. She uses the club regularly and has been campaigning for better services for disabled children. She said: “This is fantastic news for everyone. This group is ahead of its time. They understand that it is important for the whole family to be involved when you have autistic children.

“The whole family needs support, not just the child and this is the only place in Newcastle which provides that.”

Christine Graham, from the Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library, said: “The Saturday Activity Club not only provides opportunities for disabled children that they might not otherwise have but also provides a vital meeting point for parents and carers.

“It’s great news that we will be able to continue the club for the foreseeable future with the help of this grant from the Community Foundation.”

Earlier this year The Journal told how the Edward Lloyd Trust, a separate charity which runs summer schools for disabled children, was under pressure after it lost council funding. Funding was eventually found for this summer, but the long term future of the summer schools is still unclear.

Derry Nugent, philanthropy director at the community foundation, which awards grants to voluntary organisations and community groups in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, said: “Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library is an essential resource for the parents and carers of disabled children in the Newcastle area.”

For information about the Community Foundation, visit www.communityfoundation.org.uk