17 August 2010
Dragon boat racing and a day of splashing about on the water will draw in the crowds at the inaugural Henley Regatta for the Disabled. Children and adults of all abilities are invited to join the event which will be raising money to support Wokingham charity Building for the Future and Headway Thames Valley. Read more here.

16 August 2010
Families of children who have a disability are being given the chance to apply for grants to pay for short breaks and adventure trips away. Wandsworth Council’s grants can also be used to pay for an extra pair
of hands to support a young person on an outing of their choice or on a family getaway. Read more here.

13 August 2010
PARENTS and carers of disabled children in Halesowen are being given a helping hand after the launch of an online chat service. Newlife Foundation, the children’s disability charity, has launched the instant response Live Chat service which is manned by Newlife Nurses. Read more here.

12 August 2010
Specialist bikes costing £19,000 have been delivered to Shropshire to help young people with disabilities. The bicycles will be available to eight to 16-year-olds as an introduction to cycling. read more here.

12 August 2010
The opening of a new overnight respite care unit for disabled children has been put on hold by a local authority. The £1.7m facility at Applewood House in Tadworth was built
to offer parents of disabled children an overnight break from full-time
care. But Surrey County Council said it was expensive and it must find significant savings. The unit's day care service remains open. Read more here.

12 August 2010
The owners of a Nottinghamshire centre which has offered respite care for more than 30 years said they had been left with no choice but to shut it for good. Vitalise Skylarks in West Bridgford has organised breaks for disabled people and their carers since 1978. But the centre hit financial problems earlier this year and closed temporarily in June for a review. Read more here.

12 August 2010

A balloon modelling expert created this outfit for the eight-year-old when he joined other youngsters at the event run by Doncaster Council's Children's Disability Service.
The fun day was part of Aiming High for Disabled Children's short breaks scheme. Activities included face
painting, arts and crafts, bouncy castles, an inflatable assault course, refreshments, ball pool and more. Read more here.

11 August 2010
This week, Channel 4 began its search for disabled presenters for their coverage of the Paralympics and have discussed the increased profile of their disabled onscreen talent over the past year. I'm one of
them, having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis not long after I joined Channel 4 News as technology correspondent.
Even though most of the time, our viewers will have no idea of my disability, how best to handle it on screen and off has been a gradual and sometimes difficult learning process. I imagine similar situations have occurred for most disabled presenters. Read more here.

9 August 2010
A NARROWBOAT specially constructed for disabled children has been launched on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal by Bootle MP Joe Benton. The 60ft Pride of Sefton Two replaced the original The Pride of Sefton One which carried Merseyside children along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal for the past 28 years. Read more here.

9 August 2010
THE family of a baby with cerebral palsy say they are delighted by the success of their fundraiser for the centre which has supported them. Face-painting, a tombola and a bouncy castle were some of the activities on offer at Saturday's charity fun day for Honeylands Children's Centre, which was held at the Railway Club in Beacon Avenue, Exeter. It was organised by Nicola and Brandon Cavill, of Beacon Heath,
after they experienced the good work Honeylands does in helping children with severe mental and physical disabilities, and raised £2,000. Read more here.

7 August 2010






7 August 2010
BICYCLES adapted for disabled children are available for hire from a playground in St Paul's. Yesterday, the All Ability Cycling Project was launched at St Paul's Adventure Playground. The specially-adapted bicycles are for use by organisations,
schools and families with disabled children and children with special
needs. The bikes, which have been adapted thanks to funds from Cycling
City and Aiming High for Disabled Children, will be based at the
playground, which also includes a new pirate ship with accessible ramps. Read more here.

5 August 2010
FREE swimming lessons have been saved for disabled youngsters in Burnley after a new deal was struck. Pool sessions for children have been axed following the government’s suspension of the national free swimming programme.
Read more here.

3 August 2010
A popular community centre in Knaresborough is facing imminent closure, leaving hundreds of people without services. The Chain Lane Centre is used by youth groups, a respite care service for
disabled people, a mental health support group and an over-60s group. Leeds Metropolitan University, which owns the building, says that it is surplus to requirements. A steering group has commissioned a feasibility study into potentially developing the site for community use. Read more here.

3 August 2010
A celebratory family fun day has been arranged for Bracknell Forest families with children and young people with disabilities. The celebration day is being organised by Friends of Early Bird, a parent support group, and Aiming High for Disabled Children – Bracknell Forest’s programme to improve services for disabled children, and will take place at Oakwood Youth Challenge on Friday, September 3, between 10am and 4pm. Read more here.

2 August 2010
FUNDING has been secured to keep a vital disabled childrens' charity
running. North East Special Needs Network has been established over the
last three years with money from a Big Lottery Fund Grant. But as the grant came to an end, the future of the charity looked shaky. Now, the Northern Rock Foundation has stepped in with a donation of £127,000 to keep the work of the group going. Read more here.

2 August 2010
BRAMBLES Care Farm on Castlmorton Common is working with Worcestershire County Council to provide short break activities for disabled young people and their families. Part of the council’s Aiming High for Disabled Children programme, the subsidised short breaks are ideal for children between the ages of five
and 19, who can attend on their own or with siblings and parents.
Read more here.

2 August 2010
Nearly £10,000 is being put to good use in mid Cornwall by the Sensory Trust. The trust was set up to promote an inclusive approach to design and management of outdoor space, richer connections between people and place equality of access for all people, regardless of age, disability or background. Read more here.

2 August 2010
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is hosting a series of Schools Out sport and play sessions for disabled children and their friends and family. These fun sessions provide a variety of activities to enjoy with experienced and qualified staff and volunteers and are priced at £2.50, with booking essential. Events are taking place at Driffield Leisure Centre on Tuesday, 3 August, from 10am to 12 noon, for ages eight to 15 years and 1pm to 3pm for ages 16 to 19. Read more here.

2 August 2010
A NEW nursery has opened in Worcester specifically designed to cater to the needs of disabled children. Local postmaster Steve Goode opened the New Hope Nursery, in Wells
Road, Ronkswood, on the site of Worcester Community Housing’s old
neighbourhood office. Read more here.

2 August 2010
YOUNG people who rely on wheelchairs every day can now enjoy activities they may not have had access to, thanks to new, all-terrain wheelchairs.
Under the Aiming High for Disabled Children scheme, the Isle of Wight Council has bought three new Landeez wheelchairs, which will be made available for use by children and young people with disabilities.
Read more here.

August 2010
Anita Epple, infant massage teacher, trainer and author, gives an insightful view of how positive touch and infant massage can benefit both babies and parents. These significant benefits can be experienced not only by a healthy full-term baby, but by babies with some form of special need or disability. Read more here.

30 July 2010
Concerns have been raised over the expansion of a disabled children’s care centre in Richmond following national Government funding cuts. The Croft Centre, in Windham Road, had planned to start work on a
two-storey extension, complete with much-needed overnight facilities earlier this month. But now users of the site face an anxious wait to see if heavily relied upon finance from state funded capital grants will still be available. Read more here.

30 July 2010
The Children's Able and Disabled Sport (CADS) programme is a finalist in the Best Sport Project category of The National Lottery Awards 2010, and now needs your vote to help it win. The Awards are the annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects, and CADS has to beat just two other finalists to win the title of the UK's Best Sport Project. All the projects in the running have already received Lottery funding and the Awards celebrate how they have put that money to good use. 
Read more here.

30 July 2010
A judge criticised a council today for taking a severely disabled teenager away from his foster mother and putting him into a care home. Mr Justice Baker said it was "deplorable" that the 19-year-old, who has a mental age of two, was taken from his foster home after many years while allegations against his carer were investigated.
The allegations later proved to be unfounded. Read more here.

30 July 2010
KIRKLEES Council is offering cash to promote activities for young people. Over £30,000 of funding is available for activity programmes in late 2010 and early 2011.The Council’s Young People’s Service has joined forces with Kirklees Aiming High for Disabled Children’s Short Breaks programme to allocate
money for projects during October half-term, the Christmas holidays and February half-term.
Read more here.

29 July 2010
Eighty children will enjoy a special summer of fun and memories thanks to a unique partnership between Sandwell Council and schools. Special and mainstream schools are working with the council's Central Extended Services Team and The Albion Foundation to provide a range of inclusive activities for pupils
with special educational needs and disabilities during the holidays. Read more here.

29 July 2010
THE family of a severely disabled 12-year-old boy are backing a campaign to bring respite and hospice care closer to Plymouth. James Caiels, of Wembury, is wheelchair-bound and has profound mental disabilities due to a rare genetic disorder doctors have yet to identify. Mum Donna Caiels said his condition has completely changed the family's life. Donna, her partner Adrian Shaw and 14-year-old son Matthew Caiels are supporting Children's Hospice South West's appeal to build a facility to help more families from Plymouth and Cornwall. Read more here.

29 July 2010
Councillor Heather Smith (Con, Prebendal), cabinet member for transport, minerals and waste, announced on Tuesday that in view of the "strong feeling" generated by the proposed change in policy, a fuller consultation needed to be carried out. Read more here.

28 July 2010
Disabled children and youth groups are the next to suffer as news emerged of more council cuts in funding to the voluntary sector. Last week, 10 projects providing vital support to some of the neediest 
children in the borough found out they were losing their share of £567,072 from the Children’s Fund.
Read more here.

27 July 2010
The council has divided £400,000 between a number of schemes, with Worminghall's Thomley Activity Centre being awarded a massive £100,000. The centre – which provides recreational activities for disabled  youngsters – submitted its application earlier this year; the council announced its donation last week in a bid to help the unit get its refurbishment plans off the ground. Read more here.

27 July 2010
GOOD neighbour Mike Dolan has helped raise more than £2,300 for a play centre for disabled children in Bury.
He organised a successful charity night in aid of the good cause that took place last Saturday at the Footballers Inn in Higher Summerseat. The money will go towards his next door neighbour, Emma Birkett, who has reached her initial target of £180,000 to set up the centre. She has also secured a further £170,000 in grants from Bury, Bolton, Oldham and Rochdale councils. Read more here.

26 July 2010
The Special Needs - Informed Parents (SN-IP) organisation - which looks after the educational interests of disabled children in the county - has written to Northamptonshire County Council querying the legality of its policy to make some parents foot half the bill for school transport. Read more here.

26 July 2010
A young disabled woman says she feels let down because the respite centre she uses in Nottingham may be shut down. Rebecca Dutneall from Sutton Coldfield says there are no other centres that offer the same services anywhere in the Midlands. Watch the video clip here.

26 July 2010
A 51-year-old woman who was left paralysed and unable to communicate following a massive stroke has written for the first time in seven years, scientists say.
The Israeli patient, who was diagnosed with "locked-in syndrome", typed an emotional email to her six children using a revolutionary device that is controlled by sniffing. Read more here.

25 July 2010
The town’s first play area for disabled children opened yesterday after a £74,000 revamp. Christchurch Meadows play area in Caversham has been completely transformed with a boat swing, a multifunctional interactive play structure, ramps for easy access to play equipment and a new slide.
Read more here.

24 July 2010
A HEARTBROKEN couple who lost their son in a plane crash three years ago are aiming to create a log cabin for disabled youngsters at Afan Forest Park in his memory. Richard and Margaret Collins tragically lost their 22-year-old son, Alex Collins, and his girlfriend, Bethan Jones, when they became victims of a plane crash in Thailand in 2007. Read more here.

24 July 2010
A CHARITY is appealing for £50,000 for its centre which improves the lives of disabled teenagers and their parents. The Parents Consortium plans to open its short breaks unit in Hextable for disabled 14 to  18-year-olds in December, but it needs around £50,000 to get the centre up and running.
Read more here.

22 July 2010
Vital funding for dozens of charities across Hertfordshire has been slashed after the county council was hit by central government budget cuts. Hertfordshire County Council had awarded 47 children's groups grants worth thousands of pounds for a two-and-a-half year period, under the Prevention 513 scheme.
Read more here.

21 July 2010

SASBAH – the Sussex Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus – has received £3,000 from Eastbourne AM Rotary Club. The club organised an opera night earlier this year and donated almost half of the money it raised to SASBAH. The two organisations are also teaming up to give a weekend holiday to 30 disabled children and respite for their families.
'Breakaway' – at Knowles Tooth Children's Centre in Hurstpierpoint - will take place over this weekend.
Hilary Lewis, the new president of Eastbourne AM, said, "This is a wonderful example of Rotary at its very best supporting local people within our community. Read more here.

19 July 2010
A CENTRE which aims to improve the lives of disabled north Kent youngsters and their parents has officially opened. Gravesham, Dartford and Swanley charity the Parents Consortium opened
Allsworth Court in Hextable on Saturday (July 17) - with help from a £5,000 grant from News Shopper’s parent company Gannett. Read more here.

19 July 2010
A GROUP of disabled young people are desperately trying to rescue their social club from a financial
crisis. The summer scheme run by Hexham-based Tynedale Activities for Special Children (TASC) will close in a matter of months unless a big hearted sponsor can be found. And according to one concerned parent, the consequences to both the youngsters and their families do not bear thinking about. Read more here.

18 July 2010
Scottish charities say there has been no improvement in services for disabled children from a £34 million windfall sent north of the Border as part of a UK government scheme to fund respite breaks for parents and additional equipment for vulnerable young people. Read more here.
17 July 2010
A charity which helps disabled children enjoy cycling has appealed for the public's help after 13 bikes were stolen.
Thieves broke into a container used by the East Park Aiming High Inclusive Cycling Scheme and made off with 12 mountain bikes, each worth £500, and an £800 tandem. The bikes were locked-up at 7pm on Wednesday in East Park, off Holderness Road, but when staff returned the following morning they were
gone. Only launched last month, the scheme is aimed at giving disabled children the opportunity to ride bicycles in the park with parents and carers. Read more here.
 
17 July 2010
Foster mum Lillian Britton has been honoured for helping dozens of children over the last 30 years. Lillian, 63, and her husband Tony, 66, have focused especially on looking after disabled children and provide respite care for them at their home in Stapleford.
The Children and Carers Support Services (CCSS), set up by Lillian 15 years ago, has also helped countless foster parents and children in Nottingham and south Notts. Read more here.

16 July 2010
Nearly £250,000 has been earmarked for turning the barn into a three-bedroom holiday cottage in time for summer 2011.
Calderdale Parent and Carers Council is backing the scheme, which has been drawn up by Calderdale
Council using cash from the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme. Read more here.

16 July 2010
Hundreds of children of disabled children on the Isle of Wight will soon be enjoying activities ranging from tree climbing to water sports. Read more here

15 July 2010
Children's rights campaigners have been left disappointed after a severely disabled man lost his Supreme Court battle for damages after being left without schooling for 18 months when he was a boy. The family of the man, who has autism and severe learning disabilities and is now 20, was hoping the Supreme Court would grant him the right to a full trial for damages against Essex County Council. Read more here.

14 July 2010
WORRIED residents and carers quizzed county bosses about the planned closure of a day centre in Beaconsfield. Last month Buckinghamshire County Council unveiled proposals to shut Seeleys House and possibly sell it off – along with about 20 other day centres in the county (see link below). Read more here.

14 July 2010
Disabled people living in and around Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to become mentors or "buddies" to children with disabilities. Charity Caudwell Children is looking for disabled people to take part in a new scheme designed to help disabled children access leisure activities.The On A Level project aims to young disabled people to access activities such as going to the cinema or the park, by providing volunteer mentors or buddies. Read more here.

13 July 2010
Tensions ran high as angry parents were told they would have to take disabled children from Harpenden to Maple Cross for respite care. Parents, who use the respite service provided by Mencap at Stairways
in Douglas Road, were invited to attend a council meeting on Tuesday morning and refused to believe the new provision in West Hyde was the only alternative Hertfordshire County Council could provide. Read more here.

13 July 2010
Disabled children are struggling to access newly developed government-funded play spaces, despite requirements to make them inclusive, according to research seen exclusively by CYP Now. The research, conducted by disability children's charity Kids, was based on the responses of 43 families with disabled children aged between eight and 16. Situated across five local authority areas, the families documented
their experiences of play spaces in their local communities. Read more here.

9 July 2010
Almost a quarter of families with disabled children in the UK are going without heating while 14% are going without food according to a survey by the charity Contact a Family.
Its survey, Counting the Costs 2010, found more than half of the families had borrowed money from family and friends and more than 40% had applied for charity grants. Due to their caring responsibilities, around 60% of the parents were unable to work and 45% paid more for child care because their child was disabled. Read more here.

9 July 2010
A charity which helps hundreds of people with autism has shut down with the loss of 40 jobs. The Sussex Autistic Society has stopped all its services with immediate effect and its main office in Arundel will shut on July 9. Families who rely on the charity have been left angry and devastated. Read more here.

8 July 2010
THE grandfather of a toddler who was cared for at a threatened Exeter respite centre is set to take his fight to stop it closing all the way to Downing Street.Campaigner David Godfrey intends taking his Save
Honeylands petition straight to David Cameron — whether or not he gets an invitation. Mr Godfrey is among those fighting proposals to move care for disabled children out of Exeter. Read more here.

8 July 2010
Cash from Aiming High for Disabled Children in Bexley funded by the government, is providing extra resources, short breaks and even drumming lessons. Read more here .

8 July 2010
Part of the former Murtagh Diamond House nursing home at The Wynde, on the Parkway estate in South Shields, is being demolished to make way for the new unit. Read more here.

8 July 2010
WORCESTER Rowing Club are celebrating after scooping a grant of £25,000, thanks to Herefordshire and Worcestershire County Sports Partnership. The club, which is affiliated to British Rowing, was handed the funding from national government initiative Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC). The partnership co-ordinated the rowing club’s application for the grant as part of their aim to encourage sporting accessibility for all in the two counties. Read more here.

8 July 2010
A LITTLE-known fund is helping some of the borough’s disabled children to live ordinary lives. Cash from Aiming High for Disabled Children funded by the government, is providing extra resources, short breaks and even drumming lessons. The fund helped pay for last year’s Falconwood summer holiday scheme,
which provided time away from carers for children to have fun with other young people.
Read more here.

5 July 2010
A NEW forum has been launched giving a voice to disabled people and their carers fighting for vital respite holidays. Spearheaded in Hampshire by the disability charity Vitalise, it is hoped the new online forum will force the industry to sit up and take notice of those affected by disability and make steps to
revolutionise accessible travel. Read more here. (Please note the Vitalise address is www.vitalise.org.uk)

2 July 2010
A short-break centre for disabled children and their families could be built in Whitehaven. Feelings ran high when, earlier this year, the Seacroft unit in St Bees was closed and the service transferred to Workington. Cumbria County Council’s cabinet agreed proposals at the end of March to build a new short-breaks unit in west Cumbria which would offer overnight and daytime respite. Melbreak House – formerly Hensingham Infant School – has emerged as a preferred option for the centre. Read more here.

2 July 2010
DELIGHTED staff and parents have been “humbled” by Suffolk’s support as a vital appeal to build a new children’s hospice has hit £750,000. Thanks to an outstanding fundraising effort, the East Anglia Children’s Hospices (EACH) Treehouse Appeal today hit its crucial milestone. Sponsored skydives, cakes sales, donations and fun events have helped dedicated supporters raise £50,000 every week since the appeal was launched in March. Read more here.

30 June 2010
A SHORT breaks centre for disabled children and their families could be built in Whitehaven. Feelings ran high when earlier this year the Seacroft unit in St Bees was closed and the service transferred to Workington.
Cumbria County Council’s cabinet agreed proposals at the end of March to build a new short breaks unit in West Cumbria which would offer overnight and daytime respite. Read more here.

29 June 2010
MORE than £3,000 has been raised for disabled children in Exeter thanks to a garden party. Glasses have been raised to the volunteers who organised the party at the Honeylands Children's Centre off Pinhoe Road, Whipton. In all, £3,400 was raised by the Saturday event, the money going to help children attending the centre and respite unit. A spokesperson said: "We had a full arena of entertainment.
"We wanted it to be more of a social event for past and current parents and we think we succeeded.
(From the Herald, Plymouth)

29 June 2010
A Staffordshire-based charity has been awarded £2,500 to improve volunteering opportunities for local disabled people. Caudwell Children in Stoke-on-Trent has been awarded the cash by the national Access to Volunteering Fund, to help pay for the recruitment, training and support of local disabled volunteers. Volunteers recruited on the scheme will be given extensive training, including access to NVQ qualifications through the charity. Read more here.

29 June 2010
DISABLED children can now play with new, colourful toys, in and around Southend. Mayor Ann
Holland launched the new range of sensory toys at Shoebury children’s centre. The toys, which include fibre-optics, can be rented to local community centres around the Southend area for families to use wherever they live in the district. Read more here.

23 June 2010
Two-year-old Aaron Ryan suffers from the rare muscle disease myotubular myopathy.
The condition, which affects one in 50,000 boys, leaves him with severe muscle weakness and causes problems with breathing and swallowing. But Aaron’s symptoms are now being radically eased through the use of aromatherapy and mum Paula believes it has made a vast difference to his life. Read more here.

15 June 2010
THOUSANDS of families living in Swindon could benefit from a new £1m day centre for disabled children. The Hop, Skip and Jump Swindon centre, which would be built in Lydiard Park, is designed to help children with a range of disabilities through play and interaction.
Read more here.

15 June 2010
A cash injection of nearly £2m will help to improve the lives of disabled children across Lancashire. Grants totalling £1,992,100 will be used to provide new equipment, adaptations and facilities to expand the range and quality of short breaks for children and young people with disabilities. Read more here.

14 June 2010
DAVID Godfrey, grandfather of a toddler who was cared for at a threatened respite centre in the years before his death, has pledged to fight all the way to stop it closing. Health bosses are proposing that care for disabled children is moved out of the centre in Exeter. Under the plans, children with autism
and learning difficulties who receive respite at Meadowparks Centre in Shillingford Abbot, near Alphington, will be transferred more than 20 miles out of Exeter for care. Read more here.

14 June 2010
FAMILIES of disabled children have been helped to claim more than £500,000 of additional income in the last year thanks to a Scunthorpe charity. The Kaleidoscope Centre in Dunstall Street, which is run by
national charity Action For Children, helps parents understand their entitlements and the process of applying.Between April last year and March, benefit worker Sue Osborne supported more than 200 families with their claims. Read more here.

10 June 2010
Amanda and Mark McGovern say their son Lee, aged 15, of Landseer Place, Gleadless, was scratched and bitten by a youngster at Mulberry Lodge in Handsworth, where he stayed once a week to give his parents a rest. Read more here.

10 June 2010
Amanda and Mark McGovern say their son Lee, aged 15, of Landseer Place, Gleadless, was scratched and bitten by a youngster at Mulberry Lodge in Handsworth, where he stayed once a week to give his parents a rest. Read more here.

9 June 2010
MIDDLESBROUGH mum Kerrie Morrison is doing her bit to help make positive changes. She is a member of Parents 4 Change, a group set up for parents and carers of children with additional needs. One of four similar networks set up in the Tees Valley, it is part of the Government’s Aiming High for Disabled Children agenda. Read more here.

6 June 2010
CHILDREN and young people with severe disabilities and complex health needs across the county have been given an extra boost, thanks to Worcestershire County Council. A total of 27 additional new short break services are being commissioned throughout Worcestershire by the council's Aiming High for
Disabled Children (AHDC) programme. These are in addition to the 14 services already being commissioned by AHDC since autumn 2009. Read more here.



News Archive January 2010 - February 2010

Please download a PDF of news stories: News archive jan and feb 2010.pdf


News Archive July 2009 - December 2009

Please download a PDF of news stories: Short breaks news archive may-dec 09.pdf

For news on short breaks, submit your information by signing up to eNews on the lefthand menu and we will email you the latest news.