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Back to the future for family group
A LONG-established Kidderminster charity helping severely disabled children has returned to its roots by putting families at the heart of the organisation.
Hansel and Gretel is relaunching on Saturday as a family support group, having broken away from the child development centre which it had grown into.
The services offered by the charity, which was set up by parents in the 1960s, gradually changed over the years, with growing input from health and social services until it became purely for treatment and assessment of disabled pre-school children.
Trustees chairman, Dr Philip Crawley, said although there were good reasons for the changes, parents felt "marginalised" and the charity was no longer offering the breadth of service for which it was established.
"There was quite a lot of difficulty and dissension and parents were finding it difficult to hold themselves together as a group," said Dr Crawley, "There was a risk that the voluntary side of the group could fold."
The charity decided to sell its interest in the Radford Avenue building it had helped to build to health and social services and raised more than £100,000 to run independently.
"We wanted to get back to some sort of relevance and meaning to the families of children with disabilities and learning difficulties throughout Wyre Forest," said Dr Crawley, who is a retired community-based consultant paediatrician.
With the support of trustees and enthusiastic parents, Hansel and Gretel opened its twice-monthly Saturday morning families club and monthly coffee mornings 18 months ago.
During an extra-long session on Saturday, the charity will launch its new website, logo and brochure, marking its commitment to providing services for disabled youngsters throughout their childhood, along with support for parents and siblings.
The charity has been stunned by the success of the Saturday club, which meets at Blakebrook Special School for two hours, attracting upwards of 50 disabled youngsters, parents and siblings.
Dr Crawley said: "We are amazed by how successful the club is. It's beyond our wildest expectations."
A range of activities are organised for the children, such as arts and crafts, face painting and musical activities. On Saturday, a group will entertain them with interactive circus skills.
Children whose disabilities mean they are unable to participate can take advantage of Blakebrook's multi-sensory room.
The coffee mornings at Sainsbury's cafe provide parents with a welcome break, a chance to relax and enjoy a chat.
"There is still a link with the Radford Avenue child development centre but there is now also a link with disabled children of all ages in Wyre Forest and their families," added Dr Crawley.
"We have gone back to our roots and are not professionally dominated."
The Hansel and Gretel website is www.hanselgretel.org.uk
12:15pm Thursday 8th May 2008
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