Charity calls on locals to help make a difference to disabled children in Shrewsbury

Staff at an Action for Children project in Shrewsbury are appealing to local businesses and members of the public to help them raise the funds needed to provide special days out for the disabled children and young people they support.

Shropshire Activity Support in Belle Vue is looking to provide monthly trips such as days out to the seaside, visits to the local park and other special activities for youngsters with a range of disabilities who otherwise would not have had the opportunity.

The project supports local disabled children and their families by providing them with medical support, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and parent support groups.

Action for Children's Allison Ryder, Manager of Shropshire Activity Support, said: "Having a child with a disability can be very challenging for families - especially from a financial point of view - as often mum or dad has had to give up work in order to be a full-time carer. We would love to be able to offer parents some precious time off to recharge their batteries while giving their children a chance to experience new things and make new, exciting memories, like feeling waves wash over their feet at the beach, or cuddling a furry bunny at a petting farm. 

"The logistics of setting up these wonderful trips can be very expensive as we must ensure that appropriate transport is provided for our wheelchair users and for those children requiring specialist medical equipment. We also need a lot of staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of participants on the trip.

Allison added: "We're looking to raise £5,000 so we can plan a fantastic activity for these youngsters every month. We're appealing to the public to help us by doing some fundraising - and this is an extremely worthwhile cause as these trips will make a huge difference to the lives of local children."

The project is looking for local businesses in particular to get involved - Shrewsbury-based engineering company, BML-Hayley, has already pledged its support.

Donating to Shropshire Activity Support, and any other Action for Children project, is easy. The website, www.myactionforchildren.org.uk is the first of its kind for a UK children's charity and allows people to find projects in their area using a simple postcode search. Donations of as little as £2 can be made in less than five minutes.