Children and Young People, Grants to charities
Grant helps disabled children and young people to find friends
Jane Jones, CEO of Allsorts; Clare Garrett, Allsorts’ Toy Library Co-ordinator; Tim Henderson-Ross, Head of Freemasonry in Gloucestershire; Rosa Barrett, Allsorts’ Head of Development and Deputy CEO.
Hundreds of disabled children and young people will be able to find more friends and have fun, thanks to our £15,000 grant to the Allsorts Gloucestershire charity.
Isolation, accessibility and confidence can be just some of the challenges disabled children and their families face. Allsorts aims to offer a choice of meaningful activities which will help form friendships, and equip families with new skills and knowledge.
Allsorts Gloucestershire supports families who have a child or young person with any additional need, aged between 0-25 years. They welcome children who have life-limiting conditions, neuromuscular disorders, autism and learning disabilities, as well as those who may be awaiting a diagnosis.
Allsorts is based in Stroud, in the county’s first purpose-built Toy Library and Play Space. Multiple activities take place in the Activity Hub on a daily basis including: baby and toddler groups, parents and carer support sessions, family fitness sessions, yoga, sensory dance, sensory motor skills, sibling groups, gaming club and the Toy Library. The Hub provides everyday fun, reduces the social isolation of families who have disabled children, and gives these families the opportunity to try new things.
As well as the children themselves, Allsorts also offers support to the wider family – parents and carers, grandparents and siblings. A recent member survey showed that 78 per cent of families said Allsorts has helped them try new things, 83 per cent said Allsorts has helped their family to have more confidence to form friendships and 100 per cent said they would recommend Allsorts to another family.
We’re very grateful to Gloucestershire Freemasons for their generous grant, which will allow local disabled children and young people to find friends, have fun and learn new skills and knowledge for the future. The confidence the children develop can last a lifetime.
I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Allsorts Gloucestershire, which does a fabulous job helping disabled children to find friends and enjoy themselves, as well as providing support for the whole family. Overcoming the isolation that affects so many of these children makes a huge contribution to their quality of life.
