Our club caters for the needs of 30 physically disabled/visually impaired young people who all attended Ashcraig School in Glasgow. About half of our members use wheelchairs. Funding by the Education Department was withdrawn in 2010 meaning we have had to run independently for the last 7 years. Our annual expenditure is around £50,000. We meet once a week and also run a 2-week summer camp. We employ 7 dedicated and highly skilled staff.
We run a varied programme of events such as drama, music, sports (weekly), art, inspirational speakers, massage (to relieve stress) and visits from police and fire departments etc. All organisations involved, such as Paragon and contacts through the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, are run by professionals with experience of people with special needs. We have built up a strong relationship with Glasgow Disability Alliance who also help us with running events.
We have struggled with funding over the past 7 years but have always managed to keep going. However, we are currently unable to function as we have so far been unsuccessful with applications this year. This means that many of our members are missing out on the social lifeline we provide, and one member in particular has not been out of her house for more than 3 months. Parents and carers also benefit from our club as we in effect provide respite for their young adults on a regular basis and especially over 2 weeks in the summer.
Everyone involved with this club – members, parents, management committee, staff, bus drivers – is passionate about it and we have grown in confidence through our achievements year-on-year. We are upset and frustrated that we are not currently in a position to meet. There have been many sleepless nights trying to work out how we can turn this around as so many people depend on us. We would be so grateful for any help given.
Thank you.
(Lesley Ingram - Chairperson)