Help charity with disability project (From Bournemouth Echo)

Help charity with disability project

3:30pm Thursday 16th August 2012 in News

A DORSET disability charity has launched a new school holiday project to benefit children and their families across the county.

Play Opportunities follows the award of more than £280,000 by the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities Programme and will be rolled out in North and West Dorset.

The charity, which was set up in Poole in 1955, already operates the holiday activities scheme in parts of East Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole, with more than 350 families currently using the service.

But the Big Lottery Fund has enabled the project to expand into more rural areas and further staff and volunteers are now needed in Blandford and Weymouth to help provide one-to-one play sessions and to run the service to full capacity.

Play Opportunities aims to provide activities that will improve the emotional wellbeing of young people with disabilities and their families and reduce the likelihood of family breakdown.

Chief executive of the charity Mark Powell said: “We are thrilled to now be able to offer holiday play opportunities and respite care to families in rural Dorset.”

•  To find out more about working or volunteering for the project call 01202 718266 or email recruitment@diverseabilitiesplus.org.uk .