Rotary Money Helps Disabled Children

Disabled children living in Mid-Suffolk will be able to benefit from a wide range of therapeutic toys and learning aids thanks to a large donation from our club.   During the past year we have given a total of £4,500 to the East Suffolk Child Development Service to dramatically enhance the range of equipment available to children and their parents attending the Laurel Centre at the Stowmarket Health Centre in Violet Hill Road.   The Laurel Centre provides a range of therapeutic and support services for youngsters up to the age of ten who have severe conditions such as cerebral palsy and autism.   The service is provided by a multi-disciplinary team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, play workers and a consultant paediatrician.   Our donation has been used to provide a wide variety of resources ranging from small hand-held items which assist children with communication to a portable ‘sensory studio’ which helps children with visual and hearing loss to learn about their physical surroundings in a fun and safe way   Adrian Ilott, manager of the child development service, said: “The team at Stowmarket is extremely dedicated and works very hard to ensure that the children get the best possible treatment, but our resources do not extend to providing specialised and expensive items of this kind. This donation has ensured that local children will have access to some of the latest and best equipment available.”   Club president Tim Evans said that the gift of £4,500 was the largest single donation that the Stowmarket Gipping Valley club had made since it was founded six years ago.   “We recognise that the child development service here in Stowmarket is carrying out extremely valuable work on behalf of disabled children and their families, but we also know that its resources are finite. Our gift will give them the equipment to enhance their service in a highly effective way.”