The Spring Centre is a registered charity helping children throughout Gloucestershire who have special needs and disabilities including Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. Based in a specially adapted building in Gloucester, our facilities include soft play and sensory rooms, adapted kitchen/dining room facilities and a fully independent parents room with kitchen and lounge area.

Our aim is to improve quality of life for both the individual and the family unit by empowering parent, child and siblings - often the strain of coping with a special needs child means that families are stretched to breaking point and experience more disadvantage than others. This can lead to a vulnerable family unit, especially if the family receives little or no help. Unfortunately, a very large proportion of the families that we help have little or no support from elsewhere.

Each year we help over 140 children and families. Referrals come from Paediatric Consultants, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Neighbourhood Projects and Health Visitors – you can also refer your family to the service. Services are offered to children aged 0-18 and are designed to offer a tailored programme of educational and recreational play and activities. They include: Pre-School Sessions; After School Club and Holiday Activities such as trips out to the cinema and respite sessions. In addition to the support given to the child, we also include their siblings and parents by offering family trips out as part of holiday activities or family support sessions at the Centre. Services unique to parents are specifically aimed at helping them to cope, for example we hold coffee mornings with crèche facilities, informal counselling sessions, help with filling in essential forms, specialist speakers and share best practice. We also open the Centre for use by other community based groups like the South West 22q11 & Max Appeal regional group, the Gloucester Downs Group and the Gloucester Autistic Support for Parents (GASP) group.

We are very grateful to the Barbara Ward Children’s Foundation for awarding a grant for three years to the Spring Centre to fund activities for our very popular Saturday Respite Club. So far we have used the grant to fund trips to the local Ski Slope for Tubing fun, a canal boat trip, bowling, cinema and to hire a very popular bouncy slide. It has made the club much more enjoyable for the children.