Hampshire County Council cash injection for Disability Challengers charity to support local children

A charity will be able to support another child with disabilities in Eastleigh this summer thanks to a council cash injection.

Hampshire County Council has provided extra funding for Guildford-based Disability Challengers, so it can support one more child, aged between four and seven years old, to attend the Eastleigh play scheme.

The £2,500 funding will allow the charity to hire an extra staff member to support a child with disabilities to attend 25 sessions on Saturdays across the Easter and summer holidays at Chandlers Ford Infant School in Kings Road.

With the grant, the county council said it aims to continue addressing the need for extra places for children aged seven and under in the county.

At the same time, £1,608.75 has been allocated to the Oaks Play Scheme to provide eight members of staff with Makaton training — a language programme that uses symbols, signs, and speech to support the development of essential communication skills. The council said this will enable the scheme, at Froxfield Village Hall near Petersfield, to support children with more significant communication needs to attend.

The scheme will help children who are already attending the site and those who will go in the future. 

The Oaks Play Scheme is for disabled children and children with additional needs between three and 11 years. It runs for four days during Easter and nine during the summer holidays in the village of Froxfield, Petersfield.

Both schemes are being funded by the annual Short Break Activities Small Grant Fund, which has a yearly budget of £20,000.

More information about the grant and how to apply here.