A Saturday club for autistic children that was under threat of closure has been saved following a passionate parent campaign.
The Crossroads Saturday Club, based in Ipswich, stopped its services in September after losing its provider due to funding issues.
The club has now been taken on by Ipswich-based social enterprise Autism & ADHD and it hopes to have it up and running again by the new year.
Annie Clements, CEO of Autism & ADHD, said she had responded to a call for help from parents because she understood the value of the club having used its services around 15 years ago for her son, Tom.
“I would have been really upset if it closed because it’s a great place for parents to go and get support,” she added.
Mrs Clements said the club would initially stay in the same format while the children settle back in and in the future she would look at offering new provisions and activities, including creating a greater network between parents and siblings.
Parent Gillian Allard, who has been at the forefront of the campaign to save the club, said: “We are incredibly delighted. It’s a godsend because there was a point that we felt it could be the end of something that had been so important to parents and children.”
A Christmas fayre has been organised to help raise funds for the club. It will take place at Nacton Village Hall on December 13 from 11am to 4pm.
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