By George Palmer-Soady
A Nottingham charity supporting disabled children says it will now be able to support many more families thanks to its relocation to a new site in Clifton.
Footprints will move into the former Highbank Community Centre on Farnborough Road in the new year – the first time in the charity’s 22-year history it will have a base entirely its own.
The education organisation teaches life skills to children with mobility and communication difficulties through weekly sessions – providing them with extra support to learn the skills that come more naturally to others.
It currently supports around 70 families in rooms at the Iona Primary School in Sneinton, where it has based been since 2011.
Staff say being based at the school – which is at the top of a hill off Sneinton Dale – has been unpractical for people attending the sessions, especially those with mobility problems.
A lack of accessible transport routes and space are amongst the other reasons why Footprints says it has not been previously able to accommodate more people.
The new site in Clifton, located opposite the Holy Trinity NET tram stop, was formerly a social club and community centre run by Nottingham City Council.
Stephen Frew, the charity’s Business and Charity Manager, says the new location means Footprints will have the capacity to support 300 families across the East Midlands.
This will not impact children who currently attend sessions at its Sneinton location, he told Notts TV.
“People come from all over the East Midlands,” he said.
“We’ve always had a commitment to be in Nottingham city, but our commitment was also to get on the tram system, as it’s the most accessible transport for a lot of people.
“We also needed the area to be flat – that changes a lot for our families. We’ve also been restricted by the site of the school.
“We’ve got a lot more flexibility now and we’re really excited. We’ll be growing and developing and changing, and now we can now even open seven days a week if we want to.
“Where we were stuck in Sneinton, here we can now work with other charities and we think many people will benefit from us being at this location.”
Many of the children that Footprints work with have conditions such as Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy – which can affect the pace they learn skills compared to their peers.
The charity supports children with their communication, movement and posture, and problem-solving through sessions teaching these specific skills.
Jo Powell regularly attends Footprints classes with her 4-year-old son Tom, who has Down’s syndrome – a genetic condition that occurs when an individual is born with an extra chromosome.
It affects the way a baby’s body and brain develops and can cause both mental and physical challenges during their lifetime.
Tom also has joint hypermobility issues – which affects children with low muscle tone and very flexible joints and means they often experience pain, stiffness and tiredness.
Jo says the weekly sessions have made a “massive improvement” to Tom’s life since he began attending three years ago.
He attends classes that teach mobility, speech and co-ordination skills, amongst others.
“When he started, he couldn’t lift his head up or roll over or sit by himself,” Jo said.
“For him to now be sitting by himself, walking with his frame – it’s a massive improvement from when we started.
“If I would put his toy in front of him, instead of moving to it because it was too hard, he would pull the blanket towards him to bring the toy.
“He can now find his own way around stuff and work out an easier way around things.”
Jo added that the charity’s new centre is “going to be much better” for Tom, who will be able to attend 1-on-1 speech therapy sessions being ran for the first time due to the building’s extra space.
The new Footprints Centre plans to have three session rooms, a well-being coffee bar for families and the community, and new facilities including a sensory room, function space and outdoor education areas.
There will also be a hall for boccia – a popular Paralympic sport – in the new building.
The aim of the game is to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball while sat down – making it one of the only sports available to many severely disabled people. It was originally created for people with cerebral palsy.
Many of these facilities will be open to the public, with hopes the new centre will become a community base for all, rather than solely Footprints’ members.
Josie Park, Head of Income and Fundraising at Footprints, says the new site will open more opportunities for the charity.
“Where we’re based at the moment is quite small,” she said.
“We currently have two session rooms where we base everything from. Moving here, we have so much more space which brings with it a lot of potential.
“This space is just incredible. And I’m personally excited about what this can bring and the charity’s we are going to work with.”
Many volunteers have been brought in to help with the cleaning, decoration and renovation of the centre.
Footprints is primarily funded through grants and fundraisers. The charity has been running events – including fire walks – to help raise more money for the new building.
Last Monday (November 11), Footprints was a runner-up in the ‘Education’ category of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards.
A prize of £5,000 will go towards funding the new Clifton site, the charity adds.
Footprints says the new building will be opened in the new year with no current set date.
