‘My mam would have cried with happiness to see it’
The son of a Sunderland woman who fought for a disability resource centre has praised a new £1.4m new unit in the city.
John Starkey, 65, who lives with cerebral palsy, said his late mother, Peggy, would be ‘delighted’ that disabled people in the city now have access to support and assistance with the opening of a Sunderland City Council scheme in Hendon.
Peggy – who died 13 years ago – campaigned for an activity centre in the 1970s, to support to people living with disabilities and provide respite to their carers.
This led to the formation of the Northeast Disabilities Resource Centre (NDRC) and the charity has now moved into the custom-designed Valiant Centre – at the heart of a new community of specially adapted bungalows for people with physical disabilities.
The new homes, at the renamed Valiant Close – formerly Cork Street, Hendon – have been developed by the council as part of its £59m Housing Delivery and Investment Plan, which will see some 117 bungalows built across the city by 2025 for people with disabilities and older residents.
John – whose mother was told would not make it past childhood – is one of the first residents to move into Valiant Close.
He can walk from his home to NDRC to access a range of support and meet friends at the centre.
He said :“The new centre is amazing, as is having a home so close to it.
"Mym am would have been crying with happiness to see it. She fought for me and for other people with disabilities all her life. And now look at this building.
“My family are also happier too, knowing I am in a house that’s safe and close to NDRC so I can get out and enjoy my days.”
John, who has lived alone since his mother passed away, is supported by family, but most of his social interaction comes from his use of NDRC, which provides a range of activities.
Set up more than 50 years ago, NDRC – which supports people with a range of disabilities including cerebral palsy – had been operating out of an old building at Cork Street, before the council committed to providing a new facility.
Graham Scan l on, assistant director of housing and communities at the city council, said: “We are thrilled that we have been able to provide a new community facility that will be so truly lifechanging.”