Gannett Foundation award helps disabled children get new beds

CHILDREN with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities will be able to get help from a specialist centre in more comfort, thanks to a donation from the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the company that owns The Herald.

The foundation has given the Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments (SCCMI) a £3,140 grant to enable it to upgrade a home-from-home area for families, with 12 new beds for children.

The Cumbernauld-based charity provides a specialist access to education service, offering physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help children with cerebral palsy.

Nine-year-old Riley Keenan, from Aberdeenshire, benefits hugely from his stays at the centre.

His mother Jane said: “The specialist therapy input SCCMI provides helps him to maximise his independence and helps us to know how we can best support his continued development. New beds will make our visits to the centre even more comfortable.”

The new beds will not only replace facilities that have become tired since the centre opened 24 years ago, they will also be modern models allowing access to install hoists where needed.

Professor Patrick Salter, SCCMI chief executive, said: “I am delighted that the Gannett Foundation has granted us £3,140 to upgrade the beds in our accommodation at the Craighalbert Centre.

“The accommodation we provide offers a homely environment the whole family can use during their stay.”

Buchan Development Partnership has also received funding from the foundation, in the shape of £2,340 to pay for a garden-based community volunteering project at Aden Country Park, in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire.

Over the last 10 years, the foundation has given away more than £3 million to registered charities in areas covered by the group’s newspapers. For more information, see www.gannettfoundation. org/newsquest.htm.