A NEW facility for children with disabilities to give their families much needed respite has opened.

The Treehouse has been opened by Diverse Abilities for its Short Breaks Service at the former site of Adventure Wonderland, near Bournemouth Airport.

The facility welcomed 16 children with disabilities to the first play session, enjoying the play barn while their families received ‘much needed’ respite over the school holidays.

The week after, 55 children attended an open house session with their parents to visit the site and enjoy the new facilities.

One of the parents who attended a session said: “Thank you for providing this for our children, every small detail has been thought about and you have understood what they need. You have given them a place to be safe and for us to relax little.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Clare Rochford, manager of Short Breaks Services, added: "We opened the centre during the Easter holidays this year, with some fantastic feedback from the kids and their families.

“Our aim is to create a safe, engaging and inclusive environment for children and their families to play, make friendships and have fun in a way that is not always possible at traditional holiday clubs and attractions.”

The charity has received grants from Little Lives UK towards the outdoor go kart and scooter zone, as well as the Morrisons Foundation which funded the games room.

Hundreds of volunteers from the community and local businesses helped the charity to transform the site, by painting, decorating and gardening in 1,500 hours of volunteering.

Mark Powell, CEO at Diverse Abilities, commented: “We are so pleased to have opened for the first sessions at The Treehouse, and to have such great feedback.

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of the local community and many hundreds of volunteer hours put in by the staff of businesses in the area.

“We’ve still got lots of work to do to make the outside area as great as inside, so please get in touch if you would like to help us achieve this.”

For more information on the charity’s services for children and to register interest, visit its website.

To find out more about volunteering, either as an individual or through a workplace, email volunteer@diverseabilities.org.uk.