SMILES are being brought to the faces of children with autistic spectrum disorders and complex needs thanks to the latest donation of Paediatric toys from the Friends of St Cross.
Avril Upstone, a speech and language therapist from the South Warwickshire Foundation Trust Community Service who is based at the Orchard Centre, said: “We have over 200 pre-school children in the Rugby area who are referred to the service by Health Visitors and nurseries, and this donation will make an enormous difference to the effectiveness of the service – as well as the morale of the staff who have great fun playing with the children and the toys.
“Toys enable us to provide a wider range of therapy activities for children and help inform parents how to support their children’s language and communication by developing strategies that include commenting and gesturing alongside play.”
Tracey Lennard, Chair of the Friends Social Fundraising Committee, said: “It was wonderful to see the fruits of our fundraising efforts bringing so much joy to the children and staff at the Orchard Centre.
“The funds for this donation were raised at an Open Day at Castle Farm Equestrian Centre and we are most grateful to the team and their patrons for their generous support.
“We are always on the lookout for new ways to raise the profile of the Charity and would love to hear from other businesses who would like to support the community service and of course the Hospital of St Cross.”
