CHARITY fundraising organisation The Magic Cottage, of Abergavenny, has donated £1,000 to support services for children and young people with disabilities in the area.

The money was awarded to Sparkle, the charity partner of Nevill Hall Children’s Centre which delivers specialist leisure services for children with disabilities and/or developmental difficulties.

Sparkle also supports families through its family liaison service at Nevill Hall.

Having recently expanded from South Gwent and its base at Serennu in Newport into both the north and west, the charity now needs to raise £600,000 a year to offer to support to all families with children with disabilities in Gwent.

The donation from The Magic Cottage will support Sparkle’s Play Clubs and Youth Club in North Gwent.

These clubs opened one year ago, at a time when children with disabilities were facing extreme isolation due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Now, 43 children attend these clubs every week, enjoying sensory experiences, play and interaction with their peers. The charity’s recent annual evaluation found 92 per cent of families felt their child had gained confidence from attending a Sparkle club, 87 per cent felt their child had developed skills, including social skills, and 77 per cent felt their child had made friends at their club.

Rebecca McDonald, Sparkle team lead, said: “Magic Cottage has supported Sparkle in expanding its services to North Gwent their generosity has meant children and young people have had access to vital services during difficult times. Thank you for helping more children to sparkle”

Lesley Reynolds, commercial manager from The Magic Cottage, said: "We hope that we will develop a long term relationship with Sparkle as its complements our ethos perfectly ie to support children and young people with life limiting illnesses or additional needs."

The objective of The Magic Cottage is to raise funds via various fundraising activities, including their charity shops, to support children and young people with additional needs in the local area. The charity can be found on Facebook.

The guiding principle for Sparkle is to ensure that children and young people with disabilities and/or developmental difficulties, and their families, are fully supported and able to participate in valued childhood experiences, with access to the same range of opportunities, life experiences, activities and community services as any other child and their family. Find out more about Sparkle services on their website: www.sparkleappeal.org/

Sparkle is on Facebook, Instagram (@sparkleappealofficial) and Twitter (@sparkleappeal).

If you feel you could help raise vital funds then please contact Sparkle on 01633 748092 or alternatively fundraising@sparkleappeal.org.