CONCERNED local parents of children with a disability, who are currenly using the Collies respite care centre in Whitcliff, near Coleford, fear that the centre may close, and may be relocated to Gloucester.

The centre gives respite care for children aged up to 18, who have needs arising from a disability, and they offer short breaks for families by hosting the children for sessions up to five hours long.

But austerity cuts to the provision of childrens' services from Gloucestershire County Council have prompted parents, guardians and families of children who use the service to believe that the shadow of closure has fallen on the centre.

One worred family member, who did not wish to be identified, and who contacted the Review told us:: "It has recently come to my attention that a valuable Forest resource, The Collies in Coleford could be closed and relocated to Gloucester. 

"The Collies provides a valuable and essential respite service for families who have children with a disability. Bringing up a child with a disability can be physically and mentally exhausting. There are few people trained or competent enough to look after some of the children that the Collies looks after. 

"My own family had nobody who was willing or able to look after our child. The Collies provided us with a few  precious hours a month to do the things with siblings that we were unable to do  otherwise. For our child the experience of mixing with people outside of school and family was  invaluable. I believe that without the work and input of the Collies our family would have suffered immeasurably. 

"At present there are no longer any referrals to The Collies ­ a practice which is common when the powers-that-be want to close a facility down – Dean Hall School, and local cottage hospitals being examples."

The concerned reader also issued a plea for help in protesting at the potential removal of The Collies: "I urge anyone who has benefited from or would like to use the services of the Collies to contact our MP Mark Harper,  the head of children's services at Shire Hall, Alison Cathles and anyone else you think may help prevent this disaster from happening."

And in an anguished plea, they added: "Disabled children are among the most vulnerable people in our society, they cannot speak for themselves, we must protect their essential services from these truly inhuman cost cutting exercises."

The correspondent signed themselves as 'very concerned citizen'.

Cllr Kathy Williams, cabinet member for long term care, said: "This week the county council's cabinet will be asked to consider a consultation that will seek people's views about how we provide short breaks for disabled children and their families. We want short term breaks to be as widely available as possible giving people with a disability more independence and choice.

"No decisions have been made, but over the past five years there have been big changes in how people use the different types of short breaks provided, and as a result some services are used by very few people.

"Fewer residential short breaks are being taken and breaks that provide activities like sport, drama, cooking or camping have risen sharply; that's why it's important that we understand if we've got the right services in place."