• Sat. Dec 14th, 2024

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North East disability charity celebrates 65th anniversary

A leading charity is celebrating 65 years of improving the lives of disabled people in the region.

The Percy Hedley Foundation first began in 1953 when 12 children with cerebral palsy were admitted to Percy Hedley School in Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne.

One of those children, Stephen Darke, is now 76 and lives at the charity’s adult residence Chipchase House across the road from the old school site.

It was Stephen’s parents, Stephen and Molly Darke, who first campaigned for a school where their disabled son, and others like him, could go.

They wrote to the Evening Chronicle, appealing for other parents for cerebral palsy children to come forward.

Funding came from the Percy Hedley Foundation, a Trust created after the death of a local engineer to support charities in the North East.

Over six decades, the Foundation has grown from a small school to provide support for 1,000 families a year, offering a range of residential and day services for adults and children with disabilities.

It now employs over 1000 people and has a turnover of more than £27m-a-year, making it one the leading charities supporting disabled people in the UK.

To celebrate 65 years, the Foundation hosted a special coffee morning for residents at Chipchase House, some of whom were pupils at Percy Hedley School when it first opened alongside Stephen.

Carole Harder, Chief Executive at The Percy Hedley Foundation said: “When Stephen and Molly Darke set up a school for 12 children they had no idea that it would develop into an organisation that 65 years later supports over 1000 children and adults across the North East every year.

“It’s a fantastic legacy and we are delighted that their son Stephen helped us celebrate this very special birthday.”

By admin