Anyone with experience of setting up their own local support group?

[Hangingbellyofbabylon]

I would like to set up a group for 0-5ish children with cerebral palsy and their siblings locally. There is nothing around where we live at all. My mum works for the Salvation army so we could have a hall say one saturday a month for a very small fee but wondered if there are other requirements like insurance etc? is it as simple as just getting everyone together or does it have to be more formal? anyone with experience?

get in touch with your local volunteer centre. They can give advice including funding advice.

Contact a family may be able to give help too.

A group i belong to (not child related) meets at a church hall and we get insured through them but you would need to check if that that is the same where you will meet.
Probably best to get a few other parents on board as a committee or steering group to help sort out activities, finance or even just whose turn it is to make the coffee!

I tried, with the help of the portage worker but there is only 3 of us and because we all have appointments etc it's often just one of us. We have ours at the childrens centre and at the moment it's all children in the area receiving portage but I'm trying to persuade the portage worker to let other parents come too.

Our group overs the whole county.

If you have a local NCT branch they might let you set up under their umbrella and insurance.