Please can you help save Hop Skip & Jump Bristol - its my lifeline

[smugtandemfeeder]

Please could you all sign this petition to save the special needs play centre in Bristol - Hop Skip and Jump.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/letusplay/

Currently the centre is a wonderful drop in centre all day 6 days a week, where parents with children who have special needs can go free of charge, with siblings and family members and play together in an inclusive atmosphere. I can chose to have a rest while my kids play happily together, or I can play with them in a safe place.

The trustees in their wisdom have decided to stop the drop in facility. They want to make it an expensive paid for respite centre where parents either sit separately from the children or leave the children there.

All the parents there are devastated. This place has saved our lives recently. The changes will prevent us from attending.

It seems that the trustees have made up their minds but there is a petition and local press to help stop this happening.

Thank you,

Smug [Devastated]

When I say booked parties, I mean school groups or SN groups, not birthdays.

Can you interested families all form a group and charge each member say £2 and book the place out every Sunday...?!

Good luck. Have a sit-in and get the press to come?

Signed

I forgot to say, signed

Signed.

We staged our peaceful protest after the centre closed today. All the parents and kids refused to leave. After almost 4 hours the trustees have agreed to leave the centre as it is until they have consulted with us. Lets hope they stand by their word and do a proper consultation.

It was all very exciting, the police came and there were tv cameras.

Nice to meet you today Riven.

Oh well done everybody!! That sounds brilliant. Parent power!!

:)

The police were lovely. They couldnt ask us to leave as they said it was too peaceful a protest and it was a civil matter. The even helped us tidy up at the end of the protest when we were ready to go home bless em. They work in a very quiet station

Fantastic!

Oh thank you so much for protesting, smug and Riv. That place was our absolute lifeline in the first 18 months after DC2 arrived. I got home after our first visit there and said "I want to move to Kingswood" (which we didn't actually do, but the relief of having discovered it was so overwhelming).

Will sign the petition right now.

Anyone with Sky should be able to watch us on channel 986 from 6.15 onwards. Hopefully!

I just checked out the website and the Kingswood one is only a few miles from where I grew up, can't believe it's just off Cock Road! I knew it when it was all fields...

Here is a link to our news coverage!

Let me know if it doesn't work. I'm posting link from my phone.

You fabulous women! Made my day watching this

Yes I did! Emily Pankhurst lives again

Congratulations on making them reconsider.
Good luck, I hope the consultation goes well and you get the service you want back! And riven she's beautiful!