THE FAMILY of a disabled seven-year-old girl is fighting to prevent a vital respite service from closing.

A petition has been launched to save Digby Court after it emerged it could close in September.

More than 500 signatures have already been pledged in support of the campaign, as families face travelling as far as Winchester for similar services if they lose access to the Dorchester facility. The service is used by families across the area.

Sue Coleman, from Portland, is calling on people to support users of Digby Court like her niece Tammy Davies from Weymouth and her seven-year-old daughter Georgina, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

She said: “They offer respite care for children and have got one-to-one care there, the staff are absolutely brilliant.

“It is something that we value because Georgina needs her respite and Tammy is a single parent with two other children.”

There are currently 13 children using Digby Court and Tammy said she would probably have to go to Boscombe if the centre closed, while other service users have been told they would have to travel as far as Winchester.

She said: “Georgina has been there since a very young age and I don’t think she would take to anywhere else, she knows the staff very well.

“It’s a fantastic place, I would be lost without Digby Court.”

Sue, 55, added: “We can’t praise the staff there highly enough, they’re absolutely brilliant with the children.”

Sue and Tammy have organised a meeting at the Junction Hotel in Dorchester tonight from 7pm.

Sue said: “We are hoping we are going to get a lot of support.

“All the parents are welcome and all the carers from the centre, everybody is really welcome.”

She said the support they had received so far from people signing the petition had been really positive and had inspired the family in its bid to try and save Digby Court.

Sue said: “All of us have said if needs be we will help fundraise to keep Digby Court open.”

Tammy, 34, added: “We are not giving up without a fight.”

The petition is going around various locations in Portland, Dorchester and Weymouth for people to sign and can also be signed online at www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-digby-court

PARENTS FAVOUR MOVE AWAY FROM HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT

IN A joint statement NHS Dorset and the Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the proposals followed a review of short breaks for families needing respite care.

Anne Salter, head of strategic planning, commissioning and performance (children’s services) for Dorset County Council and NHS Dorset said feedback from parents and children favoured a move away from a hospital environment to something more child and family focussed.

She said: “These proposed changes allow children to have more fun with their own peers and take part in activities that other children experience, while still being supported by trained and competent carers.

“We have consulted with parents affected by these changes, and have taken their views into account when commissioning future short breaks across the county.

“We will continue to work individually with families to ensure that care is transferred with minimal disruption.”