A group that runs clubs for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across Gloucestershire is hoping to raise £100,000 for new premises.

Chapter One offers afternoon, holiday and weekend sessions to 100 young people nationwide.

It is currently at the Willow Academy in Gloucesterhas secured a lease on a building on Eastbrook Road in the city, where the company plans to move next year.

To make changes to the new site, the group needs to raise £100,000 and has so far received around £20,000.

Founder and director Shell Potter said the move would provide up to 15 additional places in each session.

“There are thousands of children with special needs in Gloucestershire and we currently only support one hundred young people, so this move will benefit families who need more respite and who don’t have access to us,” added Ms Potter.

“I turn away ten families every day and that is simply not a situation we want to be in.”

Ms. Potter founded Chapter One in 2022 after another organization offering similar groups went bankrupt.

She has a 13-year-old son with highly complex needs and said families rely on the relief and care they receive through the sessions.

The organization is now the largest provider of short-term care in the district.

Max, 11, has global developmental delay, autism, and is nonverbal. He joined Chapter One in 2022.

His mother, Devon, said the group allows her to spend much-needed time with her daughters.

“When he first came here, I would always walk away and cry a little because he finally had some peace,” she added.

“Before, I had two hours a week, but I could find anyone who would take Max.

“It’s changed everything massively for our family. We can go to soft play, go into town to get school shoes and lunch and (Max) wouldn’t like that. For me it’s just nice to spend time with my other children.”

Becky Pain-Tolin’s son has been attending groups for two years. She says it has kept her family together.

“We got to a point in 2022 where our family was falling apart because his behavior was so extreme and I got to a point where I couldn’t deal with him anymore, he was very violent,” she added.

“It’s really important that we have this because I just can’t manage it. And if he had to be here as often as he should, it would just be unbearable for both of us.”