Ten years ago when Jane Hook discovered that there were no social outlets for her autistic daughter, she set up a club herself. The start-up grant was just 500, but last year the club received 250,000 in funding.
The Buddies Club Playscheme at the Netherton Community Centre in Glasgow now caters for up to 50 children a day, taking in children with autism and other disabilities and mental health problems. The club has a waiting list that spans the whole of Glasgow and further afield.
The idea behind the club name was simple - a buddy is what Jane and her husband Bill felt that their daughter Rachel needed. It all began with a Sunday club in a church hall. Knowing others in a similar situation meant that it didn't take long for the club to fill up and within weeks it was full. A summer club followed, before they decided to conduct a pilot for an after-school club. For this they received 10,000, the first of many funding applications they were to make.
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