'Devastated' - Families in turmoil over upcoming closure of Yorkshire charity

Whitby InterActive has provided play schemes and activities for children and adults aged between five and 25 for a quarter of a century.

Charity trustees say it will shut at Christmas after key grant funding ended – leaving youngsters without provision and families without respite care. Around 40 youngsters are supported by the service.

The closure was raised by Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

She told Sir Keir Starmer the charity had been a lifeline for families who were “devastated” about the decision.

The MP said action to tackle the crisis in special educational needs provision was urgently needed.

Sir Keir said children with special needs had been “failed for too long”.

“I know this will be a concerning time for families who rely on the brilliant work of Whitby InterActive,” he said.

Ms Hume told the Yorkshire Post its closure would leave a real gap in provision in the area.

She would be looking into ways of supporting the "much-needed" charity which delivered holiday playschemes, days out and activities for children with disabilities.

It was the only local service where parents could leave children for the day in the knowledge they would be looked after by skilled carers, enabling them to work or spend time with other siblings, and also allowed parents to meet others in the same position.

“The main thing is for people in the area to see if they can help or a white knight might be able to plug the gap in funding,” she said.

“There are some children with the charity who started there at five and are still with them at 25 and for some of them it’s the only constant in their lives.

“They may have been failed at school because their needs haven’t been met and this is the only place they can go for things their peers take for granted like outdoor activities or trips to the cinema and theatre.

“This is not just a service for children but for carers and parents as well.

“This is a 26-year story and what they’ve done over that time is just amazing.”

Helen Panconi, administrator at the charity since it was set up in 1998, said the loss of £30,000 annual funding provided by the charity Children in Need for the last 20 years was a big gap to fill.

The award also attracted grants from other organisations towards the charity’s £100,000-a-year outgoings.

“Parents are disappointed because obviously it’s something they rely on and it gives them some respite,” she said.

“The staff who work with us are very highly trained and have been with us a long time are really disappointed because they all love the children and want to continue.”

Anyone able to help the charity can contact it on 01947 601259. More information is available on Facebook.