PLAY Alloa is on the cusp of an exciting development as it moves into its very own, fully comprehensive premises.

The Clackmannanshire based charity – which is a provider of play and social opportunities for children and adults with disabilities and additional support needs – has just taken on the lease of a building in Broad Street.

The move will offer the group – which has been based in Hawkhill Community Centre and Glasshouse Loan up until this point – the chance to expand on the range of services it currently offers.

Project manager Maria Malcolm said: “We’ve always wanted to have our own flexible space and we’ve always wanted to have a space that we could fill with as many activities as families felt they needed.

“Obviously being in someone else’s facility restricts the breadth of services that you can provide. So whilst we’ve had an amazing time up at Hawkhill and we’ve met some amazing people – and we’ve run and grown dramatically up at Hawkhill – it was probably time for us to go, because we just started not being able to expand any further.

“What we’re looking to provide is a fully comprehensive centre of excellence for play and social activities for children and adults – and families living with children and adults – with disabilities. A whole range of disabilities and complex additional support needs.” Play Alloa was founded in 1992, gained charitable status in 2005 and company status in 2010, and has made great strides since then.

It caters for a range of users and encourages independent play and social development.

The new facility will continue to build on that, offering a place for people at all stages in life.

It will also create an environment where parents can find support and information from professionals and each other.

The building the team is moving into boasts of numerous rooms with huge potential, and the focus over the next couple of weeks is on refurbishment.

There is a spacious back garden and there are hopes it will feature wooden playhouses, a sensory area, raised beds, storytelling corner, games room and more.

Explaining what Play Alloa does, Maria said: “Our phrase if you like, our statement, is that we provide play and social opportunities for children and adults with disabilities and complex additional support needs across Clackmannanshire and beyond.

“Quality of life comes from enjoying your time with your friends, enjoying your free time, going into your community and a lot of our young people find, we’ve been told, that a struggle.” Play Alloa offers groups and activities where children and adults – across a range of disabilities – can develop friendships and their own identities.

It also works with those who are awaiting a diagnosis, or who haven’t reached that stage but have behavioural difficulties.

There is also a good ratio of staff and volunteers to service users, to ensure maximum support.

The organisation is financed through a number of avenues: Children in Need funding facilitates the Saturday play sessions, Scottish Government Third Sector Early Intervention funding for the Hillfoots group, befriending project and some of the parent support, Young Start Big Lottery funding supports two youth clubs and one day session and a small service level agreement with Clackmannanshire Council covers the Monday night group and two other days sessions.

However, there is also a need to fundraise at every opportunity – through sponsored walks, a summer party night, spring draw, sponsored wheelie, Christmas fayre, bag packs and more – to keep it running.

Help is always welcome, even more so with the current renovations and garden work taking place.

And Maria is keen to share the positive news of the development with the county.

She said: “I would like people to know that there’s something fabulous about to happen, that we’re a sizeable group now, that we’re not the same group that we were four years ago and we are providing an excellent service to a lot of families.

“I think people should be excited that Clackmannanshire will have an amazing, accessible play centre, and centre for adults as well. It’s the fact that we will have the garden, the play space and this very special facility for children and adults in Clackmannanshire.” To find out more or get in touch visit www.playalloa.co.uk, search for Play Alloa on Facebook or email maria@playalloa.co.uk