A VITAL play and sensory centre for children and young adults with additional needs has been given a generous donation to further boost the provision.

Warrington Play and Sensory Centre, based on Hall Road in Woolston, draws in hundreds of members each week and is an ‘important community hub’.

Originally founded in 1976 as Woolston Play Barn, it changed its status and use to Warrington Play & Sensory Centre in July 2012 to provide a recreational facility for children, young people and adults with additional needs and disabilities.

It engages more than 400 active members drawn from across Warrington and beyond alongside any pre-schoolers and any child under 11 years who are not members or have any additional needs.

Now, thanks to HBV Cityheart and ATEL Design and Build, its ‘calming’ room has been upgraded with a new interactive projector that provides autism-friendly visual stimulation which helps to improve focus and attention to detail in a ‘fun, relaxing and safe space’.

Julie Herbert, manager of Warrington Play and Sensory Centre, commented on the donation, saying: “This new sensory projector helps young people stimulate their imagination, removes barriers to learning and provides opportunities for our members to collaborate or simply relax.

“It’s amazing to be able to add this to the experience we are providing not just for our members but also to the general public.

She continued: “We are grateful to HBV Group, Cityheart and ATEL Design and Build for making this happen and we are excited and delighted for our members and their families who will see the benefits this new technology brings.

“We’re open for members of the public to try it out and we’d be delighted to welcome new visitors to our centre.”

Neil Mackrell, of ATEL Design & Build, added: “We know that assistive technology is particularly important for people with autism and learning disabilities and we’re incredibly proud to play a role in helping people in Warrington who need this service.

“Warrington Play and Sensory Centre is an important hub of the local community, and we want to acknowledge the work Julie and her team does here to support families and individuals who enjoy using the centre.”