DISABILITY can strike at any time, whether it is caused by accident or illness, and for many people, coping with the problem can be extremely difficult for themselves and their families.

Thankfully, help is at hand - right on the doorstep - but until now its work has rarely been in the spotlight.

The Dane Walk Disability Centre is based in Northwich, tucked away behind the County Council offices, and is run by Social Services.

The centre caters for people with a wide range of disabilities, be it blindness, deafness or even paralysis.

Team leader Margaret Rodwell explained how the centre operates. She said: "Clients who come to the centre are referred through social services and they are allocated days when they can come in to the centre."

People at the centre come from a variety of backgrounds, but all have the same thing in common - they are in need of help for whatever reason.

Margaret added: "We have had people who have suddenly become disabled because of a road accident or a stroke and it is important to learn the skills you need to carry on with living your life and hopefully we give people those skills."

Not only can the centre train its clients in important skills, it is also a good place to meet new friends who are in the same situation.

Margaret said: "There is the social side of the centre because some people are isolated because of their disabilities.

"We have adult education classes, art therapy and we even have a physiotherapist who comes in, so we are all working together."

The centre has a variety of activities on offer, particularly art and crafts.

Maria Lea, 24, enjoys needlework, but said that she had also made pots, papier mache and, thanks to good links with the Northwich Shopmobility scheme, she is able to go and browse around Northwich town centre every week.

Two of the older clients Jean Garnet, 61, and Ann Taggart, 58, particularly enjoy the cookery sessions, which are run every other Thursday, as well as glass painting and knitting.

Jon Hocknull, 32, who has Multiple Sclerosis, is full of praise for the disability centre.

He said: "This place is just superb, it gives my mum a chance to get out and about without having to worry about me."

Mary Triggs, 66, brings her 35-year-old son Paul, who is in a wheelchair after suffering a severe head injury, all the way from Conwy in North Wales just to be at the centre.

Mary said: "Paul likes it very much and has made quite a few friends here and we just feel that it's worth the journey.

"He does so much here, using computers and cooking and also it gives us a break."

Of course, the centre would not be possible without the help of the volunteers.

Margaret said: "We only have a small group of staff, seven in total, and everybody is part time.

"The volunteers attach themselves to a certain activity which they can help with, for example computer training or cooking, without the volunteers it would make our work much more difficult."

But the disability centre can offer a helping hand to people who are not their clients. Margaret explained that the centre is also part of the Disabled Information Group which is a helpline operating from Church Road.

Volunteers at the Information Group man the phones and give information on just about anything that disabled people may want to know about.

Margaret said: "It's a central point of information that people can ring to find out about disabled access to buildings, useful contacts and can be a lifeline for people who need that sort of advice."

For disability information and some friendly advice, ring the Information Group on 01606 350611.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.