Rushey Meadow closure

[OneTrickPony 10]

Just to confirm that there will indeed be a meeting between affected parents and Councillor Colin Ross this Thursday (17th Feb), at 2pm at the Town Hall. Anne Snowdon is organising it, and she would love to hear from parents whose children are currently using Rushey Meadows. You can contact Anne at the Sheffield Parent Carer Forum on 0114 2521913 or email [email protected].

The Forum is also working on a media campaign, and we're hoping to get a few articles in the papers over the next few days. We will also be encouraging our members to write directly to councillors.

As you have rightly pointed out, it is hard to see why there should be any cuts to short breaks/respite at all. Central government recently announced the biggest ever investment in short breaks for disabled children - £800m over the next 4 years, which represents a £22m year-on-year increase on 2010 funding. However, this money is not ring-fenced, and we fear that funding intended for our children will be used to plug other gaps.

Edited February 15, 2011 by OneTrickPony

[go4it 10]

I have just been informed by a parent visiting Rushey Meadow today, that there is a meeting this coming Thursday at 2:00 pm at the Town Hall with Councillor Colin Ross, who apparently has put forward this proposed closure. Can as many of us attend as possible to put forward our views. Thanks.

 

Can I just urge you all to listen first before you start waving your placards and shouting your protest.

 

We all know life is hard, but maybe someone has a plan for you to make it easier. The plan may involve closing Rushey but may involve somewhere new. Listen first, get all the facts, then decide what to do.

[locallass 10]

Brantwood perhaps? pray do tell!

[CarolineD 10]

Re message from Go4it - do you know something we don't know? No one is about to start waving placards but a proposed closure has been announced and how many proposals do you know of that don't actually happen? If we just sit back and don't voice our concerns, whether it's a proposal or not, no one would know just how much Rushey Meadow means to us all! You get no where today keeping quiet! Also, moving children with special needs and disabilities to somewhere new is easier said than done! Only parents of these children will understand that.

[Bracey 10]

I have set a facebook page up "save Rushey Meadows" please join and add your comments

[Bracey 10]

Just wondering if anyone has contacted David Blunkett as Im sure he would support our cause to prevent the closure of Rushey Meadows

[locallass 10]

I heard on the grapevine that Mr Blunkett has been informed

[chrisbass 10]

Can I just urge you all to listen first before you start waving your placards and shouting your protest.

 

We all know life is hard, but maybe someone has a plan for you to make it easier. The plan may involve closing Rushey but may involve somewhere new. Listen first, get all the facts, then decide what to do.

 

if there was a plan , then surley they would have discussed the plan of moving with all concerned before even concidering closing Rushey, as the other person rightly said ,its not easy to expect our kids to just go to a different place, its their complex lives, that makes the need to go to Rushey in the first place.. it is also unfare to expect us parents NOT to want to shout out ,because parents of children with special needs have to fight from the very begining, from schools to funding and even out of school clubs.....and I along with many other parents KNOW it carries on all the way through their adult life too. So let us get our point accross how ever we need to,THEY HAVE BEEN DISRESPECTFULL ENOUGH TO PUT SAVING MONEY BEFORE ALL OF OUR RUSHEY KIDS N FAMILIES LIVES, AND STAFFS JOBS. MAY I REMIND YOU ALL IT IS NOT OUR KIDS FAULT THAT THE COUNTRY IS IN A MESS AND CUTBACKS HAVE TO BE MADE. OUR KIDS NEED HELP AND ALL US PARENTS NEED SUPPORT.NOT TO MENTION THE JOBS IT CREATES WITHIN SUCH A TIME OF HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT !

[chrisbass 10]

i have set a facebook page up "save rushey meadows" please join and add your comments

 

hi bracey!!! Yep will do , and i am sure many others will too. X

[Goddess 10]

Hi Bracey, I will look for the group now. I'm looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow and hearing what Cllr Ross has to say. I think we do need to hear what he has to say first and then we can decide together what type of action needs to be taken. Another parent has drafted up some petitions, I have emailed my M.P. but as yet have had no response other than to confirm where I live! I have also written to The Star and am willing to do anything it takes to stop Rushey closing. At the moment I'm just still a bit stunned and after fighting for 12 years for help am very worn down. I'm not optimistic that any other provision is being made and Mulberry Lodge and Chancet Wood are full to capacity but we do need to wait and hear what Ross has to say. Bring it on!

[Goddess 10]

Just wondering if anyone has contacted David Blunkett as Im sure he would support our cause to prevent the closure of Rushey Meadows

 

Do you think David Blunkett will be interested? I'm not sure as I contacted him years ago when my son was recommended for mainstream and he wasn't in the slightest bit interested as he fully supported integration and that disabled people be treated no differently. I've no faith in him anyway but it can't hurt to contact as many people as we can x

[alirosdan 10]

There is no doubt that this is a very short sighted decision by Sheffield Council.

If just 2/3 families go into crisis because of this then the costs are dramatically more.

Sheffield has always been very blinkered in this way though, when you compare other councils who have strategies to prevent families going into crisis thus preventing expensive residential out of city accommodation.

 

Absolutely spot on EmeraldEye. I don't know how many families Rushey support but it could be as many as 60. Sixty families without their much needed respite could cause more than 2 or 3 to go into crisis. What the hell are the council thinking about here? It certainly isn't the most vulnerable people in our society.