A sensory centre for people with additional needs in Northallerton has been expanded.
The centre, run by the Pendragon Community Trust, held an open day to celebrate the new facility and among the visitors was MP Rishi Sunak.
Rishi attended the Pendragon Open Day to tour the multi-sensory facility, which recently added the new Sue Kerfoot Room.
The new space will enable Pendragon to accept more clients and expand its capacity for those with additional needs.
Rishi was welcomed by David and Elizabeth Kerfoot, alongside their daughter Ellie who explained how the new room will benefit the centre and its clients.
The centre includes sensory equipment such as bubble tubes, interactive floors, padded rooms, interactive floors, and full hoisting and changing facilities.
It was created by the Trust, a charity established by the Kerfoot family in 2002 to help children and adults with disabilities and additional needs, after David grew up understanding the lack of facilities and the struggles his mother faced in raising a child with additional needs
The new room is dedicated and named after David’s sister, who had additional needs throughout her life. It is fitted with a waterbed, interactive walls, light projections, and a hoist.
During his visit, Rishi supported Pendragon’s plan to register as a Changing Places facility.
Changing Places toilets are larger than standard disabled toilets and have extra equipment like adult-sized changing benches and hoists to assist a severely disabled person’s carer.
In 2021, as Chancellor, Rishi established a £30.5m grant scheme to help fund Changing Places toilets after he was first made aware of the lack of changing facilities for the severely disabled when visiting the Dales School at Morton on Swale in 2018.
Pendragon Community Trust is supported by the Northallerton 10K, an annual running event organised by the Kerfoot family.
The event raises awareness for the centre’s work while attracting over 1,300 runners this year alone. Among those taking part was Rishi, who ran the 10k to show his support for Pendragon and the wider community.
Rishi said: “Pendragon is an extraordinary centre that truly transforms lives. The new Sue Kerfoot Room will allow even more people with additional needs to access vital support in a welcoming environment. I am proud to see their commitment to accessibility, including their move to register as a Changing Places facility.”
David Kerfoot, founder of Pendragon Community Trust said: “It was a pleasure to have Rishi come along to our open day and he has always recognised the importance of this centre; not only in providing a safe and welcoming environment for our clients, but in providing some respite for parents and carers.”
