Disabled charity’s ACE cash windfall

DELIGHTED . . . (from left) Rachel Thwaite, Sara Dale, Sarah Wilcock and Ann Rushton

A charity which provides the disabled with communication aids has scooped the lion’s share of £250,000.

ACE Centre North has received two grants from the Department for Education. The Hollinwood-based organisation will get £131,251 this financial year and £115,133 in 2012/13.

The money will be shared with the Oxford-based ACE Centre South and provide free information and advice on technology to help people with communication difficulties.

Networking days will also be held so that professionals can share their expertise.

ACE Centre North manager Anna Reeves said: “This is obviously going to make a huge difference and help us to deliver our services.

“Principally, we are going to focus on developing better information services for the general pubic, for people who might need technology to support their communication.”

The centre is based at Hollinwood Business Centre, Albert Street, and counts Commons Speaker John Bercow among its supporters.

It works across the North and those it has helped include Andy Walker, from Shaw, who was paralysed in a climbing accident and is now appearing in Emmerdale.

But the charity was hit when the body which provided its funding was scrapped, while its consultancy income has been squeezed as local authorities tighten their belts.

Mayor of Oldham, Councillor David Jones, helped set up the organisation. It is named as one of his mayoral charities during his year in office.

Councillor Jones said: “This is excellent news. There are so many people who have either lost the ability to communicate through speech, or have never had the ability to communicate through speech, who because of ACE can communicate just the simplest things. These are people whose needs otherwise would not be recognised.”