Halton Lodge Children’s Centre recently had the launch of their re-fitted sensory room which will bring essential sensory stimulation for children in the local area living with a disability, serious illness or life limiting condition. The community space makeover was delivered as part of our Community Dreams programme.

Halton Lodge is a Children’s Centre serving the communities in the local Halton area and was opened in Runcorn in 2004, the centre, one of eight in the area under council ownership, offers a range of targeted, universal and early intervention services to local children and families. 

There are around 3200 children registered as living in the reach area of Halton Lodge Children’s Centre of around 8500 in Runcorn. 

      

Families living across Halton are eligible to use any of the 8 children’s centres they wish and are not limited to their nearest centre. The current sensory room was installed when the centre was originally developed and remains largely unchanged from that time. 

But the Children’s Centre recognised it was in desperate need of modernisation and refurbishment, so that they could continue to offer it as a valuable resource to local families. Hence, applying to Dreams Come True Charity under their Community Dreams programme.  

The sensory room revamp includes a new bubble tube, sequin panels, fiber-optics lights, a UV carpet, a variety of interactive technology and much more, with the specialist features providing benefits such as improved cognitive function, stimulation, play, hand-eye coordination, relaxation, sound/ light interaction and many other benefits to the children. 

Angela McManus, Senior Early Help Officer at Runcorn Children’s Centres commented, ‘We are so grateful to have been chosen to receive this support. We hope that when complete, the new facility will enable us to welcome more families from these groups into our children’s centre. We will also continue to welcome all families from across the community to use and enjoy the new space.’ 

The Children’s Centre in Halton provides a community-based sensory facility for all registered families to increase access by local children and families with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting illness, so it is a very well-used feature of the centre..

Head of Service Delivery at Dreams Come True Charity, Clare Messenger said,

“What makes this Community Dream so special is that it will serve so many families in the local communities served by the centre, and the refreshed facilities will only increase and amplify the positive mental and physical benefits such an innovative facility provides. We would also like to mention and give special thanks to Sense Sensory, the company behind the specialist equipment design and installation for their invaluable help and support during this project.”