Once a week my sister goes to Maplewood House; a respite centre in Bamber Bridge, this gives me and my mum a break from caring for her, most people would think that one night wouldn't mean that much, but it does to me.
If we didn’t get that one night of respite a week I would not get to spend much time with my mum and she would always be stressed because she wouldn’t get much sleep.
Not only do these nights mean so much to me but they mean a lot to my sister as well, it’s the one time that she gets to be with friends and have fun.
The one night that Stephanie goes to Maplewood is so special to me because it means that I can relax, spend time with my mum and dad and we can all get a good night’s sleep knowing we don’t have to worry about her fitting in the night.
I don’t know what I would do if Maplewood got shut down... I would be devastated...and I know that it’s not just me that would struggle but every family with a child that attends a respite centre.
I believe that respite is not a luxury it is a necessity and if it were shut down many families would be distraught and would really struggle, so I plea that respite is not shut down and that the council find some other way to cut back money,
Thank you.
