PRESS RELEASE 2nd
February 2012
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sir Peter Bottomley visits children’s
centre
Worthing West MP Sir Peter Bottomley made a
special visit to the Camelia Botnar Children’s Centre recently.
The centre, a
registered charity, is fully inclusive and free of charge to all pre-school
children. Sir Peter was welcomed by Michael Kay, Director of Partnerships & Fundraising,
and given a tour of the purpose built centre that has been supporting families in and around the constituency for the past 32 years.
An invaluable
resource for families requiring early years care for their children, the West Sussex centre
has many specialties that provide co-ordinated
support to all families and their children, whatever their special needs.
Sir Peter met some
of the staff and children during his visit and was shown the specialist
nurseries and areas which support the special needs children - including
sensory rooms, adapted equipment, and toys that cater for the differing needs
of each child.
Currently caring for 90 children during
term-time only, the centre is now completely reliant on donations. The care is provided free for the families
who need it, and this commitment is at the heart of the charity.
The centre is working hard to secure enough
funding to expand, refurbish, and open 50 weeks of the year. As well as aiming
to attract fundraising support from individuals and local businesses, the
centre is also offering its facilities for hire by other special needs groups and
the wider community – Sir Peter was shown the rooms and areas which are
available for hire when not being used by the early years team.
Sir Peter Bottomley said: “As an MP, my aim is to represent
local interests, giving attention and help to constituents and local groups. I
am particularly interested in helping those with family responsibilities and
special needs and that’s why I was extremely pleased to be asked to visit the
Camelia Botnar Children’s Centre. This much needed resource, which has no state
or external funding, needs the local community to get behind it to help raise
awareness and funds”.
Michael Kay commented: “We were so pleased to welcome Sir
Peter Bottomley to the centre. We hope that his support will encourage the
local community to help us raise £150,000 this year so that we can continue to
provide our services for free, expand and refurbish. We need individual volunteers
and local businesses to support us - individuals through sponsored events,
donations or regular giving; and local businesses through payroll giving, sponsorship
schemes or naming us as their charity of the year.”
For further information on how you can support the centre, please
contact Michael Kay, Director of Partnerships and Fund-raising, on 07711
432491, 01903 504077 or by emai michael.kay.cbcc@btconnect.com.
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Notes
for Editors:
Contact for more information
about the charity:
About the Camelia Botnar
Children’s Centre:
The Children’s
Centre is a registered charity which was founded by Octav and Marcela Botnar in
memory of their daughter Camelia in 1979.
The centre was previously supported by the Nissan UK and the Camelia
Botnar Foundation, however funding from both sources ceased in 2009. The children’s centre receives no state or
external funding and is 100% reliant on donations. The future aim is to secure
enough funding to expand and refurbish the centre and to evaluate the
possibility of opening for 50 weeks of the year.
The centre was
purpose built for pre-school children especially for those with special needs
and from disadvantaged homes. Now the facilities are fully inclusive for all
children from 2 months to 5 years, and are free of charge. There are four
nursery groups with a high staff ratio of expertly trained nursery nurses
ensuring each child receives individual attention. Children with social needs
and long-term medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma and cystic fibrosis
are welcome at the centre which also has sensory rooms.
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