A £7,000 grant is making sure Bizzykidz keep busy. The group was set up by Ely parents struggling to find activities for their youngsters with special needs. They discovered there were few activities outside school where the needs of the children, who suf

A £7,000 grant is making sure Bizzykidz keep busy.

The group was set up by Ely parents struggling to find activities for their youngsters with special needs.

They discovered there were few activities outside school where the needs of the children, who suffer from a range of conditions, including Down's Syndrome and autism, were understood.

"Restricted access to leisure activities also restricts opportunities for other children in the family," said the group's chairman, Sarah Oakley. "Being a family with a disabled child all too often means being a disabled family.

"Bizzykidz has been set up to address this. The parents involved have all put huge efforts into setting it up, balancing the needs of their children with the needs of the wider family and, in most cases, the demands of their careers and other voluntary commitments, too."

Now their hard work has been rewarded with a grant from the Local Network Fund, which is administered by Littleport-based Cambridgeshire ACRE.

It is the group's only source of funding, which has enabled it to offer a range of activities for children aged between two and 19 with documented special needs attending school or living in East Cambridgeshire.

Activities include sailing, wall climbing, horse riding, swimming, music and movement sessions, trampolining and football among others.

All the activities are free and can be booked through the group's website at www.bizzykidz.org.uk or by phone on 07882074864.