A new day centre run by Sense, the national deafblind charity, which offers specialist education and day services for people with sensory impairment and additional disabilities, behavioural and physical disability, has opened in Aldebry, near Beccles.

The aim of the centre is to provide specialised individual programmes of both education and therapeutic learning pathways.

The centre offers fantastic space both inside and out with the outside transformed by personnel from RAF Honington and Squadron Leader Dave Morris was on site to cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the centre last Thursday.

Along with her sister, Natalie, Daisy Wright came to the opening with the hope that funding can be arranged through her local authority to attend the centre in September.

Natalie Wright said: “Daisy loves learning but there’s nothing available for adults and she really wants to carry on learning.

“A lot of the day services cater for people who have more learning disabilities, but she’s very motivated and likes to be challenged.”

A Sense Resource Centre has operated in Dereham for a number of years and it was the demand from families for another facility in Suffolk which led to the development of the Aldeby site.

Among the work the charity does, it offers advice and consultancy, a support-living service, day services and children’s services.

Mike Gamble, the centre’s vice-principal who has spent more than 24 years working with Sense, said: “Sense nationally has different day centres and resources centres but in the eastern region we have a collection of these centres which form Sense College and this is one of nine and they are significantly different because they can attract education funding.

“Each of the resource centres offer education but also recreation and therapy.

“We are inspected by Ofsted so we have to evidence that we are making significant measurable outcomes such as more independence.”

The centre will open to learners in September when highly-trained staff will provide quality education and lifelong learning through a range of courses including arts, crafts and drama and information technology (IT). The programme aims to promote social skills, personal development, self-esteem and health and emotional wellbeing.

Learners are offered bespoke programmes tailored to their specific needs and each learner has an appointed mentor to support them to achieve their goals and enable them to be as independent as possible and play an active role in their local community.

The centre offers a fully-equipped multi-sensory room and sensory garden to aid stimulation, mobility and relaxation.

Learners will also be supported to exercise and try swimming, horse riding, the gym, hydrotherapy pool and walks in the park.

For more details about what Sense has to offer, go to http://www.sense.org.uk/