A TAVISTOCK charity which provides help for children with additional needs has welcomed an additional grant of £2,000 which will allow it to help many more children.

The Mary Budding Trust had applied for the money from the Devon Community Foundation. The charity gives grants to fund special equipment for children with additional needs, be they physical or mental.

Sarah Pendle, chair of the trustees thanked DFC for their generosity, saying that the grant would certainly allow Mary Budding Trust to help many more children. The trust was set up to support children with additional needs living in the West Devon area by providing grants and equipment.

Further details and an application form can be found on the Mary Budding website at www.marybuddingtrust.org.uk

The charity has existed in its present form since 2002, but has its roots in the work with children pioneered by the local doctor the charity is named after.

As the medical officer for Tavistock and District, the late Dr Mary Budding devoted much of her life to helping children. Her work brought her into contact with families with children with severe difficulties. Recognising there was little structured support for them, she set out to rectify this. With the help of charity Mencap, the Mary Budding Centre was opened in 1984 in a converted Victorian cottage. It supported six children under five and gave the opportunity for support from psychologists, medical officers, speech therapists and other experts. It also gave parents regular access to support.