DORSET'S disability charity, Diverse Abilities has announced plans to move its children's short breaks services from West Moors to a new base in Hurn.

The 'exciting' new centre will be based at Adventure Wonderland and will be known as The Treehouse.

This will include play sessions for children with special educational needs and teenagers aged two to 18.

These include sessions for the whole family, for children to attend alone, sibling support groups, and family support.

The services moving to this new location are Coping with CHAOS Project, Awesome Nights, STARS sibling support, and Family Support Sessions.

Mark Powell, CEO at Diverse Abilities, said: "This is such an exciting development for everyone involved, and we are thrilled to be able to expand our reach.

"After working alongside the team at Adventure Wonderland over the past few months to assess how this move could work best for us and the families we support, we are pleased to come to an agreement which will see us opening our doors in time for the Easter holidays in 2024."

Clare Rochford, manager of Short Breaks Services, said: "There is a growing need across Dorset and beyond to provide more support for SEND children and their families.

"As a charity, we're always looking for ways to make this possible, and this will truly make such a huge difference to everyone involved."

A spokesperson for Adventure Wonderland said: "We've worked closely with Diverse Abilities over the years to ensure the children and families can visit for days out and make long-lasting memories.

"To be able to continue this support, providing much-needed space and facilities is such a wonderful way to help support families with disabled children."

Adventure Wonderland will be retaining over half of the existing site, including the huge Alice in Wonderland Maze and Alice Café, and is planning a new and exciting family-friendly attraction to open later in 2024.

The charity will open its doors at its new site in time for the 2024 Easter holidays and welcomes any support from the community and businesses looking to fundraise for the refurbishment work or to volunteer to help with painting, decorating, and gardening.