DONATIONS of desperately needed items for children and young people are keeping the memory of a Fordingbridge teenager alive decades after her death.

In the late 1970s a group of friends started to raise money to help a local teenager called Sarah Kinsley, who had kidney failure.

Sadly Sarah died, but in 1980 a charity was started in her memory as a permanent source of help for local children with special needs.

More than 30 years later that fund has helped scores of young people aged 0-19, living in Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Cranborne, Alderholt, Downton and the surrounding villages, with physical or emotional difficulties, long or short term illness or learning difficulties.

The Sarah Kinsley Fund provides help where statutory bodies such as the NHS are unable to.

Secretary Jane Marlow said: “Families often face additional expenses with children who have special needs.

“SKF can help by assisting in the purchase of equipment or services for which funding is not available from state sources.

“Recently we have helped with the purchase of a specialised buggy, a washing machine for a family where bed linen had to washed daily and transport costs to enable a child to attend an after school club to receive extra teaching support. We have also covered the cost of one-to-one support for a teenager to attend a residential school trip.”

Requests for help must come from a professional such as a doctor, social worker, paediatrician or educationalist.

Responses are usually given quickly and payments for goods or services are made directly to the provider.

All referrals are strictly confidential - only the fund, the referring body and family concerned know the source of help.

The fund can always do with more fundraisers and committee members.

Contact Mrs Marlow on 01425 655988 if you would like to help, or for more information go to www.sarahkinsleyfund.org.uk.