Friends Day Centre

Friends Day Centre is a Non-Profit Organisation with humble beginnings. In 1959 Lorna Ingram started a care and learning facility for her son, David and 4 other children who had special needs. The original facility was a small building the size of a double garage. From those simple beginnings, Friends Day Centre has grown into a care facility for up to 120 learners with severe and profound disabilities. Those receiving treatment are from ages as young as 2 years old and the facilities have expanded over the years to 10 classrooms, a physiotherapy room, a jacuzzi for hydrotherapy, outdoor swimming pool and a sensory room. More than 30 staff members attend to the needs of the learners and 3 buses provide transport for around 40 learners. Friends Day Centre, operates from 08h15 to 14h00, Mondays to Fridays during Western Cape school terms and is situated on the grounds of Alexandra Hospital in Maitland, Cape Town. The Centre provides appropriate education, personal skills development and an array of therapies for learners. The Centre accommodates learners from different communities, suffering from various and / or multiple disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida and epilepsy, among others. The aim is to enhance their quality of life, encourage a degree of independence and give them the chance to live a relatively normal life. The Centre provides parents with the peace of mind that their special needs child is being cared for during the workday.