Two mothers made an emotional appeal to councillors not to close centres which cared for their disabled children.

Three of four county resource centres are earmarked for closure as a result of spending cuts.

Trish Allen, of Abingdon, told Oxfordshire County Council members that Summerfield Resource Centre in Wootton Road, Abingdon, was a lifeline for her autistic son Max, seven.

She said: "My family is very precious to me, aAll I need is a little bit of help to keep me sane, recharge my batteries and to feel that I can carry on. Please don't take that away from me." or next time it could be more than that - my son."

Louise Painter's son Mark, 14, has cerebral palsy and goes to of Chinnor, said her family desperately needed the Chiltern Resource Centre, Henley.

She said: "It means we can go out and do things with our other children which most other families do, walking, cycling, swimming. With Mark these all seem like marathon tasks which I never have the energy to contemplate."

Story date: Wednesday 10 February

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