Families, staff and friends of Stepping Stones turned out in force for a fun day at Oasis Longmeadow Academy on Saturday, which raised over £3,000 for the Trowbridge children’s charity.

The event included stalls, face painting, bouncy castle, barbecue and a raffle, with prizes such as an overnight stay and evening meal in The Castle Inn Bradford on Avon and a family day pass to Center Parcs.

Stepping Stones, which serves children in west Wiltshire with learning difficulties and disabilities, lost £10,000 of funding from Wiltshire Council in February, after central government withdrew its Aiming High For Disabled Children grants.

This left the centre needing to raise a total of £50,000 a year and prompted the Wiltshire Times to launch a campaign to make up the shortfall, with the total raised now standing at over £12,000.

Nicky Gallop, fundraising committee chairman, said: “It looks like the fun day raised over £3,000, which is fantastic.”

Sarah Cottle, fundraising co-ordinator, added: “We want to thank everyone who helped, including Center Parcs and The Castle Inn.”

The committee also thanked Sainsbury’s in Trowbridge and Aldi in Westbury for donating food and drink, as well as Bounce-A-Roo, which supplied the bouncy castle and face painting.

Another fundraising event for Stepping Stones takes place in September, when cyclists ride along the Kennet and Avon Canal from Bradford on Avon to Bath.

George’s Marvellous Bike Ride is an annual memorial event launched after the death of nine-year-old George Hutchings in 2012. George had quadriplegic cerebral palsy and benefitted hugely from similar specialist services in his local area of Ipswich during his lifetime.

Register at www.georgesmarvellousbikeride.org.uk