A THERAPY centre for children with severe learning difficulties has got a new minibus after a restaurateur raised £47,000 to buy the vehicle.

Staff from Rainbows at the Holden Centre in Barrowford yesterday took possession of the keys to the vehicle from Kevin Berkins at one of his establishments, the Fence Gate Inn.

Mr Berkins, who also owns the Eagle at Barrow, in the Ribble Valley, has spent the last two years raising the cash through a variety of events, including the annual Fence Gate Charity Ball.

The minibus will be used to take children to and from the centre, where they undergo intensive therapy sessions.

Manager Beverley Hargreaves said it would make a ‘huge’ difference to the Gisburn Road centre, which caters for 15 children, aged six months to four years.

She said: “We are absolutely thrilled because our minibus is over 15 years old now, so it’s dropping to bits.

“Barrowford is not the easiest place to get to on the bus, so parents with no other means of transport rely on us coming out and picking their children up.

“It is very important because if we didn’t have a bus then a huge percentage of children would not be able to come in and get the therapy they need.”

The centre is operated by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Iveco minbus is a nine-seater model, complete with an oxygen tank, and is kitted out for children who rely on a wheelchair.

Mr Berkins said: “I pass the centre on my way to work, I have two daughters myself and a shop, Michelle B’s in Barrowford, so I like to see any money raised used locally.

“A couple of years ago, they said their minibus was coming to an end and the NHS would not put its hand in its pocket, so being a big-mouth, I said I would get them one!”