A SUMMER camp for young people with learning disabilities is set to go ahead thanks to a £1,500 donation from Thornbury Round Table.

The camp, held in August by Bristol-based charity Brandon Trust, will give 20 young people from South Gloucestershire and Bristol an invaluable opportunity to make friends, try new activities, have fun, and increase their confidence and independence in a safe environment, as well as giving family respite from their role as carers.

Brandon Trust manager Izzy Clarke, who runs the camps, said: "We are so grateful to Thornbury Round Table for this very generous donation.

“We need to raise £20,000 each year to ensure we can run the camp and offer young people we support the extraordinary benefits that it can give them.

"It's amazing to see how the young people grow in confidence, from being quite shy at the start to pushing themselves and trying new and daring activities like abseiling, to becoming more confident and helping themselves to dinner and breakfast in the morning unsupported to helping the staff dish out the dinner.

“They also develop social skills and become more confident in social environments for example, chatting away to friends whilst toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate around the evening fire."

A spokesman for the Round Table said: "We are proud to have been able to support and donate much-needed funds to Brandon Trust.

“Throughout the year our members at Round Table spend time engaging in fundraising activities such as running the local fireworks display, and visiting residents with the Santa float and his elves.

“It allows us to raise funds that we can redistribute to local causes. Brandon struck a chord as the work they do benefits some incredible people and their families.

“Providing support for these families is vital in helping them manage and sustain a good quality of life.

"Round Table is a young man's organisation that provides young men from the local area with a platform for social networking, getting involved in fun activities and events, as well as engaging with community-based activities. We're always willing to welcome like-minded men who want to have a social outlet and do some good in the community."