A charity that provides breaks for disabled people and carers is celebrating its Golden Jubilee anniversary today.

Vitalise, originally founded on July 8, 1963 as the Winged Fellowship Trust, provides short breaks for disabled people and carers at centres in the UK.

The charity today held a garden party and open day to mark its Golden Jubilee on the site of its first centre at Grange Farm, Chigwell.

Paying tribute to Vitalise’s founding trustee and visionary, the late Joan Brander MBE, Vitalise Trustee Linda Beaney said: “It all started on this very spot five decades ago.

“Joan Brander had a dream of a place where people with disabilities could enjoy a much-needed change of scene and their carers could take vital time out from caring.”

Originally just a few adapted rooms which opened for a few months each year and with an original nursing call system of ropes, bells and pulleys Vitalise now offers full-board respite care holidays, activities, excursions, 24-hour nursing care and on-call support.

Following increasing demand for the rooms the charity provided Mrs Brander and her colleagues grew Vitalise into the largest provider of respite breaks for people with disabilities and carers in the UK.

Ms Beaney said: “I would like to finish with the words Joan Brander: ‘Duty will often carry a problem along on wheels, but only love will carry it on wings, and only on wings will it be carried successfully.’”

After her speech Ms Beaney was presented with a cheque for £1,500 for the centre raised by Roding Rotary Club at a recent charity quiz night.

Vitalise Chief Executive Chris Simmonds said: “Vitalise was founded exactly 50 years ago to help restore hope and dignity.”

“Over the last five decades we have achieved so much and made so many friends along the way,” he added.

“We are now looking forward to our next half century with the same optimism and determination as we did all those years ago.”

The current centre was built on the Grange Farm site in 1978.

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