Monday March 16th 2026
Facilities at Buddies Clubs and Services
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Catherine Hunter
A Glasgow charity dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities and additional needs has launched a Crowdfunding appeal to help sustain the services they offer.
Buddies Clubs and Services, based at Southbrae Drive in Jordanhill, has been described as the last group running a hands-on service for children and young adults with complex disability needs.
The organisation offers support which helps provide respite for parents and children from one another and demands passionate and dedicated staff.
Since they launched their campaign they have raised more than £12,000 but need more funds to help keep the service running.
Buddies was started by a group of parents in northwest Glasgow in October 1994 as a Sunday afternoon play club for their children who had a range of complex disabilities including autism.
The founder, Jane Hook, had already started Strathclyde Autistic Society in 1992 which was born to take on the politics of having autism recognised as a disability and provide appropriate schools and other needs.
It was quickly realised that the parent members needed some sort of service provision for their children.
In 2018 Buddies moved into the Southbrae Centre as a revamp was going on in their old building in Netherton.
At Southbrae they found a magical home, where one side of the building offers activities and services for pre five and the other perfectly designed for those with disability needs.
As it stands there is a waiting list of over 100, growing daily but despite the clear demand funding has become increasingly difficult for the charity to secure over the past few years.
The charity’s new location in Jordanhill has at times led funders to assume a level of financial security that does not reflect the level of the high support needs of Buddies Service users.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused more problems and a deficit of more than £117,000 last year used up most of the reservices.
Jane worries that if this situation continues it will soon leave the main services in a very vulnerable position.
She explained: “Although we receive funding from The Glasgow Communities Fund which was introduced after local elections resulted in a change in council. It is no longer sufficient to help fund our core staff needs.
“We don’t really turn children away. The only time where we would do that is if they have high medical needs and we have had a couple with medical needs.
“When I started all of this there were 24 holiday clubs in the Strathclyde region and we had all these wonderful opportunities like weekends away.
“The club has really expanded around the young people. They have helped to develop all the services for example Friday nights out and teen evenings.
“We must get some money that really supports the differences these children have. The fact that they are complex and they have these needs – if they don’t have this then they don’t have anything else because their needs are so high.
“A child might fit in at mainstream primary which is often not too bad for some bright ones because they are in one class but when they try to go to their after school – the after school can’t take them – not because they don’t want to but because they don’t have enough staff.
“For our young people to access anything there must be the right level of staff.
“So far we have raised £12,000 through crowdfunding but we need more publicity. So the money raised will go towards the services.
“We also have some young adults here that I don’t think any other organisation could actually cope with – I am not being big headed, it’s just from my knowledge. Options are very limited.”
To donate or find out more about the organisation visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/buddiesclubsandservices.
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