Monday March 23rd 2026
Jamie McIlroy
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Catherine Hunter
Parents of children who attend a Glasgow organisation dedicated to helping those with complex needs say they are “absolutely terrified” about its future.
Buddies Clubs and Services, based at Southbrae Drive in Jordanhill, is looking to raise £100,000 to help sustain the services they offer, which cares for children and adults with complex disability needs.
Buddies provide support to these children and their families by offering respite, and needs passionate and dedicated staff. They also offer nursery services to all children between 0 and five years of age.
The way Buddies was funded has changed and the organisation, which has a waiting list of over 100, has now launched a fundraising campaign.
Rosemary McIlroy’s son, Jamie, is 37 years old and has severe autism and complex needs.
Rosemary says Buddies has been like a second family to them both.
She said: “We lived in Germany for 25 years and we lost Jamie’s Dad in Germany from cancer so when I came back I was completely lost – it was Jamie and I.
“My daughter is in Manchester so we were alone and didn’t know how the system worked, we didn’t have social work or anything.
“A friend of my niece, who used to work here, told me about Buddies so I phoned them up and from that moment I just felt supported.
“Jamie started going to Netherton, the previous place and it is not easy for him as he is non-verbal although he is beginning with words but it takes a lot of time for him to feel at ease but he just settled straight into Buddies.
“For the past nine years they have been like a second family to us and when I say that I mean it.
“The main thing Buddies do that no one else has done, not even in Germany, is they come and collect Jamie. They look after him so he can be with other young people and I can’t tell you how important that is.
“It is the only way he has contact with other young people that he can grow a relationship with on his terms because it takes him a long time. He has single words and he can write about Buddies all the time.
“This is his lifeline. I can’t imagine life without them.
“We are absolutely terrified about the future and terrified for all these children with complex needs because who is going to be providing what they need if the charities can’t do it and are not supported.
“They are a unique organisation and the thought that they might not continue at one point fills me with horror.”
Adele Brown’s daughter Brodie McKenzie is 12 and has been attending Buddies since she was nine months old.
Brodie also has autism and global development delay which means she is 18 to 24 months behind other children in her age group.
Adele said: “Brodie started off in the nursery when she was nine months old. I also have a 24-year-old son so there is a 12 year age difference between my two.
“I was slightly unwell after I had Brodie and I wouldn’t let her out my sight so Buddies took her in and she started off at the Netherton Community Centre nursery.
“Brodie was having difficulties and they got her the help she needed. She was non verbal until she was six years old. She does speak now but she speaks in a very American accent.
“Brodie went to mainstream school but she just got lost. We tried our hardest to get her into a specialist school for kids with disabilities but it didn’t work back then.
“She went to school for two hours a day. The school fought very hard for four years and we got her into Abercorn Secondary School with the help of Buddies.
“Buddies is just a lifeline. Brodie goes to the afterschool programme on a Monday, Friday and she goes to all the holiday clubs.
“It is all she speaks about is her friends in Buddies but she doesn’t have friends outside Buddies. She just adores it here and these are her people. They have known her since she was nine months old and she will go onto the adult services.
“We both would be lost without Buddies in a world I don’t understand. I would be terrified if anything was to happen and I will do anything in my power to save the place.
“They are not just amazing with the kids, they are amazing with the parents as well. The staff are like family.”
For more information or to donate to Buddies please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/buddiesclubsandservices
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