A CHARITY has donated £1,000 to an organisation that works with autistic children.

The Lord's Taverners, cricket's official charity, is paying for a bubble machine for the Toby Henderson Trust's sensory room.

It works by producing coloured bubbles in a vertical tube, which provide much-needed visual stimulation for children.

Lesley Henderson, of the Toby Henderson Trust, which is based in Morpeth, Northumberland, said: "Most autistic children can only process through one of the senses at a time, such as smell or sight.

"But using equipment such as the bubble machine and fibre-optic lights in our sensory room will go some way to enhancing their long-term learning development. We are grateful for the support the Lord's Taverners has provided.

"As a free service for parents, we are always struggling to find sufficient funds to ensure that the centre can keep itself running from month to month."

The Toby Henderson Trust, established in 2001, works with children of all ages who have an autism spectrum disorder.

Colin Basey, chairman for the Northumberland and Durham region of the Lord's Taverners, said: "We are delighted to be able to help out. Lesley and her team provide a great service to both children and parents throughout the North-East.

"We are dedicated to continuing our work with children with special needs, so if there are any charities in the North-East who require funding, I urge them to get in contact to see if we can help them out."

People can call 01661-842356.