A SCHEME which provides a lifeline to parents of disabled children has stopped because of a lack of funding.

The Dash scheme, which holds after-school clubs, days out and holiday play schemes for children with special needs in Darlington, has lost its main funding source.

And organisers have stopped all its projects indefinitely, from the October half-term holiday, to avoid running into debt.

Dash, which is run by the Darlington Association on Disability (Dad), has been funded by Children in Need for the past 12 years.

But the TV charity trust cut off funding to the scheme earlier this year.

Lauren Robinson, manager of Dad, said: "We knew that it was going to stop at some point. Children in Need have been very good to us and have funded us for a long time.

"We had contingency plans in place and those kept us going over the summer months.

"But we still have to find a funding source. We are in the process of doing that at the moment. If we carry on as we are, we would run into debt while waiting for the funding, and that would be bad management."

Ms Robinson could not give a date when the schemes would resume, but said she hoped it would be in time for the Christmas holidays.

One mother, who did not want to be named, uses the scheme for her two children.

She said: "I don't have anything else apart from Dash. I don't know what I'm going to do. The kids love the scheme. All I hear about every school holiday from them is 'when are we going to Dash?'

"They are going to be so disappointed when I tell them it has stopped until further notice."

Dash has recently won the accolade of being included in a list of good services by the University of York's social policy department.

The scheme is in the Sharing Value Directory, which is a guide to good schemes, voted for by users.

Ms Robinson said: "We are really pleased about being included in the directory and hope we can resume the schemes as soon as possible."