EIGHT-year-old Sophie Hennah is, by any definition of the term, a battler - and she has had to be.

Severe disablement and a string of serious health problems mean she has spent much of her life in hospitals and clinics. That she has reached eight years of age is in itself a remarkable achievement.

Sophie, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, has had major operations to re-align her hips and correct a gastric problem.

She has also been prone to chest problems and pneumonia, which on occasions have left her dangerously close to death.

Caring for her, while also bringing up her 12-year-old brother, Nathan, and four-year-old sister, Phoebe, has been a huge challenge for parents Ian and Julie. The family live in Liswerry, Newport.

Mr Hennah had to give up work, but one of the major challenges has been securing all the help the family needs to cope with Sophie's ongoing problems.

This has involved a seemingly endless round of clinic appointments and case meetings, the experiences of which have long since convinced them of the need for a one-stop centre catering for the needs of disabled youngsters and their families.

"It can be a soul-destroying experience, having to go to clinics where the parking is appalling or non-existent, and where the design of the buildings is completely unsympathetic to the needs of disabled youngsters," said Mr Hennah.

"Eveswell (clinic, in Newport) is typical of that. The staff do their best but the premises are not up to the job, and it's been like that for years.

"Then you find yourself having to go here, there and everywhere for meetings with social services and education and others in different places, and often the information just isn't there because of communication problems.

"You can end up getting very frustrated and angry, and that just adds to the stress of trying to care for a child like Sophie.

"The sad thing is, these are problems faced by thousands of families, not just ours." Mr Hennah has been a trustee of the South Gwent Children's Foundation, the charity behind the children's centre project and the Sparkle Appeal, for several years.

"This centre is long overdue, and a lot of parents are pinning their hopes on it," said Mr Hennah.

"The Sparkle Appeal will provide the bricks and mortar, if you like, to allow us to set up a new way of providing services for disabled children.

"But it's also about empowering parents, getting them involved a lot more deeply in the provision of these services and how they want them run."