A Bristol charity planning to open the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's first leisure centre for disabled children has reached a major fundraising milestone.
Gympanzees started work on the fully accessible exercise and play facility, on the site of a former service station at Aust near the M48 Severn Bridge, in January.
The organisation's latest crowdfunding campaign has raised more than £250,000 from more than 1,100 supporters.
The cash will go towards the centre, which is expected to open in 2026.
The charity wrote on LinkedIn: "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We’ve officially filled the G – and it’s all thanks to YOU!
"Every donation, share, partnership, fundraiser, and cheer has helped us reach this incredible milestone. We are truly blown away.
"That’s £250,000 raised to take the next big step towards building the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s first fully accessible leisure facility for disabled children and young people.
"Please keep donating if you can, and sharing. It all helps bring us closer to our goal. Together, we will ."
Gympanzees has so far raised £5.4m of its £8m target for the new centre. When finished, the hub will host 200,000 disabled children, young people and their families every year.
The facility will have a selection of rooms including a horizontal climbing wall that will be accessible for all children and two-storey soft play with a wheelchair lift.
Founder Stephanie Wheen came up with the idea in 2016 and the charity was previously reliant on pop-up events, taking place in temporary homes around Bristol.
The sessions have been incredibly popular with more 28,000 visitors enjoying the access to fun and fitness, alongside lending specialist equipment to more than 2,800 families and schools.
"After feeling like a pipe dream at times, it now feels incredibly real," Ms Wheen said earlier this year.
"We are doing something never done before and we now have a site and work has begun, our permanent home is closer than ever."
