Parents of youngsters with cerebral palsy have been left anxious and disappointed after the charity providing vital help for their children was made homeless by the school where it was based.

Step and Learn, which is situated in Rochester, runs free sessions for dozens of young people across in Kent.

The charity has been using a room at Twydall Primary School in Gillingham but will not be returning in Easter after the school decided to cut ties.

Louise Bailey from Dover takes her daughter Ava to sessions at Step and Learn as she has cerebral palsy and is visually impaired.

She said the work the charity does is incredible and the progress Ava has made has been huge.

"They encourage the children that attend to reach their full potential," she said.

"I genuinely believe that Ava would not have made the progress that she has today without them.

"The staff work so unbelievably hard and get to know each child personally and find what works for them. I’m forever grateful that we found them."

The mother, who stared taking her five-year-old to sessions at Step and Learn in March last year, says it is upsetting that the charity now does not have a venue to run its sessions from.

"I hope that they are able to find an alternative base as soon as possible as their work is invaluable to families like ours," she said.

"We were told when Ava was born that she would not do much but they work miracles in that room, it just goes to show that the consistent work with children can help them so much. A couple of weeks ago she stood on her own.

"When we first started attending she was not able to sit up on her own or roll properly or get into a crawling position. She could not really do much in terms of moving herself. But in that short period of time of her attending weekly, she got to sitting.

"Ava would not have made the progress that she has today without them..."

"We were paying for private physio but she made such quick progress at Step and Learn that we stopped it and just attended there weekly. The progress was so much more than what we were paying for."

Ms Bailey says children need consistency and is worried Ava's progress could come to a halt.

"They are an incredible charity and they do this all for free and it is such a shame because we do not know when they are going to restart sessions," she said.

"I think all her progress will come to a halt. Step and Learn has all the equipment and knowledge.

"Because she is visually impaired, she struggles to gain confidence too and I think with Step and Learn she understands what is happening and knows what to expect."

The chairman for the charity, Patrick Barden said he is disappointed the charity's partnership with Twydall School has come to an end.

"The search for new premises has been ongoing with few successful leads," he said.

"There are a few contributing factors, the first one is cost.

"We are unable to commit to a commercial unit due to a binding contract of a long-term lease and our reserve pool is not healthy enough to satisfy potential landlords.

"Secondly, we need a large amount of storage for all of our equipment. We ideally need a large classroom or a small dining hall.

"We are hoping we can find somewhere and I hope we do not end up in a position where we have to stop offering the support..."

"We are grateful to the Academy at Woodlands for offering us a classroom to rent.

"With the current economic climate and a severe decrease in funding being made available, we are going to need to increase our fundraising efforts in order to cover our outgoings, which will now include rent."

Trustees for the charity, Karen Parsler and Charlotte Streatfield both said it is disappointing.

"The school has allowed us to use the space for free so we are grateful for that," Ms Streatfield said.

"Trying to find a new premises with the funds we have available is quite challenging.

"My daughter has been going to Step and Learn for 13 years. The help they have given her has been invaluable. When I offered to become a trustee I thought I would be able to give something back.

"We are hoping we can find somewhere and I hope we do not end up in a position where we have to stop offering the support. There is nothing like Step and Learn around here - we are the only ones who offer it for free."

Ms Parsler said the charity ran its last session from Twydall Primary on April 1.

"I have an extra level of worry because of the role I have on the board as a trustee," she added.

"If we cannot find somewhere to operate then we do not have a job.

"This has left our charity very vulnerable. We have 51 families who come from all over Kent.

"Everything has gone into storage. I have not been able to find anywhere that we can go with enough storage space and within our budget.

"We need a place with a lot of floor space too."

The charity is asking for anyone who may be able to help them to get in touch. Email patrickbarden@stepandlearn.org or call 07395 127815.

Twydall School has been contacted for comment.