Woodville family’s plan for centre giving disabled a place to go

Pip beside the section of land where she and husband Jules hope to be able to build the centre. Photo / Leanne Warr

Ryan Cook was born with more than a few challenges.

Now 19, he is almost at the age where he will no longer be able to attend school and his family are left wondering, what next?

So Pip and Jules Cook decided to do something about it by gifting some land on their Woodville farm toward creating a disability service with, amongst other things, a day programme for youngsters and adults with intellectual disabilities or learning difficulties.

Pip spoke to Tararua District Council’s Community Development and Wellbeing committee about the project - Planet Ryan - and her plans for helping others in a similar situation to her son’s.

Pip Cook at the home in Woodville. Photo / Leanne Warr

Ryan came to the Cook family when he was 5 months old.

“We have four older children of our own,” Pip says.

“We fostered children for quite a few years and we had this wee boy come to us.”

What was supposed to have been six-week emergency care became a permanent home for Ryan, who was born with cri-du-chat syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by missing pieces on a chromosome.

Pip says the family struggled their way through, with very little financial support or even support from therapists.

“The services just weren’t out there.”

With the help of disability advocate Jane Carrigan, they were able to work their way through the funding issues and started investigating what it would look like when Ryan would age out of the school system, which happens at 21.

“Bringing up a child with a disability is incredibly isolating. There are no support groups. There are no family groups. There’s no community.

“They can’t fit into the normal activities that go in a community at times. School is … where they thrive.”

Ryan with mum Pip has a few favourite activities he likes to do. Photo / Leanne Warr

Pip and Jules have done some research into what happens when a child such as Ryan ages out of the system and they say the numbers are not great.

She says 89 per cent of young adults in the local area don’t have any day programme options, for most they and their families are condemned to an invisible life of isolation.

“We looked at what could we do and what can we do for our family. Then it just grew and grew into quite a big project.”

Jane says the land is being gifted to the Planet Ryan Family Foundation and while there are still a few hurdles to get over, the plan is to use the land to set up a day programme for both young people and adults.

She says there is also a plan for small respite housing which people can rent. The client could come in with their carer and stay.

The intention is for the centre to be self-sustainable, rather than rely on government contracts, using a nursery where those who have the capacity can work and on sell what’s produced to various organisations and contractors.

“We are also looking at setting up a market garden,” Jane says.

“Conversations have been around not just capacity building but a genuine community enterprise and the real need for growing native seedlings.”

Pip says they’re keen on making sure that Planet Ryan is kept within the community.

“We want it to be for this community because we’ve lived in Woodville for 18 years.

“We’re really passionate about keeping it for this community and the local area.”