While much focus is given to the children who attend Nascot Lawn, and their parents, many people forget that the centre's closure will affect more children.

Laura Murphy, 11, attended the public consultation on Monday to support her mother Angelina in the fight to keep the centre open.

Liam, eight, is non-verbal, and is fed through a gastronomy tube. He is oxygen dependent, has chronic lung disease, epilepsy and Downs Syndrome.

She said: "Growing up with a brother like Liam is quite different. Different is pretty much the only word I can find.

"I love him because he is my brother, but I want to be able to do things with him that other kids do with their brothers and sisters.

""It is great spending time with my mum too, but we do not always get the time that we want."

Liam attends Nascot Lawn once or twice a month, and this is the only time that Laura gets to spend one-on-one with her parents.

Although Liam has other carers, these visits are not often or consistent enough for the family to make plans.

The next closest respite centre for the family is in Luton, but there is not the same level of care available, which usually results in a trip to the hospital.

She added: "After he has been to Luton, we usually have to go to hospital afterwards. Sometimes he is hospital for a couple of days, at other times for a couple of months.

"He just came back from another trip to hospital a couple of weeks ago.

"I get very worried and I love him so much that I get really scared when he goes into hospital.

"When this happens, I talk to my mum and she makes me feel better.

"When he gets out I spend as much time with him as I can."

As different as this childhood is, there are still sibling rivalries.

"Sometimes he likes to hit me around the side of the face, but most of the time he likes spending time with me.

"I like singing, so if he is unwell I sing to him and then I sing to myself.

That brings my anxiety down so I don't feel as worried."

"I do not want to be selfish, and I love him so much but it is nice when he goes to Nascot Lawn it means I get a break too."

Laura wants to be a singer or a teacher when she grows up, but she hasn't even started secondary school yet, and is just another child affected by these cuts.