The remarkable story of a dream that was finally brought to realisation from the ashes of bitter disappointment...

THEY HAD a dream - to build a phenomenal state-of-the-art centre that would enable them to expand their renowned care for disabled children and their families.

After seven years of rigorous fund-raising, the Rose Road Association's long-awaited dream has been realised - but not without its fair share of heartache along the way.

From the ashes of a fire last year that caused extensive damage to the almost completed building and which put back the move by nine months - a sparkling new, fully-functional centre has emerged triumphant.

Now, trustees, staff, fundraisers, parents and brothers and sisters involved with the Rose Road Association are standing proudly at the top of the mountain that was, to see the new facilities at Aldermoor up and running.

The awesome achievement will today be given the royal seal of approval when His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, visits the Bradbury Centre to share in the heartfelt celebrations of the official opening ceremony.

But it is debatable whether the sheer hard work, determination and generosity of community members that it took to get to this point today can be fully appreciated in just one visit.

As the saying goes, from little acorns do big oak trees grow - and when the Rose Road Association first started up back in 1952, it was by a small group of determined parents.

Since then, the association has branched out and blossomed beyond recognition.

In 1967, the old centre at Rose Road, Southampton was opened providing specialist teaching for children and young adults with profound and multiple disabilities.

But gradually, a soaring reputation for excellent services and commitment to care and teaching meant that available room and places became scarce.

A move to bigger and better facilities was a must.

Seven years ago, the all-important decision to build the new centre was made - and there would be no looking back. The council provided the land - a landfill site at Aldermoor.

A whopping £5m had to be raised and, because of this, the famous Rose Road Appeal and familiar "Matty Mole" mascot were brought to life in 1996.

But it would not take long to raise the money, for the community embraced the appeal with fervent enthusiasm.

From bake sales to lunch meetings, fashion shows to football goods auctions, the cheques from well-wishers eager to do their bit came rolling in as the appeal gripped Southampton and south Hampshire. While local businesses held events and made huge donations, fundraising staff said that even the smallest contributions were treasured.

Fundraising manager for the Rose Road Appeal, Louise Sarton said: "It was great to see the community coming together to raise as much as they could. We had people jumping out of planes and walking miles for the appeal.

"We never thought we would reach over £5m. To do that was a staggering feat."

By the end of 2002 the target was reached and construction work got under way.

As well as the new classrooms and specialised therapy facilities, bigger respite wings equipped with purpose-built bathrooms began to take shape.

The main aim of the new centre was to enable more children to attend the school and respite centre, and to provide a more spacious overall plan for safety purposes.

By March 2003, construction was finally completed and the Rose Road Association readied themselves for the exciting move they had been waiting for.

But the plans went up in smoke after that disaster fire. It swept through the building causing extensive heat damage.

Chief executive of the association, Heather Aspinall said it was a huge blow as the move was set back nine months: "It was an extremely frustrating time. The fire set us back but not forever. We're a determined bunch."

Bitter disappointment was soon turned into a driven determination to get the project back on track and all the electrical and mechanical damage was made good.

As the year drew to a close so too did the old centre, as staff moved to Aldermoor to carry on their invaluable work with a promising new beginning.

Today, with the smell of fresh paint still in the air, the Earl of Wessex will bear witness to the efforts of so many for the disabled children of south Hampshire.

He will take a tour round the new centre after switching on the lights of the water feature and aquarium in reception, that touchingly, are to remember a child who attended Rose Road for many years.

As easy as it is to assume this is the end of the Rose Road chapter after seven long years - it marks a fresh start for the future.

Mrs Aspinall said: "This grand opening is a real highlight in the history of Rose Road marking more than 50 years.

It also a new beginning for us to go from strength to strength with lots of new exciting facilities."