PARENTS of pupils at a Wirral special needs school earmarked for closure are continuing their fight to save what they deem a second home for their children.

Wirral Council is looking to close the Lyndale School in Eastham in January 2016.

The school has touched the hearts of Globe readers – who raised more than £80,000 for the school’s sensory garden – and we hope to show just how vital Lyndale is to all it cares for.

Each week we will be speaking to a different Lyndale parent and finding out what the school’s closure would mean for them.

SINCE joining the Lyndale family last November, Emily Faulkner has become a completely different child.

The three-year-old has come out of her shell, is trying to walk more and is using more sign language than ever before.

But her family fear that Emily’s progress could soon come to an end if Wirral Council closes the Eastham special needs school for good.

Like many of Lyndale’s pupils, Emily is wheelchair-bound and requires constant care.

She has spina bifida hydrocephalus – a build up of fluid on the brain which means the youngster has a shunt in her head, allowing free movement of the fluid around her body.

Her condition also means Emily is unable to talk, has limited mobility and is only able to walk if assisted by someone else.

But Emily is a happy, outgoing child who gets on with everyone, including Lyndale’s excellent staff who know how to care for her every need.

Her mum Lyndsay, from Rock Ferry, and uncle Mike Bennett, from Eastham, know that Emily is safe when she leaves for school each morning.

“This place has really brought her out,” said 37-year-old Mike, who considers himself a dad to Emily.

“Since she started here in November she’s started doing more sign language which she didn’t do before and she’s gone from crawling to trying to pull herself up onto tables.

“But we’re concerned about her going to another school, like a lot of parents here are, because if Lyndale closes – Emily will go back into herself.”

Wirral Council’s ruling cabinet voted to close Lyndale when it met in September, with a scrutiny committee of Labour councillors also voting to uphold the decision last week.

A closure date has been set for January 2016, with pupils expected to be transferred to Elleray Park, Stanley School or other suitable facilities.

But both Mike and Lyndsay, also mum to 12-year-old Bethany, have fears about sending Emily elsewhere.

Mike said: “We don’t want her to go to Elleray or Stanley – this school is the one that cares for vulnerable children and the council shouldn’t be closing it.

“The children here are vulnerable and have complex special needs – it’s a different specialism and if she’s put into a school with children on the autistic spectrum or with behavioural needs, she’s going to be at risk 24/7.

“Every parent is going to be on edge, every time the phone rings we’re going to be worrying that something has happened.”

He added: “Emily is going to miss out on so much if she goes to a different school and she’s going to regress back into herself.”

More than 10,600 people signed a petition to keep Lyndale open, something Mike says shows the council has made the wrong decision.

He said: “Their position is to serve the community and this school is part of the community whether they like it or not – this place has just got to remain open for all of the pupils here.”

“At the moment pupils have got the run of the school, the teachers follow them and keep them safe but they’re going to be locked away in a room at a new school.”

Mike added: “Lyndale is a safe haven for Emily, for us and for all of the other parents.

“We will do whatever we can to keep Lyndale open because it’s too much of a risk for her to go anywhere else.

“I may not be Emily’s full parent but the way I see it, a parent should have the right to decide which school their child goes to. We chose Lyndale.”