Chickens cluck around and vegetables grow above and below the ground.

This slice of the ‘good life’ sits in a tranquil corner approximately half a mile from the centre of Keighley.

Here, youngsters with complex learning difficulties and disabilities can enjoy a change of scenery and get together with their pals.

The Clockhouse Centre opened 15 years ago. The building it occupies was originally a nursery, but when that burned down it was turned into a facility to provide respite services for youngsters with disabilities.

For the 30 youngsters who regularly come here, it’s another place they can call home. It’s a place where they feel comfortable and safe and where they know they are among friends.

For the parents of those youngsters, the Clockhouse Centre gives them peace of mind as well as the opportunity to have a rest and spend time with their other siblings.

Angela Smallwood’s 16-year-old son, Robert, has been going to the Clockhouse Centre for respite breaks since he was five.

Robert suffers from a condition which is so complex his family have yet to receive a diagnosis. Robert has both physical and learning difficulties. He can’t walk or speak. His family, from Cullingworth, are looking into genetic testing to try and pin-point what caused his problems, which became apparent after he suffered a convulsion when he was six-weeks-old.

Through the family’s social worker, Angela discovered the Clockhouse centre. “Robert really enjoys it because he is with children his own age and they have equipment he enjoys playing with. It’s so set up. It’s the perfect place for him,” says Angela.

Robert’s time away with his friends at the Clockhouse Centre brings benefits for his family, too.

“It is very difficult, and obviously having another child I don’t get to do the things she wants to do,” says Angela, referring to her 17-year-old daughter, Emma. “Having some time for ourselves is really important.

“It also means I have extra time to myself knowing he is cared for and they are taking care of all his needs.”

Joanne Slaven, the Clockhouse Centre’s unit manager, says the organisation started in what was effectively a lounge and kitchen.

Subsequent funding from the Government and fundraising efforts by parents in the early days – the Clockhouse Centre is now run by Bradford Children’s Services – enabled the organisation to extend and develop, enhancing facilities for the young people who go there.

“For some parents it is essential to support the family to stay together as a unit. Our aim is to help children stay at home with their families, in their own communities, without the need for full-time residential care,” explains Joanne.

Paul Milner and his family became involved in the Clockhouse Centre five years ago when his 16-year-old daughter, Amy, who has quadraplegic cerebral palsy, started going for regular respite breaks.

“Without it we would have crumbled years ago,” says Paul, from Steeton.

He says the pressure of caring for a child with special needs can be intense. He and his wife, Lisa, who also have two sons, gave up their full-time careers to look after their daughter and he says, while it is rewarding, it can also be challenging.

Paul explains the Clockhouse Centre has many benefits for them and for Amy. “She absolutely loves it and it is her main social focus point. It is the single most important thing in our lives and in Amy’s life,” he says.

“It has a fantastic atmosphere and the staff are dedicated. Caroline (Amy’s key worker) is absolutely fantastic.”

When the youngsters turn 18 they move on from the Clockhouse Centre and that is often the hardest part which is why the centre recently hosted a reunion.

Joanne says one of the aims of the event was to introduce previous centre-users to those about to leave to help them with the transition process.

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council portfolio holder for children and young people, says he hoped the event would help young people cope with the challenge of entering adulthood.

“The reunions are one way in which people who have left can revisit the centre and keep in touch with those who have played a big role in their childhoods,” he says.