A petition to save a club for disabled adults when its building is demolished has been launched.

Debbie Jedwab, a lecturer, started the campaign to save the Flightways centre for deaf and disabled adults on the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale.

She was inspired by the work of Anita Woolf, 79, who founded arts and activities club Maxability with her husband Emile to help their son, Carl, who was born with disabilities.

Nearly 200 people have signed the petition on change.org with dozens leaving comments showing their support for Anita and Emile, who are uncertain about whether they will be found a new location for Maxability.

Mrs Woolf runs sessions five days a week in art, pottery, yoga, and more from Flightways for a group of physically disabled adults.

One comment on the petition read: “This facility is so essential - it would be devastating for the disabled in Barnet to have no premises. If this is closed down, Barnet must supply another location. This is urgent.”

On setting up the petition, Mrs Jedwab said: “I was outraged to hear that the most vulnerable people in society were being elbowed out the way for a housing development.

“We are aiming to get 10,000 people to sign this petition by the end of the month. It is only right that we rally around and give a voice to people who have no voice. This shouldn’t be swept under the carpet."

Barnet Borough Council has stated that it plans to relocate a range of services run from the Flightways building to Grahame Park Library and Southgate College in Colindale.

However Mrs Woolf says nothing about Maxability been confirmed to her and she is worried about its future.

Mrs Woolf said: "The mood here fluctuates between a sense of despair and a sense that we have got to fight to keep it going. It is not easy for many of these people to demonstrate and be vocal so they need all the help they can get.

“We are in the hands of the council. They keep saying they are looking for possibilities and what they can do but no one will ever say to us what is going to happen or when.

“The building we are in will be gone in a year. That is a very short time to set up sometime else. We have not seen any plans.

“I don’t even know who the person who is makes these decisions on the council is. Everyone acts as though their hands are tied, but by who?

"We are in the process of becoming a registered charity and I am applying for grants but it is all uncertain, and I do not think I should have to take things into my own hands.

“This group of people are producing wonderful things and are so happy with what they’re doing. It means they will not be part of a dependency culture forever.”

A council spokesman said: “The council recognises that the Flightways building is an asset that is highly valued by people using the Barnet Centre for Independent Living [BCIL], Barnet Independent Living Service ([BILS], part of Your Choice Barnet [YCB]), and Barnet Disability and Independence Steering Committee [BDISC] services.

“The regeneration of the Grahame Park estate will include demolition of the Flightways building. In anticipation of the Flightways demolition, it is currently planned that the services provided by BCIL will be relocated to offices in a new shared building with Grahame Park Library and Southgate College in Colindale.

"In the meantime, the council’s aim is to continue using Flightways as a base for supporting local people with disabilities. Discussions regarding the shape of local services for disabled people beyond the planned demolition of Flightways are in their early stages and the council is committed to consulting with stakeholders on this."