SCHOOL HOLIDAY RESPITE

Although we offer respite care to children under the age of 6 we know that some of our parents struggle finding respite during the school holidays. For this reason we offer a Holiday Club up until the children reach their twelfth birthday. In previous years the children would be invited into Kites Corner to make use of the facilities and to socialise with their peers. They would take part in various activities including parachute play, messy play and garden play.

This year, due to feedback from the families, the format was changed so that the children could experience a day trip with their friends, participating in activities they may not otherwise have the chance to access. It was felt that this was more age appropriate. These activities have so far included a trip on the bus to the cinema followed by a meal at Mc Donalds, painting and decorating money boxes and photo frames at Treasure Seekers, travelling to Cheltenham on the bus to go on the Cheltenham wheel and a visit to Primrose Vale Garden Centre, to name but a few. These outings play a vital part in the social development of our children. It gives them chance to interact with their peers without their parents and maybe ‘let their hair down a little’ – something we all need to do from time to time!

Their parents receive a much needed break to either take timeout for themselves, to spend time with their other children or, and I’m sure this is true in lots of cases, catch up with those oh so many jobs that you never get the time to do. Every parent knows how difficult it can be to survive the school holidays (especially the long summer ones!), and here at Kites Corner we try to very hard to continue to support our families for as long as we possibly can. We want all our families to know that once they are a member of the James Hopkins Trust family they are always a member of the James Hopkins Trust family.