The Summer Fair was another great success this year, bringing together individuals from across Home From Home Care, as well as their staff, friends and family, for a great summer celebration
There was a huge range of carnival games to enjoy, with popular classics like ring toss, tin-can alley and bowling as well as a circus troupe teaching circus skills. A balloon modeller also proved a big hit, creating anything anyone asked with a flash of his hands, from unicorns and dogs to even a pirate!
The disco really got the party going and all the individuals had a fantastic time on the bouncy castle. Some staff and relatives had to face up to the stocks, with individuals getting a chance to really let loose with wet sponges or for one staff member…a whole bucket of water!
Everyone enjoyed a feast with a delicious hog roast and a huge buffet spread, allowing everyone to pick exactly what they wanted, followed by some delicious summer deserts.
A new addition to this year’s Fair was a ‘Move a Mile’ event, created to raise money for Say Hello, a charity which helps adults with learning disabilities overcome loneliness and social isolation. This proved a great all-inclusive way for the individuals we support to take part in a challenge, help a great cause, while also promoting a healthy lifestyle. They could move their mile any way they wanted, for some this was a sprint, while others completed the laps in their own time, cheered on and supported by their staff, friends and family. The smiles at the finish line as they were awarded their medals was a real highlight.
Every year we try to make the event more inclusive, so that everyone can join in the fun on their own terms. Before the main event we included a quiet time, for some of the individuals to enjoy the activities without all the noise and commotion of the main event. We also had a quiet space, where anyone could go for a sit down and a rest. There was also a fully accessible changing tent, complete with hoists and an adjustable changing bed to give everyone the dignity they deserve.
It was great to see so many of the individuals and their families at the event. The Summer Fair offers the chance for parents to not only spend time with their sons or daughters but catch up with other parents and come together as a community. One parent commented: “It feels really valuable, you feel like you are part of a big extended family” plus “there is always music and dancing and Jo loves a disco.”
Another parent said “These communal activities are really helpful to special needs people, having a daughter who loves music, she loves to be among people, she loves to talk away, there are no inhibitions between any of them and they are really, really fun events” it’s “another reason why Home From Home Care is exceptional.”
We are now looking forward to planning the next event in our calendar, our Halloween party, in November.
