The Treehouse opens for SEND Children
A new location for Diverse Abilities Short Breaks Service has opened called The Treehouse, at the former site of Adventure Wonderland, near Bournemouth Airport.
The new facility opened for the first time over the Easter holidays, welcoming 16 children with disabilities to the first play session, enjoying the incredible play barn whilst their families received much needed respite over the school holidays. The following week 55 children attended an Open House session with their parents, for an opportunity to visit the site and enjoy the new facilities.
One of the parents who attended a session commented: “Thank you for providing this for our children, every small detail has been thought about and you have understood what they need. You have given them a place to be safe and for us to relax little.”
Clare Rochford, manager of Short Breaks Services, added: "We opened the centre during the Easter holidays this year, with some fantastic feedback from the kids and their families. Our aim is to create a safe, engaging and inclusive environment for children and their families to play, make friendships and have fun in a way that is not always possible at traditional holiday clubs and attractions.”
The charity has received help in the form of grants from Little Lives UK towards the outside go kart and scooter zone, as well as The Morrisons Foundation who has funded the games room. The charity has also been helped by hundreds of volunteers from the local community and business based in the local area to transform the site by getting stuck in with painting, decorating, and gardening through 1,500 hours of volunteering.
Mark Powell, CEO at Diverse Abilities, commented: “We are so pleased to have opened for the first sessions at The Treehouse, and to have such great feedback. We couldn’t have done this without the support of the local community and many hundreds of volunteer hours put in by the staff of businesses in the area. We’ve still got lots of work to do to make the outside area as great as inside, so please get in touch if you would like to help us achieve this.”
Visit diverseabilities.org.uk/children to find out more about the charity’s services for children and to register your interest. If you would like to volunteer, either as an individual or through your workplace, get in touch by emailing volunteer@diverseabilities.org.uk.