Residential Disability Sports Camp

Outcome

Sixty children & young people with additional support needs participated in a three nights Residential Sports Camp enjoying 20 hours of sport sessions delivered by qualified sports coaches.

Results

Due to last-minute cancellations with some families, the camp was attended by fewer people than expected. Forty-five children and young people with complex needs attended twenty hours of camp activities. This meant that the total participation figure for the camp was 900 physical activity hours. The children and young people who attended the camp also filled out a questionnaire, revealing that 100% of the participants had great fun playing different games with their friends and that 32% made new friends during the camp. The anecdotal evidence and the questionnaire demonstrated that the camp's success was due to the facilities, which were safe, secure and well-adapted for disabled users, and the quality of the Dunbartonshire Disability Sports Club's coaching staff. WE HAD A GREAT TIME

Case study

"My son enjoyed his first residential trip. He is non verbal and needs lots of reassurance and he gets anxious in unfamiliar environments but the coaches at DDSC are amazingly well trained. They encouraged him to take part in the activities either 1-2-1 or as part of the group, where one coach was always there beside him to support his needs. The venue was safe place with all the facilities needed”

Outcome

Forty-five parents/carers will participate in a three-night fun residential sports/activity camp, enjoying 18 hours of respite opportunities from Massage, dancing to Fitness classes, and nature walks.

Results

Due to last-minute cancellations with some families, the camp was attended by fewer people than expected. Thirty two parents and carers participated in 18 hours of respite activities delivered by the Dunbartonshire Disability Sports Club coaching staff and two sports masseurs. This meant that the total respite figure for the camp was 576 respite hours. The camp questionnaire revealed that the fact that the DDSC had created a separate respite programme for parents and carers, which coincided with the member's programme, resulted in quality and enjoyable respite time for parents and carers where they were able to make new friends and share their stories with the people in a similar situation.

Case study

As a family we had a great time, it was very relaxing, full of fun for us as a family. We don't have many opportunities to go on a holiday that is suitable for my son's needs. We usually book a caravan park where we can do activities that my son likes but then it's more focused on his break and relax action not really for us. This break was perfect where we had the opportunity to get some respite from him and we had time for us to take part in different activities. We also got a change to meet and spend time with other parents and families and to make new friends. The best part was that we all had more or less been through the same kind of situations so nobody judged each other. We laughed together, we also had an emotional time where we joined each other in tears. We don't have enough words to say thank you to everyone at DDSC for organising this amazing residential trip. Looking forward to next one.

Outcome

60 children and young people with complex needs and their carers report feeling more relaxed and less stressed as a result of the Sports Camp

Results

Due to last-minute cancellations with some families, the camp was attended by fewer people than expected. Forty-five children and young people with additional support needs attended twenty hours of camp activities. The camp questionnaire revealed that all 32 parents and carers felt relaxed and less stressed as a result of the camp. This question was more difficult for the children with complex needs to answer. However, it was clear to everyone that the children enjoyed socialising with their friends, taking part in the physical activity sessions and the fact that the camp had a supervised quiet room for times when it all came a bit too much.

Case study

My daughter (age 12) and I were lucky enough to be able to join the coaches, parents/carers and young people of Dumbartonshire Disability Sports Club (DDSC) in September 2023 at the sportscotland National Sports Training complex in Largs.

The hotel complex offers great disabled access to my daughter who is a full time wheelchair user, with a decent sized bedroom, hoist and large wetroom. There are very accessible lifts to all floors and plenty of space for her to move around. It makes staying away from home a pleasure as my daughter is able to be quite independant.

During our 3 night, 4 day stay the coaches from DDSC arrange lots of activities for the young people to participate in, including multi sports. These activities would not be accessible at home in the local community for my daughter and she would most likely spend the entire weekend in her room on her ipad.

The coaches also arranged a number of activities for the parents/carers to get involved in, keeping us busy whilst the children are with the coaches and a further number of activities to include both parents/carers and young people. It gives the whole long weekend a great variety of things to do, including walking into Largs for ice cream!

As a single parent to a disabled child, life can be difficult at times, but this residential camp gives us time away from home life, the option to join the others in the numerous activities mentioned above, time to chat with other parents/carers in similar situations and spend time with other young people with disabilities, and reminds us we're not alone. I also love the fact that I don't have to worry about what I'm making for all the meals or even having to do the dishes! To summarise, we love being able to spend time with our friends at Largs and look forward to hopefully going again in the future. Thank you.