A HOT AND BUSY NAS STAFFORD SUMMER!
This summer NAS Stafford provided its biggest offer yet – 10 activities which saw 147 families take up 418 opportunities for fun in the (often very hot) sun. We began on July 20th with a new venue for us, Kids Rule Play Café in Cannock. This was a super morning, exclusively hired by NAS Stafford, with totally secure soft play, role play, sand play and so much more. We even had a visit from Bluey which proved a great hit. Many thanks to Sharna who runs Kids Rule, for making us so welcome and being brilliant with our families. Volunteers Julie and Tracey who enjoyed themselves a lot!
On Saturday 25th July we held our big Summer Stay and Play party, which was very special, as we were celebrating the life of one of our much-loved members who sadly passed away recently. Charmaine Jones was a huge part of NAS Stafford and her family donated hundreds of pounds to us, which we used to buy more equipment for Stay and Play – including a toy roller coaster! We were delighted to host some of Charmaine’s family at this event and to enjoy ice cream s or lollies from the amazing Tony’s Ices! Sand and water play was on offer, as well as the usual bikes, karts and scooters and crafting. We had many volunteers for this one, Julie Goodyear, Pete and Nia Wearn, Rebecca Jane, Nicki Scarborough, Rick Moon, Mike Harrison and Dylan and Rebecca Sullvan. We were really pleased to see the latter who turned up to help us pack away!
Friday 31st July saw 50 of our members enjoy huge fun at Stoke Ski Centre, taking part in family Tubing. The adults had as much fun as the young people, with families hurling themselves down the ski slope in many different styles and combinations. Even Tracey had a go - although exiting the tube was less dignified than she hoped! Apparently, there is video footage out there and we hope it stay buried! This was a really hot day but everyone got stuck in and had lots of fun over the two sessions.
We headed to one of our favourite summer spots on August 4th, Our Space in Newcastle. This is a super place, again completely secure and available to us exclusively. 25 children enjoyed the indoor soft play and the extensive gardens with sandpit, trikes, zipline and the best climbing frame ever! That climbing frame was a fort, a castle, a spaceship and countless other fantastical places that our children could imagine. It was lovely to welcome back volunteer Lucy Mckeown, who was amazing with the children.
Two days later on August 6th it was time for our regular Bowling Club, and almost 25 tweens had a great hour honing their skills and enjoying the company of their bowling friends. This is such a lovely event, building confidence and encouraging friendships. Volunteers Nia and Nicki and peer helpers George and Jody make sure that everything runs smoothly, and Ten Pin at Greyfriars are always super helpful and welcoming.
And then there we were, halfway through our summer programme!
Tuesday 11th August was another very hot day; volunteers Tracey and Tracy were definitely feeling it! In spite of the temperatures, almost 50 people gathered at Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre to watch the animals and enjoy a close-up encounter with three of them. Again, over two separate sessions, families got up close to a snake, a bearded dragon and an owl. It was a real privilege to be able to hold the owl, using the special glove, and there were some wonderful moments where young people and adults alike (volunteer Steve included) pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones to make a special connection with an animal. Sadly, it was too hot for the birds of prey show but we did see a demonstration of the red-legged seriema who did amazing jumps and showed us how to kill a (pretend) ‘snake’!
The next day, whilst not part of our formal summer programme, we held our online Parent and Carer support group with author and autism parenting expert Lisa Galley, who gave us some really good support around parental burnout. Her talk is summarised on this website for anyone interested. It was really helpful stuff.
Two days later, on the 14th of August we took our youth group to the ever-popular Adventure Golf at Jurassic Creek. 27 members enjoyed tackling the course and most decided to keep score. There were some interesting outcomes and post golf-discussions! The low water levels on parts of the course meant that a lot of balls got trapped in the ‘stream’ and had to be replaced. It was hot again, and Tracey was very glad of the mist spray donated by fellow volunteer Zea!
Our next event was swimming – on one of the only rainy days of the summer! This took place on Monday 17th August and whilst we were sad that almost half of the members booked on didn’t arrive, it did mean that the remaining swimmers had plenty of room to enjoy the fun floats and the space in the water. Again, as an exclusive session for NAS Stafford, this is a great way for our families to relax and enjoy themselves, in a really safe and supported environment.
Lower Drayton Farm is a firm favourite with NAS Stafford, being really inclusive and welcoming. There is a standing joke that whenever NAS Stafford goes to LDF it rains, and Thursday 20th August continued that trend! However, the rain wasn’t persistent and families were able to enjoy some outdoor fun, with volunteers Julie and Zea ensuring that everyone was safely booked in and having a great time.
Our final event of the summer looked initially as though it was going to be a washout! The early morning saw heavy rain, with storms forecast – not ideal for taking 65 people to Trentham Gardens where the activity is almost entirely outdoors! However, the skies soon cleared and it was a perfect day. Sunny, warm, with a lovely breeze that kept us all cool. Volunteers Tracey, Claire and Julie put away raincoats and fleeces and sat on the deckchairs in the NAS gazebo overlooking the lake, enjoying the peace. Soon they were joined, one by one, by almost every family who had booked on the event. Members enjoyed a sit down, snacks and bubbles, and some younger members did amazing colouring. It was the perfect way to end what was a fabulous NAS summer.
Many thanks to all of the volunteers who came along to help, and without whom we couldn’t do any of this: Julie Goodyear, Tracy and Rick Moon, Nicki Scarborough, Nia and Pete Wearn, Rebecca Jane, Claire Swift, Lucy McKeown, Zea and Steve Raines, Rebecca and Dylan Sullivan and Mike Harrison. Special thanks to Nia Wearn who once again made the admin process so easy with her sterling work on the booking form! Thanks also to the venues who were welcoming and supportive.
