summer activity scheme 2011 - Autism Bedfordshire

SUMMER ACTIVITY SCHEME 2011
Scheme Overview
We are delighted to say that the 2011 Summer Scheme was a resounding success. This year, between 1 st and 12 th August,
we ran eight different week-long activity schemes in Bedford and Luton providing support for children and young people
aged between 3-17 with a diagnosis of classic autism, high-functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome. At each location
we offered a Junior Activity Scheme, which catered for children aged 3-9 years with autism and learning difficulties, and
those with Asperger Syndrome; Junior (10-13 years) and Senior (14-17 years) Holiday Clubs for young people with autism
and moderate to severe learning difficulties; and Summer Fun for young people aged 10-17 years with high functioning
autism or Asperger Syndrome.
In total we supported 118 children for 481 days which amounted to 2,405 hours of respite care. This equated to 62 children
and 1,175 respite hours in Bedford and 56 children and 1,230 respite hours in Luton. The eight groups were supported by
a total of 87 staff and volunteers for the duration of the activity schemes. The majority of these had worked on previous
activity schemes, which is a great advantage because it means that we are able to have a familiar and consistent approach
year on year.
By introducing a new group structure
for Holiday Club in Bedford (Junior and
Senior Schemes) we were able to
spread into two venues, (St. John’s
School in Kempston, and Kempston
Youth Centre, respectively) which
allowed us to provide more spaces and
more support to the young people. At
the Junior Holiday Club we supported 6
young people and 8 attended the Senior
Club.
In week 2, we ran our Bedford Junior
Activity Scheme, based at St. John’s
School, where we provided 1:1 and
occasionally 2:1 support for 30 children.
The Summer Fun group was based at
Kempston Youth Centre and, in total, 17
young people attended.
“The best was the canoe trip which
I enjoyed the most.”
A variety of activities and outings were
arranged for each of the schemes,
adapted to the children’s ages, abilities
and interests. New on-site activities
included a visit from Utopia Mas
Carnival Group who had the children
making carnival masks, which looked
stunning. We also had a music therapist
visit the Bedford Holiday Clubs,
creating some wonderful sounds and
rhythms.
“D thinks everything he does is
rubbish, but is very proud of the
carnival hat he made.”
Our Luton Junior Activity Scheme moved
to a new specialist venue, Richmond Hill
Primary School, with fabulous facilities
and an extensive outdoor play area. A
total of 29 children attended this scheme.
Summer Fun was based at Park Town
Children’s Centre and we supported 8
young people on the scheme.
The Junior and Senior Holiday Clubs were
again held, during week 2, at Active Luton
Sports and Recreation Centre and we are
very grateful to the staff for their
wonderful support and enthusiasm. 9
young people attended the Junior Holiday
Club and 10 went to the Senior Club.
“There is an excellent range of
activities. My child obviously
enjoyed it and repeatedly asked to
go again.”
New off-site visits this year, recommended
by AB families, included water play at
Aqua Splash pool and bowling at Hotshots
in Hemel Hempstead, and Gulliver’s
Splash Zone in Milton Keynes. And,
despite the poor weather, the Luton Junior
Holiday Club enjoyed their day out at the
Stockwood Discovery Centre. More
details of what went on at each scheme
are given on page 2 of the enclosed
Development Officers’ Report.

“Real breakthrough for
me to leave him for the
first time.”
“J has really enjoyed the
soft play room and the
sensory toys. It makes a
real difference that the
environment is appropriate
for his needs (unlike
mainstream school).”
“Summer Fun is very good
for my child, his social
skills improve.”
Gabriel’s story
Receiving a diagnosis of autism for your child can be a lifechanging
event. Families tell us that they often feel
overwhelmed and left without any idea of what to do. We
provide much-needed support for these families at our termtime
groups and holiday activity schemes.
Gabriel attended our Bedford Junior Activity Scheme for the
first time this year. His mum, Caroline, tells us how she felt
upon receiving a diagnosis:
“Gabriel was just 2 years old when he was diagnosed with
autism. I felt totally devastated. The nurse at the Child
Development Centre gave me Autism Bedfordshire's
number and I contacted them
as soon as I returned
home. They have been
unbelievably supportive and
kind, and always have great
advice and insights into how
to get the best out of life with
an autistic child.”
The activity schemes provide
opportunities, both for the
children (who partake in
exciting activities) and for
families (who are able to
have a much-needed break.)
Caroline tells us how the activity scheme helped her to be
able to engage in normal day-to-day activities:
“It enabled me to have some time to myself knowing
that Gabriel was being well looked after by people who
understand him and more importantly he was having some
well organised FUN! I also spent some time at the scheme
talking to the group leaders about his diagnosis and the
challenges we face, and was therefore able to build a
relationship with his carers which helped to reduce my
stress about leaving him.
I was very impressed with the level of organisation at the
scheme especially the administrative side. The huge folder
of info regarding my son, his name badges and peg photos,
the fact that the carers seem to know all about him was just
wonderful. This helped enormously. Ben (the Senior
Development Officer) was also very helpful in explaining the
outings etc and what steps had been taken to ensure safety
and fun in equal measures!
I think Gabriel benefitted from the activity scheme on lots of
levels. Firstly I am sure it developed his independence,
he also was able to play and learn in a safe environment
during a holiday when normally it's just play time with
Mummy. I think it is well timed too, being in the middle of
the holiday, it breaks up the long time away from school
nicely. It is structured, which is important for these children,
without being about work time. It is also good for his social
skills, he needs to learn to be able to cope with new children
who he does not necessarily see all the time.
I knew my son was happy and having a good time and this is
the best present any mum can have.”
“He’s really
enjoyed the
activities,
particularly
canoeing.”
“This is the only club where J
has been properly supported,
has thoroughly enjoyed and
has succeeded.”
“I was very impressed that H received 2:1
support. I was reassured about leaving him.”
“I was very pleased to hear,
not only did he play with
another child, but he shared
a bubble machine.”
“S said he liked the
helpers very much.”
“This is the ONLY holiday
scheme he can access and
it raises his self-esteem to
be successful and to be
able to enjoy himself
without the stresses of
mainstream activities.”
“He just wanted to keep
going back day after
day. The activities were
brilliant.”
“Loved the Snozone best,
closely followed by
swimming.”

“He now wants to try to do
things by himself before
asking for help. He is now
showing great skills in
sharing and taking turns.”
“He went swimming for the
very first time, so that was
an achievement.”
“He has taken part in
activities he’s never tried
before, e.g. sledging and
playing golf. It has helped
his confidence and he has
enjoyed being part of a
team.”
“He’ll look forward to next year from
the minute he finishes this year.”
Kamal’s story
Kamal has autism with social and communication difficulties.
At the age of 3, when he was first diagnosed, Kamal did not
speak but now, at the age of 7, he is able to communicate
with language at school and home.
Due to high demands this year from new families wanting to
access our Luton Activity Scheme, Kamal was initially offered
one day. He attended the first day with a great big happy
smile, with lots of confidence and enthusiasm wanting to try
new activities on the day. Mum felt at ease leaving Kamal for
the first time saying “the staff were very friendly and made me
feel he would be taken good care of, and also attending the
twilight session made me happy because I could see that he
was not apprehensive about going in.”
At the end of the day mum
asked if there were any more
days available, and if there
were, to let her know. A
space became available and
we offered Kamal another
day which was a swimming
day. Kamal was excited, but
mum was very concerned
due to the fact he had never
been swimming before and
was not sure how he would
react to this new experience.
Becky, the Senior Team Leader, reassured mum that Kamal
would be supported in every step, making sure he was ready
to go into the pool and if he did not want to go into the pool
that would be fine.
Once at the pool, Becky advised one of the support staff,
Felicia, to take Kamal into the pool first before all of the other
children. This allowed him to familiarise himself with the
environment, without the echoes of the other children. Felicia
gradually encouraged him to the side of the pool whereby
she went into the pool first with Becky holding his hand and
walking him down the steps into the water. Once Kamal was
in the pool his fear and anxiety disappeared, he was not
holding onto Felicia and Becky but using the float to swim.
This shows what one child was able to achieve in the space of
two days, with the help and support of the summer scheme
staff - imagine if Kamal had a week with us!
”The staff didn’t
surround us –
they let us be
more free.”
“Able to be
himself without
comments or
looks”
“L is not able to attend
normal holiday clubs – he
needs to mix with other
children similar to himself
so that he doesn’t feel
alienated.”
“The club is great value for money
and he thoroughly enjoys it.”
“Excellent – he absolutely
loved it!! He kept saying
‘Lovely day’ ‘Good fun’!!”
“Wonderful staff (in
particular, his one-to-one).
Fabulous range of
activities – he had a
wonderful time.”
“She got to try new activities
and also improved her
communication. She has
made more effort to talk.”
“Well organised, well run, fun
and just brilliant.”

Grants, Fundraising and Donations
We are extremely grateful to Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Luton Borough Council for their
magnificent financial support for this year’s schemes. We are also indebted to the following independent funders for their
fabulous contributions, along with one generous donor who wished to remain anonymous:-
The Bedford Charity Children In Need
The David Solomon's Charitable Trust The Steel Charitable Trust
The Ibbett Trust The Lynn Foundation
Partnership Working
It was a pleasure to work with the following organisations and people and we thank them for all their kind support:
• Ann Tredgit, Deputy Head, Marian Reed, Site Agent, and Ray Ellington, Assistant Site Agent, at St. John’s School for hosting
the Bedford Junior Activity Scheme and the Bedford Junior Holiday Club..
• Jill Miller, Headteacher, and Site Manager, Andrew Whiting, at Richmond Hill Primary School for hosting the Luton Junior
Activity Scheme.
• Terri Smith of Bedford Borough’s Integrated Youth Support Services (IYSS) for the use of Kempston Youth Centre for
Bedford Summer Fun and the Senior Holiday Club, and to the Site Manager, Jonny Damiano.
• Vera McNamara for allowing us the use of the Park Town Children’s Centre for Luton Summer Fun.
• Mark Southam and Gemma McCormick at Active Luton High Town Sports and Arts Centre for allowing us to use their venue
and staff support for our Junior and Senior Holiday Club Schemes in Luton.
• Oasis Beach Pool for providing a lifeguard at the eleventh hour for our Bedford Junior Activity Scheme swimming sessions.
• Becky Hull for returning, on a voluntary basis through taking annual leave, to be our Senior Team Leader on the Luton
Junior Activity Scheme.
• Kim Willett who volunteered her time (by taking annual leave), to be our Team Leader on the Bedford Junior Activity
Scheme.
• Community and Voluntary Service Mid and North Beds, Voluntary Action Luton, Voluntary and Community Action South
Bedfordshire and the Volunteer Centre Bedford for their magnificent work in finding volunteers for us.
• Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity for the use of their Transport Brokerage Scheme for Bedford Summer Fun and for the
use of their Youth Bus for our Bedford Junior and Senior Holiday Clubs. We also thank them for processing all our staff CRBs.
“Please, please keep the scheme running – it’s
a Godsend for parents like myself.”
and with the support of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales
We also thank Bedford Borough Council for allowing us the free use of the Kempston Youth Centre for Bedford Summer Fun.
“S has loved the schemes. Over the years she
has grown and it has helped her confidence,
social skills and learning to cope with change.
For a child like her, this is invaluable and is
helping her to become more confident and
independent. I cannot speak too highly of
what you do and I know S would not have
improved without all you do – thank you a
million times”
In total, our Summer
Programme 2011 cost
nearly £110,000 to
run. However, these
comments and many
others like them,
show that it is worth
every penny.
We hope to be able to
secure the funds to
continue running the
Scheme for as long as
the need is there.
”The respite is fantastic – it gives
parents a much needed break over the
summer holidays.”
“The boys have been coming for years
and each year has been invaluable.
The loss of the scheme would be a
major blow for families with autistic
kids.”
“My daughter helps with her brother a
lot and it’s nice for her to have a break
and to see him doing so well.”
We thank the following for providing activities and/or services on our schemes:-
A6 Funcastles Ltd (inflatable equipment) Oasis Beach Pool in Bedford
Aquasplash, Jarman’s Park, Hemel Hempstead Putteridge Swimming Pool in Luton
Cineworld in Milton Keynes Snoezelen Day Care Solutions (multi-sensory facilities)
Gambado Indoor Play Centre in Watford Sno!zone in Milton Keynes (tobogganing)
GoBowling in Dunstable St. John’s School in Kempston (use of swimming pool)
Grove Pick Your Own Fruit Farm Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton
Gulliver's Splash Zone Thurleigh Farm Centre
Hotshots Bowling, Jarman’s Park, Hemel Hempstead Utopia Mas Carnival Arts group
Kempston Outdoor Centre Woburn Safari Park
Liz Clough (music therapy) Whitecap Leisure, Willen Lake, Milton Keynes
Finally, a huge Thank You to Queensbury School in Dunstable for printing this report.