SAMs Clubs and Holidays
A story by SAMs
We organise and provided recreational facilities & activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the families and children who have complex additional support needs within SAMs.
They took part in activities which were fun, stimulating and rewarding, encouraging and helped build relationships with others through the clubs and the annual holiday.
What SAMs Clubs and Holidays did
We have delivered many successful clubs, main one being a day trip for over 40 young people & volunteers to the cinema in May 2015. Ultimately we have provided the holiday that we organise every year for 65 of our Charity Members to Scarborough during 19-24 July 2015, which was a phenomenal success thanks largely to the funding from Better Breaks.
We have provided further clubs every month, especially with our larger events at Halloween and our Christmas party which was a great success with over 80 members (old and new) attending. We have begun organising and securing funding for our next holiday of which we have already paid our deposit, again to Scarborough taking place during 24-29 July 2016.
We have welcomed around 15 new children to our club this year, some of which have already secured places on our trip for July 2016. We are also in the process of purchasing new sensory equipment for our group to assist our new children and families.
Parents/Carers enjoy the change to meet parents and “enjoy adult company over a cup of tea and cake” Alice McSorley.
The simplicity of our clubs, run in an organized and productive manner ensure we achieve these simple aims every month.
For all this work we manage a lot of time for the parent/carers who said;
“We are so grateful for the acceptance, love, fun and total dedication offered to us”. Marie King
“When I get back from the trip people actually notice that I have had a holiday” Alice McSorley
“Its just so lovely to get time away and enjoy these beautiful grounds at Wydale, enjoying adult company and knowing my girl Kathrine is away enjoying herself too” Catherine Butler
SAMS has done more for my family relationships that it can ever imagine. Alan and I feel we actually get a holiday and the kids get everything they want too, with even less tantrums and melt-downs. I love it when they rush up to me after a day of activities, hugs and all, telling me all the fun they had with their friends. The children are not always on the same day trips so even they get time apart with new friends each day which helps too. This is very rewarding and lovely.
I feel like I am providing them with so much and yet it is not me it is the extreme hard work of SAMs volunteers, who are simply the most nicest, caring, amazing people I have ever met. What they do for us all is so unique and I am so glad they do this for my family. The very first time going on the holiday I cried when I left. Really overwhelmed by the experience.” Fiona Tweedlie
What SAMs has learned
How much more we can do to help more families. We learned how to cope better with children with more challenging behaviour. That what we offer is unique as more families come to our clubs for help.We know that we can provide better activities from the feedback given and we will do that every year. We learned more about the lack of respite families have available to them and thus value more of what we do. We continue to appreciate that this is a most rewarding and worthwhile thing that any person or group of people can contribute to society.