29th November 2024
Short Breaks Innovation Programme
We are excited to announce that following a successful bid as part of the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, Wakefield Council have secured funding from the Department for Education to host some Family Fun Days, which we have been commissioned to deliver. 
This is an amazing opportunity for local SEND families to join us and take part in some exciting sessions and to experience things they might not have been able to access previously.
We surveyed our forum members to find out what things they would like to see as part of a family fun day, and have built the sessions based on that feedback.
All of our sessions have reasonable adjustments included as standard, including our Family Fun Days. If you would like to join us for one of our days out and have specific SEND needs, then please let us know so that we can consider this in our planning.
We also gather feedback from each family after each event so that we can improve the content of what we deliver and continue to bring exciting opportunities to SEND families across the Wakefield district. Many of our members have told us they would be unable to access opportunities like these without the planning and support from Wakefield Parent Carer Forum. Where possible we also try to provide a souvenir at each of the fun day's as we are aware the cost of living for many families has meant luxuries like this are nolonger an option.
If you are a parent/carer of a child with SEND aged 0-25 years, living in the Wakefield district, and would like to take part in our future events, please register as a forum member using the links at the bottom of this page or you can contact us by emailing info@wakefieldparentcarers.co.uk should you have any questions. All of our events/activities are held exclusively for our registered forum members and their families.
Family Fun Day 1 - Circus Themed Fun Day
Our forum members and their families have so far taken part in a circus themed family fun day on 24th June 2023 at The Hut in Castleford, which included - 
- Inflatable Obstacle Course
- Disco Dome
- Children’s Entertainers
- Sand Art Craft Activity
- Punch & Judy Show
- Balloon Modelling Workshop
- Circus Skills Workshop
- Ice Cream Van
- Picnic Box to take home
- Goody Bag to take home
The day was such great fun, and feedback from those who attended was fantastic. It was lovely to see local SEND families spending quality time together and taking part in the activities.
Family Fun Day 2 - This Green Moon Adventure
Family Fun Day 2 took place over 5 sessions spread over 3 consecutive weekends starting on Saturday 16th September 2023 so that we could meet the needs of a our SEND families. The sessions took place at This Green Moon in Swillington. 
The sessions included the following -
- Den Building
- Pizza Making & Cooking
- Woodland Crafts
- Toasting Marshmallows
- Woodland Trail
- Goody Bag to take home
Our families enjoyed spending time together outdoors in a safe environment, making pizzas and following the woodland trail in search of the mysterious Swilligogs!
Family Fun Day 3 - Magical Theatre Visit
Originally planned as one family fun day, we hosted two trips due to high demand to see Sleeping Beauty at The Theatre Royal in Wakefield, on Friday 22nd December 2023 and Friday 5th January 2024. Our families were able to experience the magic of the theatre at Christmas time with laughs heard all around the theatre by children and adults alike. The show and costumes were fantastic, setting the scene for a great performance by the well loved cast. 
Our families enjoyed -
- A magical theatre trip
- Ice cream or ice lolly
- Shout out by the cast to Wakefield Parent Carer Forum members
The theatre can be expensive for a family with children, with ticket costs, transport and refreshments to consider, so bringing this magical opportunity to our members and their children was a real treat, and somewhat of a luxury given the ongoing cost of living crisis many families are facing. A wonderful experience that we were excited to host.
Family Fun Day 4 - Ocean Exploring @ The Deep
Our families had the option to travel with us by coach or to make their own way to Hull to visit the iconic building known as The Deep, where we embarked on a journey through the world’s oceans. Travelling from oceans past and into the future. From the shallow tropical lagoons to the darkest depths of the coldest oceans, to marvel at the incredible diversity of life beneath the waves. The Deep aims to create a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the ocean through stunning marine life, interactive displays and presentations, and is home to a whopping 3,500 fish including green sawfish, spectacular sharks, rays, loggerhead turtles and a colony of gentoo penguins. 
Our families enjoyed -
- Return coach transport to/from The Deep in Hull
- Day in The Deep
- Access to chill out rooms to rest, have lunch & recharge
- Two surprise trips over the historic Humber Bridge
- Sea Turtle soft toy to take home as a souvenir of their amazing day out
This was our first event where we were able to offer coach transport for everyone who wanted to travel with us, which enabled more families to join us for a fun filled day. The chill out rooms which we staffed for the duration of the visit were a great help and enabled families to come in for a break, to recharge and to sit and eat their lunch away from the public. The sea turtle soft toy proved a welcome addition for all of the children.
Family Fun Day 5 - Farm Yard Fun @ Cannon Hall Farm
Our families had the option to travel with us by coach or to make their own way to Barnsley for a fun packed day at Cannon Hall Farm. We saw lots of animals, the amazing playground and the biggest tube maze in Europe! Cannon Hall Farm is home to a diverse array of animals, with hundreds of lambs, goat kids, and piglets born each year, it was lovely to see them with their mums. Some of the animals we saw included - Highland cattle calves, llamas, donkeys, ponies, rabbits, guinea pigs, meerkats and more. Plus we were there to see the entertaining animal activities, talks and even ferret and sheep races! 
Our families enjoyed -
- Return coach transport to/from Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley
- Day with the animals at Cannon Hall Farm
- Access to a chill out room to rest, have lunch & recharge
- Donkey soft toy to take home as a souvenir of their amazing day out
This was our second event where we were able to offer coach transport for everyone who wanted to travel with us, which enabled more families to join us for a fun filled day. The chill out room which we staffed for the duration of the visit was a great help and enabled families to come in for a break, to recharge and to sit and eat their lunch away from the public. The donkey soft toy proved a welcome addition for all of the children.
Family Fun Day 6 - Outdoor Adventures @ Stockeld Park
Our families had the option to travel with us by coach or to make their own way to Stockeld Park for a day full of adventures. We had access to the indoor and outdoor attractions including The Playhive play area which gave us indoor entertainment in case of challenges with the weather. The flexible anytime ticket allowed our families to come and go as they pleased all day. Outdoors we had access to the Enchanted Forest, including the playgrounds, maze, inflatables, pedal go-karts and ride-on tractors.
Our families enjoyed -
- Return coach transport to/from Stockeld Park in Wetherby
- Day full of adventure at Stockeld Park
- Kingfisher soft toy to take home as a souvenir of their amazing day out
Family Fun Day - Cinema Trip 1 @ Castleford
We hired a screen for our SEND families to enjoy a private screening of the new Inside Out 2 movie at Castleford. We had the sound lowered and lighting dimmed to meet the needs of those with sensory issues, and provided munchboxes for each child containing popcorn, chocolate or raisins, and a bottle of water or juice.
- For some of our families this was their first experience of the cinema so we were pleased to be able to bring this opportunity to them.
- Often things like cinema visits are a luxury beyond a SEND family's budget so getting to watch a newly released movie on the big screen was a magical experience.
- Our members could choose which of the two cinema trips they would prefer to join so that we could include as many families as possible.
Family Fun Day - Cinema Trip 2 @ Wakefield
We hired a screen for our SEND families to enjoy a private screening of the new Despicable Me 4 movie at Wakefield. We had the sound lowered and lighting dimmed to meet the needs of those with sensory issues, and provided munchboxes for each child containing popcorn, chocolate or raisins, and a bottle of water or juice.
- For some of our families this was their first experience of the cinema so we were pleased to be able to bring this opportunity to them.
- Often things like cinema visits are a luxury beyond a SEND family's budget so getting to watch a newly released movie on the big screen was a magical experience.
- Our members could choose which of the two cinema trips they would prefer to join so that we could include as many families as possible.
Family Fun Day 7 - Outdoor Adventures @ Flamingoland
Due to our own family commitments our face to face forum work has always taken place during term time, however we have been aware of the growing demand from our members to be able to offer support and opportunities for them during school holiday's too. Following some additional planning we agreed to trial some family fun day's during the summer holidays in 2024. Our Flamingoland trip was the first holiday family fun day we hosted and was one of our most popular events so far!
Our families had the option to travel with us by coach or to make their own way to Flamingo Land where they could see exotic animals, including camels, Brazilian tapirs, zebras, Vicuñas, hippopotamus, giraffes, meerkats, baboons, chimpanzees, lions, rhinoceros, tigers, sea lions, parrots, and peafowl. Not forgetting all the rides! The sun definitely shone down on us that day, so our members were glad to experience the water fun in the splash park!
Our families enjoyed -
- Return coach transport to/from Flamingoland
- Day full of adventure at Flamingoland
- Water fun in the splash park
- Queue Buster Passes so they didn't have to queue at rides
This was another fun day that many families told us they wouldn't have been able to access independently for a number of reasons including - the cost of tickets, their child with SEND not being able to wait in long queues, and not having the confidence to travel there without support from other adults incase of any incidents with their child.
Family Fun Day 8 - Seaside Fun in Hornsea
This is the second holiday family fun day trip we hosted during the summer of 2024. Our families had the option to travel with us by coach or to make their own way to Hornsea where they could experience the fresh sea air, the beach or visit some of the local attractions. We chose Hornsea as everything is in a relatively small area meaning our members could access everything without having to walk too far and the landscape is mostly flat.
The weather was perfect, not too hot, a lovely sea breeze and just the right amount of shade to be able to enjoy our time in Hornsea. We created a bespoke map of Hornsea showing our suggested attractions, places to eat, toilets, and places to park, to help our parent/carers plan where they would spend their time during the day.
Our members were able to pre book a choice of toy for their child to receive when we arrived in Hornsea as we were conscious that not all children like the beach. They could choose a bucket & spade, a kite or a bat & ball which they also took home with them. Of course a visit to the seaside wouldn't be complete without a seagull so we provided their very own seagull soft toy to take home too!
Our families enjoyed -
- Return coach transport to/from Hornsea
- Day full of seaside fun in Hornsea
- Water fun in the outdoor splash park & sea
- Sandcastle building on the beach
- Arcades
- Jump Around Inflata-Park
- Open green spaces to eat lunch
We have more funfilled opportunities for our SEND forum families to enjoy coming up soon!
You need to be a registered forum member to join any of our events/activities so make sure you register as a member first then request to join our private Facebook Chat Group using the links below -
Register Here
Join Chat Group Here
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