On the 8^th of March, some students from Interact went on a trip to Thames Valley Adventure Playground to see where their fundraising would go to. Thames Valley is an adventure playground for children who find it difficult to go to normal playgrounds, such as children with physical disabilities. 

For example, for children who have a walking disability, there are special swings and roundabouts with space for wheelchairs and even a zip wire with a special chair that allows them to have fun despite their disability. Children who have sensory problems or autism can find it hard to relate to other children, by coming to Thames Valley Adventure Playground, they can enjoy the things we take for granted.

Firstly we had a look at the things outside the playground: the elevated walkway (accessible for wheelchairs), sensory garden, aerial runway, the tree top trail, toddlers area, etc. Everything there was wheelchair friendly, which means that every child who goes there gets an equal opportunity to explore and just enjoy themselves- something that disabled children don’t really get a chance to do in an ordinary playground.

 

 

Afterwards, we went inside to look at the sensory room (which encourages people with visual and hearing disabilities to use their senses more), the soft play area, and the sound room. There are also crafts and activities to do inside if people want to.

On Fridays from 10 am – 5 pm, adults with special needs can visit the playground too for wood workshops, use of equipment, crafts etc. So that they can also join in on the fun that they missed out on when they were a child.

This trip really helped us to see where our fundraising will go to and how it will improve the lives of others incredibly, especially as the charity receive very little from the council and rely a lot on donators, such as us! So when you next happen to see Interact collecting money for Thames Valley Adventure Playground, please contribute as the money goes to a great cause and will really benefit others who are not as lucky as ourselves.

Also, thank you to Thames Valley Adventure Playground for showing us around and to the teachers who took us and organised the trip!

Here is a link to their website if you wish to find out more:

http://www.tvap.co.uk/index.php?page=home

 

By Gayatri Nair and Amy Rushton