A fun holiday with friends

Long-time friends, Daniel, Eddie and Gareth often plan their Respite breaks together because they get on so well and love spending time with each other. This time, rather than staying in one of our Respite houses in Cardiff, the trio decided to do something completely different!

Daniel’s parents have a caravan on a site in Porthcawl, which he absolutely loves visiting, especially when it’s sunny. Daniel really wanted to have a holiday there with his two friends, so staff at Respite got together with their parents and circle of support to plan how to make it happen.

Eddie and Gareth planned to arrive at the caravan park on Friday evening, supported by Respite staff Susan and William, with Daniel joining on Saturday morning. Because Eddie and Gareth hadn’t visited the caravan park before, they used Friday evening to explore the facilities and surroundings, so that they knew what activities were on offer ready for the weekend.

When Daniel arrived on Monday the three got together and made a plan of what activities they would like to try. There was lots on offer, including activities they hadn’t done before. The first thing they decided to try was crazy golf, and they absolutely loved it.

Gareth was very proud of himself when he got a hole in one on the crazy golf course!

 

Over the course of the weekend, Daniel, Eddie and Gareth agreed on what to do together; they had fish and chips on the sea front, went to the fun fare, and strolled along the promenade and beach. They also agreed on what they didn’t want to do – and all decided against taking a dip in the sea!

Making decisions together, and spending time on holiday without their parents really boosted their independence, and they enjoyed having so much freedom and choice to do what they wanted to.

Susan supported them on holiday and said:

“It was a really enjoyable weekend for the three of them. The weather was great, and they did lots of exciting activities, some of which they hadn’t done before. They loved spending time on holiday away from parents – and they all agreed they’d love to go again in the future!”