A group of young disabled people from Birmingham have enjoyed a supported short break in Gloucestershire, organised by national disability charity Sense. 10 holidaymakers, supported by a team of experienced leaders and volunteers, travelled to Macaroni Wood in the south west of England for a week of active and stimulating indoor and outdoor experiences, including woodland walks, cooking classes, a circus skills workshop, musical sessions and a visit from a travelling zoo.

The Gloucestershire short break brings to an end an 18 month programme of supported holidays for children with disabilities in Birmingham, organised by Sense, and funded by Birmingham City Council. The breaks are recognised for the developmental benefits to holidaymakers, and vital respite it provides to the parents.A new programme of short breaks for disabled children in Birmingham is expected to begin in February 2017.

Head of Volunteering at Sense, Eleanor Coker said: “Programmes like this are essential as they enable young people to try new activities. Our personalised approach to planning holidays means that we can support people to do what they want to do – however simple or complex this may be.  They also provide vital respite to parents.

This year’s programme has been a great success, and we’re looking forward to offering more short breaks for young disabled people in Birmingham, next year. However, we could not provide these breaks without the vital support of our volunteers. If you want to do something really rewarding in 2017 we would love to hear from you.”