THE TRIPS

TRIPS

CHESTER ZOO

JUL 28

JUL 30

Many of our young carers love animals and learning about them too, so it felt right that after a year of seeing them on Zoom we would have a day out to Chester Zoo! From elephants to butterflies, they were mesmerised and keen to find their favourite animals around the park. In small groups we all took our own expedition to see who could find the most animals, and most importantly, the penguins that were a definite favourite! It was a great day for everyone to be outside, having picnics and enjoying each other’s company in the sun.

AUG 23

AUG 24 POSITIVE PONIES

After having an outreach session with the Positive Herd Project before lockdown the young carers couldn’t wait to be able to visit the site in person and spend time with the horses face to face. The Positive Pony Workshop has been created to give disadvantaged and vulnerable children the opportunity to spend a day learning about and interacting with horses in a safe and stimulating environment. The day’s activities combine interesting classroom-based learning, group activities and practical hands-on sessions to ensure the children have an engaging and enjoyable experience. The workshop provided a chance for the young carers to experience a potential new passion and hobby which is also therapeutic. The workshop took place over 2 days with 2 different groups of young carers going on each day. During the workshop the young carers were able to learn about the horses’ needs and the huge responsibility for caring for such an animal. They also learnt about the horses’ dietary needs as well as their emotional and physical needs too. They all got the opportunity to stroke the horses which provided a bond between them and then got to learn how to lead the horses on a walk. It was lovely to see some of the young carers really tackle their fears of the horses and they were able to stroke and lead the horses by the end. Both workshops were such a huge success that it was a struggle to get them to leave at the end of the day as they were having so much fun.

DELAMERE FOREST 10 AUG

Ready, set, explore! Young carers turned into forest explorers for the day at Delamere Forest, where they enjoyed a variety of fun activities with their friends. Whilst on their adventures they walked up Old Pale Hill, played outdoor scavenger hunts and different team building games. Everybody reconvened for lunch where they enjoyed catching up with friends from other areas. After lunch, everybody went back into their groups and started creating trails for each other, den building and free time to enjoy playing together. Since lockdown we have seen the positive benefit of doing trips in nature and the outdoors, especially for the young carers’ wellbeing, so we are very pleased to have incorporated this into the summer and for it to have been enjoyed by so many!

TRIPS

TRAMPOLINING

AUG 6

There is nothing the young carers love more than being able to run around and go wild with their friends, so going to the trampoline park was the perfect place to do that. Young carers in Chester and Ellesmere Port visited Freedome, whilst young carers in Winsford and Northwich visited UA Trampoline Park, for an afternoon of jumping, games and party food. These trips were an opportunity for the young carers to be ‘children’ and hang out with their friends in a fun and carefree environment.

AUG 18 WHITE PEAK ALPACAS

When the young carers arrived at White Peak Alpacas, they were given a talk about the alpacas and split into smaller groups, the young carers first got to meet and stroke a sheep before going through into the alpaca pens. Each young carer got to pet and hug the baby alpacas and also have their photograph taken before going through into another pen to pet those alpacas. After each young carer had chance to pet and have their picture taken with the alpaca, we had chance to explore the rest of the farm where we saw some chickens, a donkey, more alpacas and wallabies.

WESTLAKE

AUG 12

AUG 13

The young carers in Ellesmere Port and Chester enjoyed a day in the sunshine at the education site Westlake with Reaseheath College. Suited and booted in their wellies the young carers enjoyed a morning of pond dipping, where they were able to get up close to the local pond residents such as newts, frogs and a number of species of fish. They also learnt about the different types of plants and insects that enjoy the pond and how they help keep the pond on its residence happy and healthy. After the young carers enjoyed a picnic, they got to meet the resident Alpacas, who are known for being a little cheeky, which the young carers found very entertaining. In the afternoon they got to put their design and building skills to the test to create dens in the wooded area at Westlake. The young carers learnt how to build the most effective and practical dens using materials they were able to forage and also learnt how to work as a team in order to succeed in the challenge. The young carers got super competitive and wanted to make the biggest and most stylish dens, with some teams making sofas and cosy corners. The day at Westlake was a great escape into the countryside with young carers getting to see and experience things they would normally be able to.

TRIPS

AUG 18

RSPCA STAPLEY GRANGE

During our Easter Programme, we were very lucky to have the team at RSPCA Stapeley Grange deliver a workshop online, the session was extremely popular – especially with our many animal lovers! We were so excited to be able to visit the site as part of the summer programme, and as were the young carers. Whilst visiting Stapeley Grange, young carers enjoyed creating bird houses for the site, which was great for their self-confidence, being part of something so important. They also got to look around the site and saw more of the animals this way, which they loved. Although, a definite magic moment was toasting marshmallows!

MANLEY MERE

AUG 20

Mud, mud, glorious mud! The muddiest trip of all, and by far one of the young carer’s favourites. With the sunshine beaming down on us the young carers tackled all the tricky and very muddy outside obstacle courses and attractions. These included ropes over ponds, narrow log bridges over muddy water, underground tunnels, slides, hamster wheels, rope swings and many more. Their teamwork in all the groups was excellent throughout the day as they encouraged and supported each other to tackle their fears of hights, dark spaces and especially getting muddy. Some young carers were having so much fun in the mud, that they were swimming in it, and all loved the entertainment of being able to dunk each other into the pond using the dunking chair. After they all got changed into nice clean clothes, the young carers enjoyed a picnic before going home on the coach.

AUG 4 JODRELL BANK

We were kindly given tickets to visit Jodrell Bank in the rolling hills of the Cheshire countryside on a lovely sunny day. Jodrell Bank is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the third largest steerable telescope in the world. The day began with an interesting and interactive talk in the open theatre, where young carers learnt more about the history of the site and what they do there. We then split into smaller group for the young carers to explore the site and enjoy the different attractions. The favourite activities of the day were space crafts, the outdoor playground and the photography exhibition!