As the sun sets on another incredible summer at SPACE, it’s time to look back at some of the exciting events that took place.
From canal boating to bell boating, doughnutting to therapeutic farming and a visit to the fire station, the last six weeks have brought unforgettable experiences to our young people.
The worries of the summer holidays soon vanished as our youngsters bounced the morning away at Jump City. They hopped, swivelled and giggled through our first event of the warm season.
Summer fun at SPACE continued as we enjoyed a Picnic and Play at The Patch. Despite a few raindrops, there was lots of free play, potion making in the mud kitchen and chopping kindling for the fire. And if that wasn’t enough fun for one day – our young SPACErs got handy with hammers and nails to make wood decorations with their initials or a pattern of their choice.
There’s no better way to end a picnic than with toasting some marshmallows. Yum!
Up next… doughnutting! This summer, over 100 thrill seeking SPACErs took on the steep slopes at Gosling Sports Park as they raced to the bottom. The sessions didn’t disappoint as the park filled with squeals of delight and contagious laughter.
We would like to take this opportunity to offer a huge thank you to our friends at Herts Disability Sports Foundation for providing such a welcoming and safe environment. From speed demons to leisurely sliders we loved watching every second of the fearless fun.
Let’s take a quick break from the adrenaline of doughnutting to look at some of the brilliant artwork created by our very talented youngsters. Our budding graffiti artists stunned onlookers with their creativity – it was a pleasure to see everyone express themselves so freely at this colourful activity.
When there’s a fish and chips lunch on offer – you can count us in! All aboard the Sheldrake III with Skipper John and his brilliant crew from Waterway Experiences for an exclusive SPACE family canal trip.
Crew set sail enjoying a relaxing time on board taking in the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Highlights included learning how to operate the locks, special family moments and of course, a fish and chips lunch.
Fun on the water continued at Stanborough Lakes, back with our friends at Herts Disability Sports Foundation with some Bell Boating. The lake was beautifully peaceful and calm – herons, Egyptian geese and all different kinds of ducks were spotted by our young paddlers as we rowed along.
The session finished with a couple of friendly races between our boats ending with a happy 1-1 draw.
It was an absolute pleasure to team up with the Watford fire crew to deliver a quiet hour at their Fire Station open day. This allowed our youngsters to explore a fire engine, knock down targets with a hose and experience the smoke house but with a reduced number of attendees, chill out rooms and activities, and reduced waiting times.
We brought SPACE to the Fire Station by setting up our very own sensory area for that added bit of fun and regulation. From old classic fire engines to new, fire simulator, stalls, food, dress up, parachuting teddies, buildings to walk around and much more – we all had a blast.
With a large selection of books, worry monsters, sensory toys and an endless supply of custard creams – our Lending SPACE is a firm favourite for our families to visit. We saw new friendships begin, memories made and worried faces become smiles. It’s a fantastic place for those on similar journeys to connect, talk and tap into the knowledge of our friendly staff. Please continue to visit as our doors remain open beyond summer!
As we wave goodbye to a tremendous summer at SPACE – we would like to say a big thank you for joining us at one of our 40 events that ran over the last six weeks. Other events included fishing, lego, driving experiences, golf, paddle sports and gardening to name a few. Hopefully you enjoyed reading the highlights of what we’ve been up to, and we hope to see you at an activity soon.
We would also like to say a big thank you to our wonderful team of staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly over the summer and whom these events simply wouldn’t be possible.
Be the first to know what monthly events and activities are taking place for our neurodivergent children and young people by visiting the SPACE Hertfordshire Facebook page and subscribe to Eventbrite.
