Children and young adults with learning difficulties enjoy activity-filled summer camp

The usual residential respite holiday could not go ahead at Highfield and Brookham Schools due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but that did not stop 15 children and young adults from across the south of England from taking part in bushcraft, swimming, big outdoor art, as well as a special visit from Adam The Magic Music Man.

Phillip Evitt, headmaster of Highfield School, said: “Highfield and Brookham is blessed to be set in 175 acres of glorious South Downs countryside and boasts wonderful facilities and academic success but, at the core of the school and, what makes our heart beat hardest, is the ethos and beliefs that makes us truly unique.

”We teach our pupils to ‘give back’, to be ‘outward looking’ and never is this more tangible than during our extraordinary Highfield Highreach Holiday where we saw 15 Old Highfieldians volunteer.”

There were 35 volunteers overall working together to offer three days of on-site activities at the schools.

Highfield Highreach Holidays is a small volunteer-run organisation which provides a week-long residential holiday for children and young adults, aged eight to 18 years old, with a range of learning difficulties, who may also have physical disabilities or medical conditions.

It allows them to enjoy a week full of memorable experiences in a safe environment, and also provides crucial respite for their families.

The organisation also accommodates families who cannot afford the high price of many commercial respite care schemes.

The families and carers of the holidaymakers have the opportunity to reset and take time to do things that many of us may take for granted.

Last year, one set of parents went on holiday for the first time in 20 years, and another took their other children to the cinema and out for dinner.

Although the usual week-long holiday could not happen, the three days still allowed families to have some respite, which was especially welcome after the lockdown.

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