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Providing an annual holiday for disabled children |
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Written by the Helpers Wash
dress children
- by Jenny Lemon The hardest bit about these early morning shifts is dragging yourself out of bed at some ridiculously early time in the morning, to be at the hall by 7am. If that doesn’t prove too difficult getting the children up is a doddle, however you will always get the odd exception who will cling to the bed and try and hide their head in their pillow. Don’t worry if you are uncomfortable or inexperienced in the nappy changing field, there will always be a willing volunteer to assist. Its best to get at least a few of the kids showered in the morning, but a word of advice-take your shoes off before setting foot in the shower room as no matter what you do the water will go everywhere! With the exception of the soggy feet and lack of a lie in, mornings really are pretty easy as the kids are usually so enthusiastic to be up and dressed ready for the daily outing. Outings
- by Jenny Lemon Being an escort for the children whilst on outings is brilliant fun for all involved. It is a great chance to get to know the children and also the other helpers. You get to accompany the children on trips such as the science museum, swimming and camping, and if you are lucky you may even get to go with the kids on some of Legolands’ super scary rides! The chances are you will end up more tired than most of the children when you return, after a day out but until you see the enjoyment the kids get from their days adventures, it is hard to fully appreciate how worthwhile a cause Orchyd is.
Helpers
at meal times
- by Jenny Lemon We’re not going to lie, meal times can be messy
(and its not just the children who manage to spill dinner down
themselves!). You will need to serve the children their dinner and may
have to help them by cutting it up or feeding it too them. Whether or
not you have a child who needs assistance with eating, meal times are a
sociable occasion where you have a chance to chat to the children and
other helpers. If you’ve had a hard day and are extra nice to the
kitchen staff, they may will even throw in dinner (and pudding) for
you. Putting
kids to bed
- by Jenny Lemon Before bedtime the children will need to have a wash or shower and go to the toilet and just in-case you haven’t read the bit about showering on the wash dress page- beware you will get wet! On the first few nights getting the children to settle down and go to bed can be a rather big challenge, and if you are planning on sticking round until they all fall asleep, you may as well volunteer for night duty! After a few outings though, the children do get tired and are willing to go to bed earlier and earlier. There will always be a couple of children who attempt to delay going to bed and talk loudly after lights out-no names mentioned!, but even they will eventually fall asleep leaving the helpers free to stroll down to the pub to celebrate a hard days work. Night
Duty - by
Jenny Lemon WARNING
BEWARE WARNING BEWARE WARNING BEWARE Night duties are for those staff who are either very brave and dedicated, or sad losers like me who have no place better to be! They’re not that bad really (once the children are asleep) and give you a chance to get to know the rest of the staff better. Most of the time night duties run smoothly but you must always be prepared for a disrupted nights sleep (especially if you are a light sleeper!). One of the good points about doing night duty is you don’t have to wake up really early to come in to Orchyd……However you will be woken up by the evil morning staff when they come in at 7am announcing that it’s a beautiful day and its time to get up!
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