Sunshine and smiles at Raby Gardens for Family Fun Day

Afantastic time was enjoyed at the end of summer 2022 as we hosted our second annual Family Fun Day at Raby Gardens.

Run by our Children & Family Service, alongside our Raby CVS team, it marked the end of the summer residency for the children’s service at the gardens and was a great opportunity for the children, their parents and siblings, to come along and enjoy the day together.

The previous year the kids all wore raincoats for the fun day, but luckily we had great weather this time. Everyone loved feeding and petting our cute alpacas, goats, pigs and bunnies, while exploring the gardens, playing with sensory toys, enjoying their picnics and just having fun.

Lynda Maxwell is the manager of the Children & Family Service, and said:

“The aim of the day is to give parents an opportunity to come and enjoy a fun day knowing their child is in a nonjudgemental environment, which is safe and secure. Many of the children are “runners” and have no fear or sense of danger. So many of our parents are unable to access mainstream activities because of the often unpredictable nature of their child’s behaviour and the fear of being judged by others. For many parents just going to the park can be a really stressful experience.

“With our activities, if a child is overwhelmed and has a meltdown or displays behaviour that is different, no one minds.

“As one parent said: ‘We’re all in the same boat.’ So families can relax and just enjoy the moment together.” said everyone who attended!