DRWF Events: Report from Diabetes Wellness Type 1 Family Camp
The recent May Day Bank Holiday weekend saw an excited team from DRWF set-off for Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire, the location of this year’s first DRWF Type 1 Family Camp, in partnership with Over The Wall.
Applications for our first residential Camp since 2019 came in thick and fast earlier this year and resulted in 18 families being offered the opportunity to join us for a long weekend of serious fun!
The event was held at NAYC and ACUK (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs and Action Centres UK), Whitemoor Lakes, Staffordshire on 30th April.
Residential Camps are an opportunity for young people with type 1 diabetes and their families to enjoy some down-time in a safe and welcoming environment.
There are stacks of indoor and outdoor activities to get involved in which encourage families, the children and adults alike, to laugh, be silly, be adventurous and be brave.
They are a special place to build confidence, resilience and perhaps most importantly new friendships, which often last well beyond Camp.
As families started to arrive on the Saturday afternoon the noise and excitement ramped up. In total, more than 60 Campers arrived with high expectations of the fun and games on offer.
The Over The Wall volunteers are a fabulous bunch, well versed in the buddy role that they assume when assigned their family. Families had an opportunity to become acquainted with the Camp venue and familiarise themselves with the programme on offer before having their first Camp debrief, some group icebreaker games and then dinner. An excellent way to get to know fellow Campers and prepare for the following day’s activities.
The DRWF team were thrilled to be able to spend time chatting with parents and children over the course of the weekend, getting to know a little more about their day-to-day management and challenges of diabetes and finding out where additional support could be provided. One thing was clear, everyone really welcomed the opportunity to get together with others to share experiences, top tips and knowledge, whilst watching their children having fun and making new friends.
Parent testimonial: “I just wanted to give you a massive thank you for this weekend just gone. To be honest we had never attended anything like this before or met any other parents/other children with type 1 diabetes. It was the first time since diagnosis my daughter Mary felt like she wasn’t the odd one out and she had so much fun with all your lovely staff and volunteers and other type 1 kids. You made us all feel so welcome. It was a great weekend from start to finish and we really appreciated all the hard work you must have put in to do something like this and giving Mary the opportunity to do things that she would normally not have the opportunity to do.”
We are so happy that our Type 1 Family Camp provides a warm and friendly place that encourages Campers to learn and grow in every sense with peer support at its heart. Whilst residential Camp is over for this year, there are still ample places available at our autumn offering, DRWF Type 1 Family Camp in the Cloud, which is a virtual Camp to be enjoyed from the comfort of home. If you are interested in applying for a place, please visit our website.
Upcoming events for young people living with type 1 diabetes
Camp in the Cloud Online Virtual Event
15th October
More information here
Read more at DRWF Educational and Fundraising Events in 2022: Getting back together again to support people living with diabetes
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