We are happy to announce that we have purchased a brand new wheelchair adapted respite home. The respite home includes full wheelchair access, with widened doorways, double patio doors that lead onto a large veranda with a large returning ramp, a wet room with a specialist shower chair, track hoisting, portable hoist and a profiling bed, making it one of the most accessible caravans in the UK.
The newly built caravan is in Milford on Sea on the edge of the New Forest, close to an accessible beach at Sandbanks, where beach wheelchairs can be used. There are also many fully accessible attractions including Poulton’s Park, which has three wheelchair accessible rides, Longtown Farm which has a fully accessible changing place and Beaulieu Motor Museum that is also fully accessible.
With staycations being the only form of holiday, our very vulnerable children can take, due to being unable to fly, the long-term impact of COVID-19 and the lack of fully accessible accommodation, we are so happy to have completed this project. Respite is not only essential to the disabled child, but for their siblings and their carers mental health and wellbeing.
The Caravan also contains sensory equipment and lighting, Amazon Alexas, an accessible Nintendo switch, iPad, Toni audio story boxes, smart TV, and games to keep the whole family entertained.
This project has cost £150,000 and we are now fundraising to add a fitted pool hoist, changing place with track hoisting and an adult sized changing bench. The respite home and its facilities will enable our children and their families to experience a fully inclusive holiday together, recharge, have a break from hospital visits and clinical/palliative settings while creating lasting memories.