The DCF Saturday Club was started by 2 parents, of disabled children, Avril Jackson and Paula Street. They recognised, through lived experience, the need for our wonderful young people and their parents to have a social group where we can spend safe quality time together enjoying adapted, fully inclusive, activities and having fun. Avril and Paula give their time completely voluntarily to run this group.

It can be challenging in so many ways for both parents and their children who have multiple disabilities to maintain a social life, facilities can be unwelcoming or not accessible, activities become unsuitable and many of our young people end up watching rather than participating and parents can start to feel isolated from other parents as it’s not always easy to navigate a space for 1 wheelchair let alone 2/3 or 4. To start our group finding the right space was a huge initial challenge!

We now have the only group in Dorset that supports the most profoundly disabled children and it is the most welcoming, wonderful, happy group, providing regular fun for our PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities) children and young people who get to participate in fun, inclusive activities which are all carefully planned to meet their needs.

The Saturday Club is held fortnightly at a specialist school that has all the appropriate changing facilities and is fully accessible. The activities include wheelchair dancing to yoga, inclusive performances, parties, playmaker, music sessions, and everything in between.

The group also offers, cost free to the family’s, a wonderful residential weekend at Avon Tyrell. Where they families stay in adapted lodges and get to participate in canoeing, the hire wire and even archery, all tailored to their needs. They all sit round the camp fire and everyone has the most amazing time

The total running costs are £9000 pa for sessions every 2 weeks. Please donate what you can so we can keep this fantastic opportunity open and keep supporting local disabled children.