The day is almost here! From Wednesday, 3rd August 2021, we will resume our Residential Respite Breaks, and welcome back young carers back to our two houses in Hampshire and Mid-Wales for a much needed break from their taxing responsibilities at home.

Although we had to cease all face-to-face services and close the houses for the past 16 months, we used this time wisely for some much-needed refurbishment and renovation work. With the help from countless volunteers and some very generous supporters, the houses look better than ever before, and we can’t wait to fill them with children’s laughter again.

It is so lovely to now see the finished projects ready in time for our young carers, and we hope they will enjoy the fresh and contemporary space that we have created for them.

At our house in Pen y Bryn, Mid-Wales, we have undergone a range of changes especially inside the house, including a new child-friendly kitchen (so our staff can now work in there alongside the children), new windows (for a better view of the picturesque scenery surrounding the grounds), new carpets, beds, and furnishings. The team also spent a decent amount of time on gardening and grounds maintenance to ensure the safety of all children. They cleaned all toys, stocked up on arts & crafts supplies, and, most importantly the swimming pool has been serviced and is fit for a gala!

In Hampshire, a group of four amazing volunteers transformed one of the least attractive areas (but one nevertheless heavily used by the children) into a truly stunning patio that links the basketball square with our arts and crafts room. No doubt this will be an even more popular spot for the kids to hang out. All bedrooms have been painted, new beds ordered and lovely curtains put up to make the rooms extra cosy. It does really look amazing!

Adhering to the safety of both our young carers and staff, we are allowing no more than six or seven children on each break (instead of the maximum number of 14 before the pandemic). To prepare for the host of breaks coming up, we have hired new Team Leaders that have been fully trained and are eager to get stuck into a wealth of exciting activities.

With so many children counting down the days for their next break, we tried to make the most of the school holidays and scheduled a total of 13 breaks between August and October, with continuous weekly breaks thereafter. We will of course monitor government guidelines, with the safety of our children (and their family members) being our top priority.

But the refurbishment and preparation of the houses is only one part of what’s kept our Operations team busy over the last months. Since we got the green light back in June that were going to resume residential Breaks for young carers from the first week of August, the most important job was to start contacting families and invite their child for a break. A lot of coordination and organisation work goes into this, and it was incredibly heartwarming to hear that a majority of the phone calls were answered with the same sigh of relief “I’m so glad to hear you’re re-opening your doors again, my son will be over the moon!” It just goes to show just how much our face-to-face services have been missed and how much of a positive impact it has had on the children we support.

Parents have expressed how difficult it’s been without the support of our Respite Breaks. “It’s her only chance to get away from her role as a young carer. Since lockdown, she hasn’t been able to leave the house at all because I’m so high risk. She’s asked every month when will Honeypot be opening again.” Both parents and children thanked us for all our wonderful workshops and explained how they’d been a lifeline throughout the pandemic, the only way they were able to communicate with not only the outside world but other young carers in similar positions to them!

Wellies ready to be worn on a Honeypot Bug Hunt

We are aware that many of the families we support are extremely vulnerable. Some of the parents have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 and are struggling with increased anxiety and other mental health issues. This can form a barrier in allowing their child to come on a residential break, and we were glad to be able to reassure many that their child’s, and ultimately their own, safety is paramount for us and that our breaks are run following Government guidelines and strictest safety measures. This was also an opportunity for us to speak in more detail to our families, and build a stronger bond based on trust and the idea to give their children something that helps them relax and create happy childhood memories, which they truly deserve after all these months.

Another challenge we faced was not knowing the change in circumstance at the end of the phone; a lot has happened since lockdown and families have been negatively impacted by this; family members passing away or children moving into care. We had to be mentally prepared for any situation when contacting parents, as Covid-19 has made damaging changes to the children’s lives.

Nevertheless, we are prepped and ready to resume our traditional services, as well as continuing our online provisions for all of the children we support. It is crucial that we make our young carers’ stay as fulfilling and adventurous as we possibly can, as we know how important these breaks are to them.

Resuming residential Respite Breaks in Hampshire and Wales