As you drive up the country lane towards Camp Mohawk you soon realise that you are entering a magical place that welcomes the whole family to a soothing woodland environment, where they can interact with the nature and relax, knowing there will be no judgement from strangers unaware of the unique pressures that a family faces when they have a child with disabilities. Camp Mohawk is designed to provide a safe and stimulating environment that allows children and young people with a variety of additional needs to interact with the natural surroundings and specially designed facilities. It aims to provide a variety of activities and experiences that will help develop and enhance the social, physical and sensory skills of its users.This includes an indoor centre that has an amazing sensory room, soft play areas and art rooms. The outdoor facilities offer an accessible swimming pool, nature trails, adventure play grounds and sensory gardens. They also offer fully equipped changing rooms.The centre is staffed by a highly dedicated and motivated team who make the whole family feel at ease, understanding the unique challenges the whole family unit face. This is self-evident in the friendly and non-judgemental manner that the staff interact with all who access the centre. They provide a family day out with a choice of indoor and outdoor activities for children that require additional support, but also their siblings who may not.The unique feature of Camp Mohawk is a facility that the whole family can access. The impact of caring for and managing a child with additional needs cannot be underestimated. Being in an environment where siblings can lose themselves, where parents can relax without fear of a meltdown with strangers staring and where children with additional needs can express themselves is priceless. The impact that this can have on both a child and the whole family unit is invaluable and this is why Camp Mohawk is considered a lifeline to countless families.Camp Mohawk is somewhere that changes the landscape for families who have children with a disability. We got in touch with the team at Camp Mohawk and Samantha Rosier, fund raising manager at Camp Mohawk told us:“Camp Mohawk; a specially equipped, accessible multi-activity day centre near Wargrave, Berkshire, that supports over 1,000 children and young people affected by special needs - both physical and cognitive - and their families. Through our four projects we aim to help reduce isolation and exclusion, build confidence and resilience and improve quality of life for young people with special needs. We do this by encouraging social interaction, offering accessible adventures, providing space to relax and helping build social skills - all in a positive, inclusive, supportive environment. Visits may last an hour or a day but the benefits can last a lifetime.Caring for a child with special needs can place enormous pressures on a family - financial, practical and emotional. For many families, because of their child’s needs, we are the only fully accessible, affordable - and understanding - day centre to which they can bring their child. For others the rare chance to visit and relax as a family - where the needs of the special needs child, their siblings and parents can be met is, as many explain, a ‘lifeline’, and extends the impact of our work well beyond our site boundaries”.We asked a parent, sibling and grandparent what they thought of Camp Mohawk who were able to tell us the following:“Finding somewhere to take my son with additional needs that has adequate facilities and does not cause sensory overload with bright colours, fluorescent lights and lots of people is hard. As a parent you just want your child to be able to enjoy what other children can, but options are so limited. You also feel for the child’s siblings who want to attend activities but you have to be able to arrange care for the child with additional needs in order to be able to take them out. Camp Mohawk is a gem in the countryside where all young people, whatever their need can play together. They have everything covered; the whole family can have a day out in a thoroughly inclusive environment. The support workers regularly spent time with my daughter completing craft activities and chatting whilst I looked after my son. For her, she was able to chat and have someone’s undivided attention without the distraction of me having to keep an eye on her brother.My son was able to enjoy the soft play which was so quiet compared to regular soft play centres and the amazing sensory room with pretty lights and fibre optics that he could play with for hours. The outdoor swimming pool that feels as warm as a bath was always popular. My son could enjoy swimming in a calm environment without huge amounts of people or noise and play just like other children. As a parent it always feels a calming day out as you often find people staring in public places when your child is overwhelmed and although you learn to live with it and just deal with your child and what they need, at Camp Mohawk it doesn’t even cross your mind. The staff are so knowledgeable and are always ready to help and support. Camp Mohawk is a fabulous experience that we could all enjoy together”.(Parent)“Camp Mohawk is an amazing place for children who have siblings with disabilities. I found it a great place for all my family to enjoy. It didn’t feel like the focus was on my brother because I had great one to one conversations with the staff who appreciated the difficulties of having a sibling who requires extra attention from my parents. The swimming in the heated pool and the sensory garden were my favourites!”(Sibling)“A place where you can relax, not feel judged and the rest of the family are made to feel very welcome” (Grandparent)If you If you would like to support Camp Mohawk and help continue their vital work they have created an Amazon wish list created of essential items they would find very helpful. https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/H6MRE1G7AYSUPlease also see https://www.campmohawk.org.uk/If you have any queries or questions about how to support someone to make their own decisions then please contact our Court of Protection team by email at cop@boyesturner.com.
