12 Mar Deaf Children take to the water for a weekend of fun and adventure in Lee Valley
A group of deaf children enjoyed a weekend of friendship and fun on the water during an activity weekend organised by the National Deaf Children’s Society.
The activity weekend took place between 7 and 8 March at Hertfordshire Young Mariners Base Outdoor Centre in Cheshunt, next door to the group’s accommodation at Lee Valley Youth Hostel. The group was composed of 20 deaf children aged 8-12 years old.
On Saturday 7 March the group enjoyed an afternoon of bushcraft, followed by an arts & crafts and film night back at the group’s base. On Sunday 9 February they had fun ‘bell boating’ (where two boats are joined together, creating a stable platform) on the Young Mariners Base’s lake. The group was supervised at all times by trained instructors and staff from the charity.
The National Deaf Children’s Societyis offering a range of different residential experiences throughout the year, including activities such as watersports, hiking and seaside sleepovers, all to help deaf childrenand young people develop their skills and see there is nothing in life they can’t achieve.
The charity’s activity weekends are open to deaf children and young people aged 8-18 years and are designed to encourage communication, boost self-confidence and build strong relationships between the participants.
The deaf children who attended the weekend spoke about how much of an impact it had on them: “I loved it, and I loved to meet so many other children with hearing problems,” said Maisie, while Emily commented: “I made lots of new friends and did new things and that made me confident.”
