Families enjoyed a morning of fun, play and creativity during special open garden sessions at The Treehouse.
The gatherings took place throughout the summer for children, siblings, parents and grandparents receiving care and support from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) at its Ipswich base.
In total, 137 family members have attended over the course of six weeks, representing 25 different families, and the final three were special as they were supported by early years arts organisation Make Play.
The Ipswich-based Community Interest Company sources funding in order to create spaces for children and families to explore, play and make things together, using handmade, recycled and repurposed materials.
Two members of the team came along and set up a range of sensory activities for both lead children and siblings to enjoy. The ‘playscape’ was zoned into separate areas, which were accessible for all ages and abilities.
“It was another wonderful open gardens session and we felt blessed and thankful to be supported by Make Play,” said EACH Play Specialist Hailey Allen.
“They believe in the power of art and creativity to nurture and help us make sense of the world – no matter who we are or how old we are.
“The sessions have been such fun and the mum of one service user said it had given her lots of ideas of things to do at home.
“It was a brilliant success and a huge thank you to all my colleagues and volunteers who worked so hard to support the sessions.”
Rachel Sedgwick, from Make Play, said it was a pleasure to collaborate with EACH and spend time at The Treehouse.
She said: “The sessions were brilliant and we absolutely loved them.
“It’s something we’d been wanting to do for a while and, as the open gardens were an established event, we felt the two concepts would work well.
“We had some great feedback from families, including parents of wheelchair-users, and that made everything worthwhile.”
Pictures: Alice Leonard/EACH
