February brings dark, gloomy mornings and chilly nights but in our centres, there is always a warm welcome.
The children have been returning for breaks over the last few weeks. We can’t offer a Winter sunshine getaway, but we can – and do – offer warmth and kindness to every child who comes to stay.
It takes a truly committed teacher, social worker or charity worker to get everything ready for a child to come away in the early days of the New Year. We’re incredibly grateful to those who make it happen.
As spring approaches, our centres will soon be bursting at the seams. But for now, we embrace the smaller, nurturing groups, still with all the excitement and adventure of the outdoors. We are making the most of muddy walks in the woods and trips to the beach where it’s just us and the dog walkers. With miles of sand, rock pools for us to explore, and trees to climb the adventure never stops. After a day of fresh air and fun, we return back to the warmth of our houses for hot chocolate, campfires, songs and games.
Already this year, we’ve welcomed children who were nervous to leave home—where they’ve witnessed anger and fear. It’s heartbreaking to meet children who believe it’s wrong to have fun. But we exist to show them that it’s not and their childhood is the most important thing to us.
Indoors we’ve been making crafts and gifts to take home. Our Valentine’s Day themed positivity jars give every child a daily boost: with simple things like tiny notes that say ‘I have many talents’ or ‘I can handle ANYTHING’.
The magic ingredient at Go Beyond is our staff. In every part of the charity, we have people who are passionate about what they do, and that genuine kindness comes through. At the end of the week, it is always the staff who get the most positive feedback from the children.
As they tuck into Italian themed meals (what else would we have for such a romantic week!), and sit at tables decorated with hearts, I hope each child realises they are loved, that they have experienced kindness, and can make friends. When they get home, they remember that feeling of being cherished just for who they are.
We still have a few spaces left on our 2025 breaks and we’re happy to hear from people who might like to refer a child to join us next year. Please just give us a call, or check our website. It’s easy to make a referral – you just need to know the child and get them near enough for us to pick them up – we do all the hard work, because we love it!
