FAMILIES with disabled children across the Vale enjoyed a range of activities during the Sport and Play Family Fun Day based at Ysgol Y Deri in the Easter holidays.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Sport and Play team joined forces with the Family Information Service and Ysgol Y Deri, which is part of Penarth Learning Community, to provide a day of sport and play activities for families whose children attend schools in the Vale.

Over 40 families attended the day and took part in activities such as clay modelling, flower pot decorating, and a range of sports. The Really Wild Show was also on hand to give everyone an interactive experience with a large range of animals, encouraging children to hold the animals whilst finding out about their natural habitats.

One of the aims of the fun day was to introduce families to the school and the facilities it can offer, as well as allowing the school and the Sport and Play Team to liaise with families of disabled children to find out how they can provide more opportunities for disabled people.

The school’s state of the art sports hall, which includes a floor that lifts up to reveal a number of trampolines, was open for all to experience the benefits of Rebound Therapy, which can help relax pupils, improve muscle tone, and increase concentration along with a number of other benefits.

There was also an opportunity for the children to see how hard they could strike a football with Powershot Wales, who presented medals and prizes to the children who took part.

One parent who attended the event said: “Thank you so much for such a lovely family day. It was so lovely to see my child so happy in school and for his sisters to see his school and have fun with him. These sorts of experiences are invaluable in raising his self-esteem and attitude towards school.”

The Family Fun Day was helped by funding from the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Welsh Government Securing Play Opportunities funding and the Out Of School grant scheme, all of which were key in making the day a success.

Simon Jones, Disability Sport Wales Development Officer, said: “Days like these provide an excellent opportunity to talk to disabled children and their families about how we can improve the services we provide in the Vale of Glamorgan. It was a great experience to work in partnership with Ysgol Y Deri and hopefully this can be replicated on a regular basis in the future.”

For more information on Disability Sport and Play Opportunities please visit www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/sportsandplay or call 01446 704748.