ࡱ> 463'` bjbj >" &x x x 8   "   9 ; ; ; ; ; ; $h_  _   t  |  9 9   P+x e | 9 0  ^  _ _ ? ^ d d  MY TIME AS A VOLUNTEER IN THE CHILDRENS PROGRAMME Alison Hitchins I have been a volunteer for 5 years now. The first time I volunteered I was a little apprehensive at the prospect of helping in the childrens programme. Although I have small children of my own, I did find it a little daunting. But the minute the children came into the room I was overcome with emotion. Looking after children of my own is a task in itself but when I saw the children who suffer from Niemann-Pick and their siblings and the enthusiasm they have, really warms the heart. Anyway let me tell you a little about the childrens programme, this is actually run like a military operation. Lots of planning is done throughout the year to ensure that all ages and abilities are catered for. The programme runs all day on the Saturday and Sunday morning. The Saturday is usually focused on a day out local to the conference. This year we went to Conkers The hands on experience in the National Forest. Indoors there are 4 discovery zones designed for children and adults of all ages. Plus 23 different outdoor activities: including lakeside walks, sculpture & nature trails, an assault course, train rides, playgrounds & water play! The morning session was split into two groups the under 8s and over 8s. The under 8s were assigned a park ranger and spent an hour or so walking through the woodlands collecting leaves and twigs etc, which they then took back to the workshop and made collages using their finds. I did not go on this workshop but the standard of the work was phenomenal. The over 8s were set an orienteering challenge through the nature trail. We were set a task of collecting letters which appeared on various landmarks. This was actually harder than you think and it was only that we were fortunate to have a scout leader in our group, we managed to complete the task if not with a little cheating! We all then took the train to the other side of the park where the children enjoyed a packed lunch. The afternoon session was a free session and the children spent the rest of the afternoon at the well equipped play area, lots of slides, swings and climbing- I am not sure who had more fun the children or the volunteers the competitive streaks really come out! The Sunday session is a quieter one. Everyone is usually recovering from the day before and the partying into the evening. This year we provided Nintendo Wiis and for those who wanted to make crafts these were also provided this year we based it on the woodland themes, making masks and other woodland activities. Some of the older children went swimming at the hotel pool. The thing that inspires me the most about being a volunteer is the way everyone involved in the charity whether it is the families, medical team or the administrators, they all come together as one big family. Every year the conferences seem to get bigger and better. You are always made to feel welcome and people are happy to talk to you or just listen to you depending on how you are feeling. I am certainly looking forward to many more years as a volunteer. Thank you Niemann-Pick, for giving me the opportunity to work with your charity.     PAGE  PAGE 3 2DFx   2 3 u 5 9 d:CFf"ּ֢֯֯֕֕zm`mSmzm`mhChOJQJ^JhChEOJQJ^JhChgjOJQJ^JhCh,iOJQJ^JhChNOJQJ\^JhChNOJQJ^JhCh[KzOJQJ^JhCh+NOJQJ^JhCh gOJQJ^JhChgOJQJ^JhCh8OJQJ^JhChE5OJQJ^JhCh g5OJQJ^J EF2 3 45op gd$a$gd$a$gd+$a$gd8$a$gd g $@&a$gd}r"-PTnp1np! VW沥杙zs h7Cvh~hC0JmHnHuh~ h~0Jjh~0JUhjhUhChOJQJ^JhCh^:OJQJ^JhCh+NOJQJ^JhChEOJQJ^JhChwKOJQJ^JhChgjOJQJ^JhCh gOJQJ^J- gdgd7Cv &`#$gd~v6 &`#$gd7Cv hChgjOJQJ^J< 001hP:pC. A!"#$n% @@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No List4@4 [KzHeader  9r 4 @4 [KzFooter  9r .)@. ^: Page NumberZY@"Z }r Document Map-D M CJOJQJ^JaJ "EF2345o p   0000@0@0@0@0@00@0@0@00@00@000@000@000@000@000@0q@0@0@0@0@0@000E3 Z00X00@0 %%%("    (!!8@0(  B S  ? E 3  ! 88gr3gj+~v6^:wA+N gpo}r7Cv[Kz~b#hEtzEbVNfNm5SwK^\C,i@00 p@UnknownGz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial5& zaTahoma"1hff:  !4d 2QHX ?82'I have been a volunteer for 5 years nowHitchinsMichelle ScobieOh+'0 4@ ` l x (I have been a volunteer for 5 years now Hitchins Normal.dotMichelle Scobie2Microsoft Office Word@@Խ~`@Zѻ+@Zѻ+ ՜.+,0 hp|   ' (I have been a volunteer for 5 years now Title  !"$%&'()*,-./0125Root Entry F +7Data 1TableWordDocument>"SummaryInformation(#DocumentSummaryInformation8+CompObjq  FMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q