Penrith Family Weekend – April 2023

The first family weekend of 2023 welcomed 11 parents, 10 children and 12 staff to Jubilee House, the fabulous Firefighters Charity rehabilitation centre in Penrith, Cumbria. Staff and families from across the Northern Burn Care Services of Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Wakefield were joined by four staff and a family from Birmingham children’s hospital, keen to experience the weekend, have fun and observe the therapeutic sessions.

The weekend started at Walby Farm Park, with the indoor play area and the giant slides proving to be popular with the families and the staff. Despite the drizzly weather we enjoyed walking the llamas and the visit from the reptiles and furry animals. The swimming sessions were as popular as ever with the children, who enjoyed the wonderful selection of inflatables, water toys and the underwater camera. The parents enjoyed a wonderful relaxing session in the hydrotherapy pool led by Rachel, psychologist from Wakefield and six parents also enjoyed a massage on the Sunday morning before the long journey home.

We were entertained in the evenings by Sunbeams music therapy, Taffy the storyteller and Wayne, play specialist from Birmingham who excelled in his role as Quiz master on the Saturday evening. A huge thank you to Andy and the staff at Jubilee House for looking after us so well.