Charities work together to create magical days out for children

Children in Dorset with disabilities or additional access needs and their families were treated to days out last year organised by Diverse Abilities and Merlin’s Magic Wand.

The two charities have worked together since 2016 to provide fun days out and activities for families through a selection of Diverse Abilities’ services, which include Project My Time, which caters for children aged 8-18; a youth club for teenagers with special educational needs; play sessions and a sibling support service.

Thanks to the work of both charities, children and their families were treated to days out at a range of popular tourist attractions and Merlin’s Magic Wand also provided contributions towards the hire of the coaches for each trip.

Speaking to reporters, Clare Rochford, the Children’s Team Manager at Diverse Abilities, said: “We are honestly so thankful to Merlin’s Magic Wand for supporting us each year, it really does make a huge difference to the families we work with. The daily challenges that these families face often make these sorts of days out a daunting experience and by being able to facilitate these trips means we can take the stress out of the whole process.”

Erin Woods, charity manager for Merlin’s Magic Wand, added: “Merlin’s Magic Wand is an international children’s charity that has been creating magical experiences for children who need them most for over 13 years. With the support of our partners, colleagues, beneficiaries and friends to date, we’ve been able to create over one million magical experiences with our three magical programmes.”

If you are based in Dorset and would like to be involved with the services offered by Diverse Abilities, visit their website here.