I remember a Hayfield summer holiday to Ibiza in Spain several years ago. Everyone had a great time. Two things among many stand out in my memory.
The first …..We visited a water park and there was a giant water slide called “The Kamikaze”….it had five different levels, the highest being the Kamikaze. All of the men we support were willing to do a couple of levels but only Irene out of the whole group was prepared to do the top level, the Kamikaze. Irene was fearless and did the giant slide with a big smile on her face….ever since then I occasionally still call Irene the Kamikaze Queen which immediately brings the memory flooding back and Irene goes into fits of laughter, guaranteed.
The second ….. A large group of us jumped a ferry boat which took us across the bay from our hotel to the old town. The sea was very calm and everyone was enjoying the short jaunt. Suddenly, as we later learned often happened, the sea began to surge and the waves rocked the boat quite a bit. Everyone squatted down and held on tight. Only one man panicked a bit and began to sign….”Who’s going to save me…who’s going to save me?”
To this day the man in question and I have a right good laugh about that incident as he (who was never in any real danger) had just recently won several medals in the Special Olympics for ……kayaking !
That’s what makes this job special…..we know our individuals very well and they know each member of staff very well and we have a really good rapport and share a considerable history together. It’s little shared moments like these that make for really fond memories and good relationships.
Day Support Worker