We went along for the first time and I can honestly say I have never looked back. We both loved it. It's very laid back and the workers are all lovely beyond words and you come away feeling refreshed and positive. Mummies have coffee and the babies play on the mats and the bigger ones explore and play. They also have a lovely Sensory room which Emily loves (mummy does too). The premises is a respite care home being divided into two sections almost. One side is overnight respite for kids that have very complex health needs and the other section is for delayed learning children. Again I never knew anything like this existed and although at the moment I can't imagine ever sending Emily for a night of respite I can understand why some parents choose to do this.
At one of our coffee mornings we were lucky enough to meet Charlie Porter who is the founder of a children's charity called Muffins Dream Foundation. Charlie has had more than her share of health issues from birth and bravely overcome these and you may say made her into the person she is today.
Muffins Dream Foundation was set up to help disabled 0-25 year olds in Basingstoke and Hampshire not to mention the siblings and other family members. They offer a wide range of services from activity days, hospital visits, providing boredom buster bags for any of the children or young adults that maybe in hospital for any length of time and baby sitting to name a few.
To date we have attended a messy play afternoon, Easter egg hunt and also the most recent being a gymnastics morning which was such a hit for Emily's big sister. One of the great things about Muffins Dream Foundation is that they include siblings which having a older daughter I think it's so important that siblings are not left out. This has always been a worry for me and my husband but so far I think we are doing a good job!
Muffins Dream Foundation also have a number of other volunteers who help in any way they can and again they do a brilliant job and you can see that each and every one of them are as dedicated as the next.
Each child that is registered with them is then referred to as one of the Muffins which again is a nice touch!
It is Charlie's dream to eventually open Muffin House Hospital which is a luxury hospital who will provide care for children and young adults that have to spend a great deal of time in hospital, they would provide a high level of medical care and also a few extras that would make the individuals stay that bit more comfortable.
Muffins Dream Foundation are always looking to recruit new Muffins and there siblings. Please look at there website which provides more details of services they offer, a registration form if you would like to enrol your own littke muffin and also please read the page about Charlie herself. I have only read it this evening and all I can say is WOW! If anyone can give you confidence that others are not always right it's Charlie. She has overcome so so much to be where she is today, against all odds and is a true inspiration.
As mentioned earlier we have attended a messy play afternoon which both Emily and her older sister loved. Emily relaxed in the sensory corner while her sister done all manor of messy things I would never let her do at home. Well not my home anyway haha. Emily even joined her sister in some shaving foam fun.
We then attended the Easter Egg event which again was a brilliant day . This event was open to the public and it was a great turnout with almost eighty children in attendance. Obviously Emily couldn't take part in the actual hunt but her sister done her proud. Emily was more interested in the two Muffin Mascots. These being Fireman Sam and a Minion. Every child was given an Easter egg or in Emily's case a little chick to take home along with biscuits they has iced and eggs they had painted.
The last even we attended was the gymnastics event. Again there was a high demand for this and by attending I can certainly see why. Emily was lucky enough to have a baby coach almost to herself. It was a lovely coincidence as the baby coach also tought my older daughter when she used to do gymnastics a couple of years ago so it was nice to have a chat ect.
Emily was able to try a number of new things such as sitting and being turned in an almost shell kind of seat (I am sure they have a proper name), being gently rocked in a blanket , tummy time on a wavy mat which she really liked (she hates tummy time), sliding down the slide on blankets and also managed to fit in some time on the giant trampoline. Emily didn't manage an hour and half but spent the last half an hour watching her sister jump into the foam pit and do all manor of daredevil stuff. It was lovely to just stand back and watch all of the children, all different disibilities having great fun. Roll on next month when the next gymnastics event is being held!
You can read more about Muffins Dream Foundation on there website
Www.muffinsdreamfoundation.co.uk
Also they have a Facebook page which I am sure you are more welcome to join
Www.facebook.com/muffinsdreamfoundation
Also as with all charities they rely on donations so they can carry on and in this case provide such a worthwhile and excellant service. If you want to donate to such a worthy cause you can do so by donating on the website or contacting Charlie via email or directly on the Facebook page.
Also if you have not yet joined my Facebook page please do so
Www.facebook.com/introtoemily
