Leeds Weekend Care Association (LWCA), which provides short breaks for children with additional needs and gives families a breather from care commitments, celebrated its milestone last Saturday by throwing a party. The charity pulled out all the stops at the Vine Education Centre with fun-filled events like street dance and circus-style entertainment. Lots of families were entertained at the centre, which is also the base for LWAC’s Weekenders Club. Weekenders began in 1998 as a pilot project after a parents’ survey revealed a lack of support services for families over weekends and the school holidays. The answer was Weekenders where children could come to play for six-and-a-half hours on a Saturday once a month. It evolved into LWCA, which became a charity in 1999. Jenny Sellers, LWCA community fundraising manager said: “A lot of families describe it as a bit of a lifeline for them. A lot come at breaking point, often with children with complex needs. “Weekenders steps in and offers that bit of support and respite for them as well. It makes a world of difference and it’s great for the children as well as they each get an individualised plan which helps them grow and develop as individuals.” LWCA’s manager Liz Sunderland has first-hand experience of how Weekenders can help. Her son Jack, now 26, who has severe autism, came to Weekenders as a nine-year-old. Liz said: “We didn’t have any family or respite. Somebody said you could put Jack on a waiting list and he could go to Weekenders. We used to count down the days on the calendar, saying ‘It’s only another 18 days until we can have a rest’. Jack went for about four years.” She said that respite time it provides enable parents to have some space and time to do whatever they want. It also gives them a break from what can be a “very stressful, straining set of circumstances to live under long term”. Liz later became a trustee and then stepped up to be the LWCA’s manager. She has seen the service develop additional projects for other children. As well as the Weekenders Club, which is aimed at five to 18-year-olds, it also has two groups specifically for teenagers aged 14 to 18. Teen Scene provides short breaks at weekends, while the Out and About Project gives teenagers the chance to do fun activities like bowling, meals out and day trips. Liz said Out and About grew out of an idea from a trustee for their young people to do typical teenager things. She said: “What we try to do, and I hope we do it successfully, is we don’t want it to look like a load of kids going out with carers. We want it to look like a group of friends having a good time.” Liz is thrilled the much-needed LWCA has hit the 20-year mark. She believes its ability to respond to parents’ needs and its band of dedicated staff and volunteers lay at the root of its success. She said: “Weekenders is considered a ‘life-saver’ for many of our families. I think our success lies in the passion, enthusiasm and commitment from our staff team and that we constantly strive to respond to what families and their children want and need – being flexible is key. “What we hope to achieve is that families are empowered to look after their own children and that does involve frequent, regular quality breaks.” FACT FILE: Leeds Weekend Care Association has been running for two decades. It provides fun, stimulating, safe activities all year round for children and young people with disabilities. The project started in 1998 with a small pilot scheme, funded by the National Lottery and Scope, called Weekenders Club. The idea for the club came out of a survey of parents’ opinions conducted in the late 1990s about what their greatest needs and challenges were. They said that their children missed out on social interaction and were often isolated. Making friends was reported to be very difficult. They also said that weekends were especially challenging and that siblings frequently missed out on activities due to the level of care the parents needed to provide for their disabled child. The pilot developed into a charity in 1999 and expanded its services. Originally, it offered half-day sessions for six children per session to provide respite for parents. It now has three projects -Weekenders, Teen Scene and Out and About - that support around 140 families and operates 47 weeks a year. The LWCA is partly funded by Leeds City Council as part of its short breaks provision. It also does corporate and community fundraising. The cost of the Weekenders Club is £22 per session. A discounted means-tested fee of £11 is also available. For more see: www.lwca.co.uk.