When Stacy was told she’d been selected to go to Exmoor with Dreamflight she felt ‘excited and overwhelmed’ because she had never been away by herself before. Little did she know the fun that was ahead!
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it wasn’t possible for Dreamflight to take a plane full of children with serious illnesses or disabilities to Florida. But that wasn’t going to stop the charity giving a special treat to some very deserving young people! So, a smaller group was selected for a fun-packed visit to the Calvert Trust; an accessible activity centre in Exmoor.
Stacy was nominated by her Physio Laura as she has Cerebral Palsy and had recently recovered from a major operation. In addition, she’d been through some very tough times during her young life and Laura felt that the trip would build her confidence and help her with the transition into adulthood.
At the Calvert Trust, the children took part in abseiling, zip wiring, horse riding, bike riding and even an early Christmas! Prior to heading off Stacy said: ‘Before the trip, I was worried about me not being able to take part in the activities’. With volunteer Katie by her side, she embraced everything with a smile and said ‘I made lots of new friends, who were in a similar situation as me and this made me feel happy as I didn’t need to feel ashamed of my disability… I loved it all’.
Her proudest moment was rock climbing, as she never thought she’d be able to do it or reach the top of the wall!
Stacy lives with her Nan and Grandad. Nan Diane said: ‘I was a little worried about her going so far away from home on her own, but I knew she was in good hands and would be very well looked after’. She added: ‘I think Stacy came back from the trip with more confidence than she went with. She talks about her trip to Exmoor to new people she meets. It is something she will never forget’.
Huge thanks to Stacy and Diane for allowing us to share this story, to Laura for nominating Stacy and to Katie for being an amazing volunteer on the trip.