The Sensory Trust – doing good work for the community

At Caledonia Play our ethos and the philosophy underpinning our company is that children have the right to play in a safe but natural environment. One that can also be physically challenging and mentally stimulating. This also extends to adults of all ages and abilities.

So we were pleased to discover an organisation called The Sensory Trust – a leading authority on inclusive and sensory design. They use nature and the outdoors to improve the health and well-being of people living with disability and health issues, their families and carers. They work throughout the UK, and share their approaches internationally with a wide network of organisations and individuals.

Their aim is to make the outdoors accessible and enjoyable for all people, regardless of age, ability or social circumstance. What they do benefits young and older people, and people living with ill health or disabilities, together with their families and carers.

Their good work spans health and care environments, parks, schools, natural heritage and visitor destinations, and they are connected with like-minded organisations across the world. They work with the health, care and education sectors and with communities in order to change the way that places are designed and to bring nature-based experiences into the lives of people who need them most.

This year their key themes are using nature and the outdoors to:

• Support the development, wellbeing and learning of children with disabilities.
• Re-engage marginalised people with their local heritage and communities.
• Support people living with dementia, their families and carers, to maintain healthy and independent living.

The Sensory Trust also run a Scheme called Snap – Sensory Nature Adventures and Play – for families of children with disabilities. SNAP is a Sensory Trust project working with children with disabilities and their families. They aim to create sensory, nature-based adventures such as stories, games and creative activities. These are designed to help children with disabilities to build confidence and improve communication and social skills in their quest to explore the outdoor world. They encourage families to play and explore together in a series of organised activity days as well as using our resources at home.

It’s well worth having a look at the Sensory Trust website for inspirational stories and ideas. And if you feel you’d like to get involved in some way then there’s a page of information on how you can do just that!

Oh – and there’s a great little online shop where you can buy fun and interactive products to help people spend quality time outdoors.