Our children and carers had great fun at Braeside Education Centre, Wilts.

We are proud of the support we provide to our foster carers and looked-after children. Alongside the expertise, support and guidance we have to offer, we also believe regular fun and activity days are an important for our children and their carers. Not only are they are usually incredibly fun and/ or educational, it's also a great chance for them to meet others in similar situations to themselves and build and grow bonds and relationships. Last week, we organised an outdoor activity day for our local children and carers in the South West at Braeside Education Centre. Braeside has been established for over the past 40 years and has gained an excellent reputation for conferences, outdoor learning/activities and intensive studies both daily and residential in nature. The site itself covers approximately 4.5 acres and has a range of activities for both children and adults as well as lawns and gardens. It was a great day, one our carers said: "We both had a fantastic day yesterday! When I asked my young person how she would sum it up she said, "One word - AMAZING! We thought the team activity in the morning was really good fun and gave us a chance to get to know other people. The children loved being in charge of the fire and the cooking - though even that wasn't enough to get them to try courgette! It was a great bonding experience and everyone got involved. The afternoon's climbing activities were lots of fun and it was great to see so many people, young and old, give things a go. I had never done anything like that before and it was brilliant being able to try the climbing wall for the first time - even though I optimistically attempted to go up the most difficult route first of all - and failed!! The staff there were highly professional and really engaged with the children, encouraging them to give things a try and I think a lot of the children surprised themselves with how much they could do and I'm sure they all left feeling a great sense of achievement. This was our first Braeside experience and we really hope it won't be our last. Thank you to Capstone and all involved for making this a really memorable day."