We try to go away at least once a year with Jimmy.
As he needs a break - the same as all of us.
we enjoy our holidays together and we do have a lot of fun - but yes it can be hard work.
but we love Jimmy and we see how much he gets from a holiday
and that makes all of the preparation and planning worth while.
Myself and my wife, we go as Jimmys friends
if we went as volunteers,or paid workers - jimmy would have to pay for us
which would include
transport -
Jimmy has a train pass which enables 1 support staff to get a reduced rate
holiday accommodation
Jimmy has his own room unless its just me and Jimmy and then we share
food. - if we was volunteers he would be expected to buy us at least 1 meal a day each
When a deafblind person goes on holiday now they are required to take 2 support staff so they can have communication breaks - this also triples the price of the holiday!
You can understand why people dont go away, as there is very little encouragement to do so, after paying 3 times the average price - in some cases i can see why extra staff is needed, but that dosent make it any cheaper!
Through the years i have started of very cheap - due to Jimmys low budget and the fact that he has very little understanding the value of things
This has progressed though the years and jimmys understanding of cost has got a lot better
(although he's still stingy lol )
One of the best holidays we had was Disneyland Paris - this was such a magical experience
you can read the full journal here
our first holiday was in a tent! and it was £7 a night
and very memorable it was to!
sometimes we just go and stay with my parents in kent
and Jimmy loves that
this makes a nice break for him and is affordable
But its not a holiday
As a holiday means so much to jimmy, he know happily saves up, and he understands that there are different costs for different things
Myself and Claire pay for our transport,food and accommodation - unless money is donated and then we use that to cover our costs.
If we stay in a caravan or a hotel jimmy has his own room
as soon as we arrive i show him around so he is familiar with the set up
this takes him literally 10 minutes - he picks this up really quick
Jimmy remembers doing archery many years ago at college
so we attempted it again at butlins
It was quite busy but as soon as they found out he was blind they all moved up to the other end of the hall.
Jimmys ideal holiday must be 1 week
and must include a cooked breakfast!
And if there is a pool he will swim every morning!
he loves the seaside
and as soon as we decide on a suitable venue i start to explore what attractions are nearby and inquire about ticket prices and access etc
You never know what Jimmy will learn
during this trip to Skegness Jimmy discoverd open top buses
he had never heard of them before
and was very concerned that the bus had no roof
he laughed for ages.
A lot of the time, tickets are donated which is great.
I only ask if they offer a discount but if they donate free tickets i will never turn them down.
Jimmy always plays tricks on us on holiday
which normally end in my turmoil!
but we do play them back on him which is fun
one year he stuffed my shoe with wet bread - so i hid a broom in his sleeping bag!
Jimmy panning for Gold at Butlins
in Skegness
Jimmy enjoys the arcades which is fun, there are always rides and machines that we can play on together
This was interesting!
Air hockey with a blind man
Not very accurate lol be he did it, and he loved it
Feeling with his spare hand to see if any coins have dropped
At the end of a holiday Jimmy never wants to go home
But he can take the memories with him and they will last forever
A huge thank you to Phil Rubery
and Lucozade power league in Peterborough for sunding towards Jimmys holiday this year
Thank you so so much
these trips are so important
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