Despite the challenges of raising a child with SEND, there are so many rewarding moments. To hear the laughter and see their smiles is the best.

Oscar loves to go to Twinlakes which is situated in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Twinlakes is a theme park with many different rides from carousels for toddlers to an adrenalin rush of a ride, Excalibur, where you sit in swings high up and spin around. Not for the faint hearted. You have to be at least 1.2m which thankfully rules out Oscar at the moment. Phew!

Oscar loves the Buffalo rollercoaster. We always have to do that first because Oscar likes to do the same thing at the same time. His face lights up when we go on the Pirate Ship. He is a bit of a daredevil and loves the drop slides in the soft play too. Visit https://twinlakespark.co.uk/explore/rides-attractions/

Going on a day trip is not without its difficulties though. Have I packed a million snacks? Can we avoid a million questions about cables? Will something trigger a meltdown? It definitely helps to go with another family and tag team (or the grandparents with their endless supply of custard creams and bourbons!) Because Oscar does not do queuing, he waited for so long to go on the Joust A-bout ride one visit that by the time he got to the front of the queue, he didn’t want to go on. Queuing is very difficult for a SEND child and it helps to have distractions for example snacks. When we go, we usually do the more popular rides first before it gets too busy and then go for a well-needed cuppa in the cafe whilst watching the children tear around the soft play.

On Black Fridays you can normally get savings on an annual pass. The last couple of years we have saved 30%. The pass pays for itself after 2-3 times. My son has an annual pass with disability but you can get a free carer ticket when you pay for a disability ticket and show Disability Living Allowance (DLA) paperwork.

Visit https://www.twinlakespark.co.uk/ for current prices and opening times and to book an annual pass. They also have a Facebook page which you can ‘Like’ and you will get updates on the annual pass Black Friday release.