Kidz to Adultz, Manchester 2024
For the second year running I have had the privilege of attending Kidz to Adultz with Peeps. For those who haven’t heard of Kidz to Adultz before, it is an exhibition for children, parents and professionals to try a wide variety of products and equipment and gain information about different disability services. There are also activities for children and seminars running throughout the day. The exhibitions are held across the UK throughout the year.
I joined Charity Manager Sarah Land and our Chair of Trustees, Jen Cawthorne this October on the Peeps stand in Manchester. Throughout the day we saw and chatted to a steady stream of visitors. There were a lot of Occupational Therapists, Physios, Social Workers, SEND teachers, Teaching Assistants and more who took information away to share with the families they work with. However, it was really encouraging how many of the people we spoke to, had already heard of Peeps – a noticeable increase from last year which is brilliant. Our Awareness Campaigns are obviously working 😊
On a personal note, as a SEND Mum as well as a Peeps Team member, it was really lovely to see parents and children I haven’t seen in person for a number of years as our children are now older and in different schools/ parts of the country etc. I was also quite bemused walking round the equipment stands and realising just how many of the reps have visited our home over the last 12.5 years!
But of course, the real Stars of the day were our very own H.I.E. families and HIEroes. As Family Inclusion and Support Worker, I regularly email, call and zoom with our families and sometimes get to see the children online too. But it’s so lovely to meet in person and be able to chat properly. It’s also wonderful to see and hear the families taking the opportunity to meet up together, grab a drink or lunch and just catch up. We were also able to add to our Peeps community as some H.I.E. parents were not aware before the exhibition of our Charity.
If you haven’t heard of Kidz to Adultz before or haven’t been yet, don’t worry – they run every year and Peeps aim to attend as many as possible. You can remain updated using the link below or on our newsletters, website and social media and we hope to see you in 2025.
Home – Kidz to Adultz Exhibitions (kidzexhibitions.co.uk)
Liz – Peeps Family Inclusion and Support Worker