Over 50 young people joined HideOut on a trip to Chester Zoo to celebrate the end of summer

On Wednesday 31st August, over 50 young people, along with their parents and carers, joined HideOut Youth Zone for a special end-of-summer ‘Sunday Club Social’.

HideOut members and other young people with an additional need or disability from across Greater Manchester came together for a fun-filled day out to Chester Zoo, Cheshire.

The trip was funded by Manchester’s Local Offer and gave young people not just a day out at the zoo, but a free HideOut membership for the year.

A HideOut Youth Zone annual membership is £5 and gives young people (aged 8 – 10 and up to 25 with additional needs) access to over 20 activities per night ranging from sport, creative arts, employability and enterprise, as well as other specialised projects.

HideOut’s Inclusion Coordinator, Emily Aris, said:

“At HideOut, we understand the struggles that SEND young people face and we ensure that these young people aren’t pushed out onto the periphery of communities and are supported to develop themselves, just like any other young person”

“Over the last few months, we’ve been working hard to increase membership at our ‘Sunday Club’ sessions – our dedicated inclusion session – and the trip was a great way to get young people together and end the summer campaign. It was a great day out, and the funding for free memberships means more local SEND young people can come to HideOut, build relationships, make friends and learn in a really fun and empowering way.”

HideOut Youth Zone currently has a membership of over 5,000 young people, with 19% of those with an additional need or disability.

All HideOut sessions throughout the week are accessible to those with an additional need or disability. The team of dedicated Youth Workers work to ensure each and every young person who attends a session can get involved in the activities they want to, regardless of ability.

Sunday Club, however, is a dedicated weekly session just for those with an additional need or disability.