Specialist Equipment & Facilities

Equipment & activity aids

Wooden Spoon funds a range of equipment and activity aids, from climbing walls to specialist hoists for children with cerebral palsy.

Through funding from our partner, Rugbytots, Wooden Spoon Durham were able to build a new relationship with Zoe’s Place in Middlesbrough and provide them with two specialist cots.

Zoe’s Place Trust is a registered charity providing palliative, respite and end of life care for babies and infants aged from birth to five years. You can read more about the project here.

Buildings & extensions

We have funded a range of different new builds and refurbishments which allow children with disabilities or facing disadvantage to have the best facilities they need to excel.

In Scotland, Wooden Spoon helped to fund a innovative community cafe in Dumfries, The Usual Place, which has now picked up no fewer than 11 awards since its opening. The cafe provides citizenship and employment opportunities to young people with additional needs, allowing them to serve customers, prepare food and work towards their Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

Co-founder and chief executive officer, Heather Hall, said: “It was really important to have such a facility because when our young people leave us and move on to work in hospitality-related environment they will meet the same equipment, utensils and resources.

“One of the great by-products of the Wooden Spoon Kitchen is it gives our young people the knowledge and understanding to live independently. If they can make a pot of soup or meal in our kitchen, then they can make it in their own home.”

Transport

Wooden Spoon contribute funds towards transport for children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage across the UK and Ireland. We have supported these projects by providing funds to purchase boats and minibuses, for example more recently at Rutland Sailability.

Wooden Spoon Leicestershire provided a £13,000 grant for two specially-adapted Hansa dinghies, which are ideal for beginners due to their small size and simple controls. The boats were named Hope and This Is Me, by the young sailors benefiting from the services there, inspired by the film The Greatest Showman.