Before Christmas Team Jigsaw headed off to the Irn Bru Carnival. Harry, Jacob, Eva, Hannah and James from Jigsaw’s Saturday clubs were filled with excitement and festive cheer as they made their way to Glasgow. Accompanying them was their support team, Fiona, Kirstie, Amelia, Jen and Marion.

The idea for the trip came from Lead Practitioner, Fiona. “I had discovered that the Irn Bru Carnival were awarding free tickets to charity groups like ours so I applied a few months prior to the event.” 

They travelled from Helensburgh to the Scottish Exhibition Centre in a pre-booked minibus and waited in line for the Autism friendly session which offered a more relaxed environment, with the music turned off, or down very low, and rides running slower than usual.

The queues were long but the wait was worth it as they walked in and saw a gigantic hall full of brightly lit up rides and stalls.

Once inside, everyone had a bite to eat then split into smaller groups. As Fiona explained, “some of the children are more ‘daredevil’ than the rest so it just made sense!”

There was something for everyone to enjoy, from the “daredevils” set on trying out the wild rides, to those that prefer the tamer rides, games, food and drinks.

“Seeing one of the people we support going on a ride, trying something new, was such a highlight.”

After splitting up, the group all met back up to have a go at the dodgems together. This was Fiona’s favourite part of the trip. “The children all going on the dodgems at the end was brilliant, it sums up what the clubs are all about— making friends and having new experiences.”

This was the first time Jigsaw attended the Carnival but it certainly won’t be their last.

Some of the young people we support who attended the trip shared their thoughts;

James: “I had so much fun and I saw my friends. Can we go back next year? They should have more Irn Bru for sale.”
Jacob: “I liked driving and I had marshmallows!”

If you would like to read more stories from the people we support you can click here.