We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for your Family Day at Drayton Manor Park on Sunday 1stJuly 2018. This was our biggest event so far and it was amazing to have 70 people from 15 families join us for fun at the Theme Park. There were a few familiar faces but it was great to meet so many new families.
We met to issue tickets and then all the families headed straight into the park to fit as many rides in as possible before lunch. Many of them had never been to Drayton Manor before so it was a huge adventure for them.
The committee headed off to Shockwave first and the queue wasn’t too long. Moira has just about recovered now – she was somewhat reluctant to join us but managed to smile through it. Accelerator was next and the queue was deceptively long so we only had time for that before heading back to the car to collect our picnics.
We all gathered to eat our picnics together, managing to chat a bit and find out some more about our new families. Our wristbands were passed round to everyone after lunch so there was plenty KLU orange on show around the park later on. Part of our hopes for these events is that parents will be able to share their experiences whilst their children are having fun with the others. We have such a wide age range in our JIA warriors who were all diagnosed at very different ages that we have a huge wealth of experience between us all. Some chats were cut short as many of the children were desperate to get back to the rides so after tidying up that what we did too.
Gemma and Louise then headed to Maelstrom with Moira following shortly afterwards. It’s a huge pendulum that not only rocks back and forth but also spins at the same time; Kirsty certainly regretted joining Marion on it later and she possibly enjoyed the Pirate ship even less! Marion showed her skill on the Sheriff Showdown ride and scored much higher than everyone else. Miss spent youth we think!
Moira and Louise then had to head home so the rest of us headed to Thomas Land to meet up with one of our youngest JIA warriors so that she could take us on some of the tamer rides.
It was a fantastic day and the sun shone brightly throughout allowing us all to have a wonderful day. We’ve had many lovely messages since so the day was a huge success. If you are interested in joining us on one of our future events please keep an eye on our facebook page for news and also check our events tab on this website.