PGL Family Activity Weekend

PGL OSMINGTON BAY 2025

The PGL Osmington Activity weekend has always been one of our most costly events, hence that is why is usually biannual. It started out with the children and young people attending on their own without parents or siblings and it was a great disappointment that these weekends came to an end as we would need to be Ofsted registered to take the children away without parent/carers. We then asked if we could have a family weekend where the parents are responsible for their children and PGL said yes.

This is our eighth visit to PGL Osmington and our fourth family weekend. We had the challenge again to get all the adults DBS checked before we went and once completed on Friday 9th May fifty six members travelled to PGL for a fun packed weekend! Big shout out and thank you to Katie Bray our Safeguarding Officer for the work in getting this done!

A massive thank you to the Fisher Charitable Trust for giving us a donation to cover the costs of the weekend. We could not be more grateful to Mark Fisher and his family for all the kindness and generosity they have shown us!

We were so lucky the weather was glorious all weekend and the views from PGL are amazing especially with the blue sky. All the families travelled to the centre and most arrived in time to collect their keys and settle into their rooms we all then went in for the evening meal. This year we had two PGL ‘Buddies’, Jake and Sam, who would be with us for the whole weekend. After dinner we had PGL team games organised by Sam and Jake. This was a great ice breaker and loads of fun.

Saturday morning and everyone was up early ready for breakfast which set everyone up for the day’s activities. Our group was split into five activity groups and over the weekend they took part in Climbing, Zip Wire, Giant Swing, Abseiling, Rifle Shooting, Tag Archery and Disc Golf. It was great to see everyone working together and some overcoming and conquering fears but most of all having fun! After the evening meal on Saturday our evening entertainment was ‘Passport to the World’. The children were put into teams by Jake and Sam and they had great fun running all over the site to answer questions; goodness knows where they got the energy from as it was very competitive and fast! Parents relaxed by the accommodation and some very brave ones joined in the game.

Waking up on Sunday morning the sun was still shining and after a great breakfast it was time for the activities. The timetable over the two days allowed for every activity group to do all seven activities. At the end of the day it was time for a quick get together in the Beach House for everyone to say goodbye, have the evening meal and return some very tired children/young people (and parents) home!

This weekend again exceeded all expectations and more! To see all the children making friends and having so much fun and the parents making friends and really enjoying themselves as a family and getting the chance to bond with other families was brilliant. Some parents came on their own with their hearing impaired child and were anxious about how it would be, but were soon at ease and making friends. many overcoming fears and making special memories!

It was a very special weekend!

We asked families to complete a Feedback questionnaire:

18 rated the DDCS pre-organisation of the weekend Excellent.
16 rated the PGL Centre, Staff and Activities Excellent, 2 rated it Good.
17 rated the over-all DDCS management of the weekend excellent, 1 rated it Good.

These are some of the comments from the children and families:

This event was a fabulous social gathering to meet other deaf peers. My son gave everything a go as the instructors were very encouraging. The instructors gave clear instructions and kept their faces towards the children to hear. Fantastic planning and coordination by the team. We really are grateful for the opportunity to come to this event.

It’s been a lovely weekend at PGL we have absolutely enjoyed the different activities in a safe and friendly environment. The staff have been very helpful. It’s been lots of fun and a great way to meet other families in similar situations. It’s an amazing location with great facilities. Thank you Shirley for going above and beyond in organising it all.

PGL team members were respectful and created a fun environment for the kids. Super energy. Great weekend, water stations were good. Food good, Nice new bathroom in accommodation. Another great event for us to all meet and have fun and build relationships.

Brilliant weekend as always, thank you for all the hard work to make it happen. Selection of activities was the best I’ve experienced, particularly rifle shooting and tag archery.

Our second year and we loved it as always! Can’t wait for 2027 !

Thank you for everything, it was great! Thanks for all your hard work, we loved it. Our favourite activities were rifle shooting, giant swing, climbing.

All instructors were really lovely and helped the children. Sam and Jake were really good buddies and made us feel really welcomed. All activities were thoroughly enjoyed.

Perfect weekend. Entertaining activities. Loads of biscuits! Cup of tea! Yummy meals!

Tag Archery was great fun! Can we do it again? Giant swing was uncomfortable. Great weekend, Thank you!

Staff were absolutely amazing. Great activities, great company. Kids loved it and parents also. Just one complaint about the giant swing, the seats were very uncomfortable

Amazing weekend and lots of fun.

This has been an amazing weekend and we have loved every minute. Although exhausted now. All the staff have been so good with the children.

Excellent as always! PGL staff were fantastic! It is lovely to mix with other families in a fun relaxed setting. Thank you for all your efforts, they do not go unnoticed.

Fantastic first experience. Our children were very shy, but it was amazing to see them blossom, make friends and join in on their own. Most PGL staff were amazing and encouraging.

Pre organisation was well informed. Couldn’t have wished for a better weekend. Both the DDCS and PGL were outstanding.

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