During November 2006 a team from MRCT UK set off to visit Poland. The team
comprised Gary, Teresa, Miriam, Ann, Eliza and Geoff flew from
Stansted
Airport in the early hours of the
morning to Gdansk in Poland.
Prior to the full team setting off, a Transit van full of sensory equipment
funded by MRCT had left for the Educational Childcare Centre (ECC) in Slupsk,
Poland from
Harlow driven by Richard Soper.
All of the arrangements were going to plan as the team met up on Thursday
afternoon to start the project to build the new sensory room in Slupsk.
The ECC in Slupsk is a
school for over 400 children with various physical, learning and mental
disabilities. MRCT have agreed to work with 30 profoundly physically disabled
children ranging from 6 to 18 years old by providing a structured sensory
programme of daily activities. The local Slupsk Pentecostal Church have also
agreed to provide funds for two Activity Support Workers for two years,
during 2007 and 2008.
Prior to our arrival,
the school had emptied out an old classroom and decorated it to specifications
set out by MRCT.
We kept a daily diary
of our activities -
The first afternoon was spent purchasing spotlights, rails, electrical
equipment, pictures, voile curtaining and a CD player for the sensory room.
The team installed
a new storage cupboards while the school seamstress worked late into the evening
preparing the voile curtaining for the room.
Our first day of travelling and work was complete, we got settled into our
accommodation with Pastor Jacek and his wife Ewa (Slupsk
Pentecostal
Church) and after our
evening meal we went to bed very tired.
Friday, 10th November
Our second day and we arrived at the school at 10am and started the work of
creating the special room. With the help of the school handyman we fitted the
spotlights and the voile curtaining rails to the ceiling and the window blinds.
Whilst some team members went shopping for small items for the room, the
equipment from the UK was
unpacked and checked ready to be installed on Saturday.
Saturday, 11th November
The room was now beginning to take shape with wall mirrors fitted with a final
cleanup of hoovering and mopping.
Shelving for the fibre optic comb and lights was built and put into place then
the lights were fitted. The hammock swing was hung from the ceiling and the
pictures were positioned around the room.
The MRCT equipment was put into place, which included mats, splodge balls,
physio ball, spotlight and coloured wheel, leaf chair and stand and the mirror
ball and stand.
Unfortunately the bubble tube had not arrived from the Polish supplier as
planned so could not be fitted.
Day 3 was over and new sensory room was completed. The MRCT team has
accomplished their tasks.
Sunday, 12th November
For Richard Soper the long journey home by road with the transit van was to
start.
The rest of the team attended the service at the Slupsk Pentecostal Church
where Gary was
asked to speak about the work of MRCT.
That afternoon
the Sschool Director and Assistant Director along with Pastor Jacek, Ewa and
Gosia (new MRCT workers at ECC) met at the school to review the competed new
room.
All were very pleased with the finished work and excited by the planned
introduction of the work in January 2007.
At 3pm Gary and Miriam met with the Directors of the school and this was later
followed by another meeting at 5pm with Ewa and Gosia.
Our final evening meal followed then we went to bed
satisfied with our work. It was going to be an early
start the next morning.
Monday, 13th November
We arose at 4.30am and leaving at 6am for Gdansk
Airport. All went well and we arrived back in the UK
at Stansted
Airport just before
midday.
A
special thanks to Miriam, Ann, Richard, Geoff, Eliza, Teresa & Gary for working
so hard during the trip and ensuring that the new sensory room was completed at
the school as planned.
The
Sensory Room was officially opened on Sunday 14th January 2007
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