The days out were donated to Diverse Abilities, Dorset’s disability charity by another charity – Merlin’s Magic Wand. The two charities have worked together since 2016 to provide fun days out and activities for families through a selection of Diverse Abilities’ services, which include Project My Time, for children ages eight to 18; Awesome Nights, a youth club for teenagers with special education needs; Coping with CHAOS, providing play sessions for the whole family; and STARs, Diverse Abilities’ newly launched sibling support service.

Children supported by the charity were treated to days out at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, SEA LIFE Weymouth and LEGOLAND Windsor. Merlin’s Magic Wand also provided contributions towards the hire of coaches for each trip.

Children’s team manager, Clare Rochford, said: “We are honestly so thankful to Merlin’s Magic Wand for supporting us each year, it really does make a huge difference to the families we work with. The daily challenges these families face often make these sorts of days out a daunting experience, and by being able to facilitate these trips means we can take the stress out of the whole process.”

Charity manager for Merlin’s Magic Wand, Erin Woods, said: “Merlin’s Magic Wand is an international children’s charity that has been creating magical experiences for children who need them most for over 13 years. With the support of our partners, colleagues, beneficiaries, and friends, to date we’ve been able to create over one million magical experiences with our three magical programmes.”

Visit diverseabilities.org.uk for more details about the charity’s services for children and adults with physical and learning disabilities.