We were greeted by Jane (Head of Therapy) who introduced us to the Purple Elephant Project. Its focus and core values behind an intrinsic nature of supporting families and the key message being that 'children should be heard'.

In quick succession, we got down to the list of prepared tasks. The major areas included tidying up the garden and indoor play therapy centre, filled with toys, art materials, sand trays, and other creative tools were located. We also had senior play therapist Tracy on board, who performed an initial assessment with us to identify what sections needed tidying up. A stop and think exercise before tackling a job was a good shout. Our mission was to create an environment where therapists could reach out to the objects in those sections, that would later help the children to express their emotions and process trauma. We agreed and got cracking with the jobs.

Honor went guns blazing and took care of the therapy garden (and bringing along her own mower) whilst Mazin helped inside. Some of the tasks required fixtures and fittings to doors, shelves, units, a new screen along the fence, a replacement garden hose, the cooperative outdoor games, bedding, planting, mowing, general cleanup etc.

It certainly looked holistic by the time when we were done. It was a magnificent show of support from the entire team including our young special guests, Esra and Felix who helped create a magical atmosphere! Their bursts of role-play and act out scenarios clearly on display meant that everything was tickety-boo. The adults continued to tackle the rest of the jobs and before we knew it, it was close to lunch.

A job well done!