On Wednesday 19 August, Brighterway supported Austen House, Children and Adolescent Mental Health inpatient ward, to host ‘AustFest’!
AustFest is an event created to give the young people at Austen House a taste of a summer festival, an experience they would typically have outside of hospital. Activities included a bouncy castle, photo booth and glitter station which they were able to share with their families.
They were also able to enjoy an ice cream and candyfloss from the in house café. In preparation for the event, the patients rehearsed a range of different singing and dancing routines, which they then performed on the day.
The Occupational Therapy Team commented, “The young people stated that they had the best day and that’s what makes our job worthwhile! They were able to express their identity, get creative at the glitter station and make memories in the photo booth. The photo booth was completed with props and dancing along to music from the band that played.”
Amy-Rose Keyse, Occupational Therapist involved in the project, said “Seeing the young people, families and staff have fun together at Austfest made me feel really proud! The planning, organising and facilitation of the festival is a mammoth task and it was amazing how well it turned out – despite the rain!
The young people miss out on a lot of experiences that would be normal for their age, so giving them an opportunity to experience a festival, make memories with their families and generally enjoy themselves is really beneficial for their wellbeing.”
