Evan

Derian House is very important to me as it allows me to hang out with boys that have the same disability as me and that are also my own age. This has therefore enabled me to make friends, it has also helped that I have been kept with the same group of boys that are a similar age to me so I have got to know them more. When I was first about to attend Derian House I was very excited but eventually it became part of my life. Things I enjoy at Derian include going on the Xbox, Nintendo Switch, playing board games, going on walks when staying over, and going in the pool. I also enjoy going on days out and I really enjoyed going on a trip to Kielder Water in 2018. 

Enola

Derian means independence. It enables me to bake, play games, and socialize with people of my own age. We take trips bowling, to the Trafford Centre, and we go to the cinema where I can watch things my mum isn’t interested in.
I like competing in different sporting events like boccia and kurling, and have the resources at Derian which is nice. We go to a sports club on Wednesday evenings to practice.

Joey

I enjoy socialising with other young people like me, as in school and with my other peers, I find it hard to talk to them because they don’t understand what I’m going through, but the other young people at Derian House do. I love all the sports events that Derian does, for example the Boccia and Curling. I participated in a Boccia tournament, it was nice that there was a sport I could participate in, as most sports are inaccessible because of my disability. I enjoy sports and was inspired by Boccia so I made a Boccia club at school and eventually this was made into a sports day event. This made me happy as other people who felt that they couldn’t participate in activities could get involved. 

Connor

I started coming to Derian in 2014, going to the School’s Out group, and then started accessing respite not long after. School’s Out runs mostly in the holidays, providing activities and trips. I transitioned from School’s Out to the Lodge with the same group of lads I met and made friendships with through School’s Out. I like being in Derian playing games and socialising. I do enjoy trips out, my last one was to the Trafford Centre. I am also Chair of the Lodge Youth Forum at Derian House.

I like the Lodge because it is a bigger space and I have my own bathroom. The rooms are more open. I have access to more age appropriate resources and TV. I can use the Lodge kitchen. The Lodge is close to the Derian cinema too.