A Fife family have talked of a “lifeline” Kirkcaldy service which has undergone a volunteer-led facelift.
The Yard has been part of the local community for more than 30 years, offering disabled children and their siblings the chance to experience outdoor play in an environment that fosters fun, friendship and community building.
It’s a lifeline to people like the Fox family from Dunfermline.
Matthew and Chantel Fox have two sons, Oliver and Lee. Oliver has Wiedemann-Steiner, a rare genetic disorder, as well as a learning disability, sensory processing disorder, ADHD and suspected autism.
Chantel explained how The Yard Fife had transformed family life. “Life with Oliver on a daily basis is very challenging,” she said. “When he was diagnosed, we lost lots of friends and people who couldn’t understand or deal with his behaviour.
“I used to take Oliver out and end up in tears due to stares and comments.”
Things became even more challenging when Lee arrived in 2015.
He has had serious health problems which left him in hospital for weeks. “This took its toll on Oliver, as it happened just as he was starting school, which meant that life became even more challenging and lonely.”
But she said The Yard had given the family a “place to escape” where they could all have fun together.
“It gives Oliver freedom, something he never ever gets if we are anywhere else.
“Due to his disabilities and behaviour, he always needs one of us close by, telling him what he can and can’t do for safety, and how to behave with others. The Yard provides this freedom for him.
“The Yard Fife is like family to us.
“Our lives before this amazing place were lonely, now we have a place we can go and enjoy, and we have made new friends who understand.”
A dozen volunteers from M&S Gyle joined the children’s charity to create a new mud kitchen and a water play area.
The Yard Fife and M&S were connected to work together by Neighbourly – a social network for social good – after the charity reached out for support to create a mud kitchen and water play area at its site in Kirkcaldy.
The M&S volunteers among 5,000 staff from more than 600 M&S stores who took part in a week-long volunteering drive committing 40,000 hours to projects.
M&S Dunfermline volunteered with Aberlour Children’s Charity, undertaking a garden makeover.
Jason Dixon, store manager at M&S Gyle, said: “The wonderful work that the Yard undertakes to support local families is something we know our customers care about hugely, so we’re really proud to be coming together as a team to help such a worthy cause.”
The Yard’s chief executive Celine Sinclair said: “We can’t thank the M&S volunteers enough who helped transform our play space.”
