Jack 2010
	Jack was 8 when he brightened up our group in 2010. His helpers were Lucy and Richard. His parents give us an excellent insight into the build up to a trip to Lourdes, and the experience of parents whilst their child is away from home.
	"Jack is a sociable child, but he can’t communicate easily and so needs constant supervision when with other children. He loves simple humour such as funny walks and silly voices, and his infectious laugh makes him great fun to be with. He is generally on the go from dawn until dusk but he needs constant supervision as he has little understanding of risks or dangers. When we first heard about HCPT from Naomi House, we were surprised at being asked.  We were concerned that Jack’s needs would be too difficult to handle and his place would be lost. But we had great communication with the group, and particularly Jack’s “connection” with Richard, Lucy, Nick and Charlie (and their obvious comfort with Jack) during home visits. About two weeks before the trip, it suddenly felt serious and any lingering concerns surfaced at that point. Half a day before the left, our stress levels reached a peak and did not reduce until about 24 hours into the trip. The daily text was invaluable in reassuring us that Jack was being looked after and not causing problems either medically or with his behaviour. After a few days we relaxed. The photos on the website worked really well as they showed that everyone was having fun, especially Jack, and added to the reassurance of the texts. When he came back, Jack had obviously enjoyed himself as he was hugging all the team. He enjoys looking at photos from the week and can point out various people in them. He gained life experience of being in different situations with different people. He seems less intent on gaining attention by pulling and grabbing and more likely to simply stand or sit by people and await their attention.  We have so much respect for the whole group for giving up their own time to give the children such a wonderful experience."