News

Breaking Down Barriers: Trying Out Travel Support for Our Summer Camp

At Helium, we’re always looking for ways to make our workshops more accessible for every child or young person who wants to take part.  This summer, we decided to try something new: offering travel support to children attending our summer camp in Ennis, Co. Clare.

We know that transport can be a real barrier for families – especially for those living further away or without easy access to public transport. So, for the first time, we piloted a dedicated pick-up and drop-off service in partnership with Red Cross Clare.

Over two sunny afternoons in July, a small group of children aged 8–12 were collected from various points in the area and brought straight to the camp. The bus journey wasn’t just about getting from A to B – it also gave the children a chance to meet each other, build friendships, and start their creative day before they even arrived.

The results?

A resounding success. Parents told us it made attending possible when it otherwise wouldn’t have been. Children arrived happy, relaxed and ready to take part. And by day two, the bus was full of chatter and laughter.

We learned a lot from this pilot and are excited about the possibilities it opens up. We’ll be exploring how we might roll out travel support to other locations in the future, so keep an eye on our updates.

For now, we’re celebrating the fact that a small step—removing a practical barrier—can have a big impact on opening up creativity to more young people.