Activities

What is the Holder House After School Club? This is where staff from Holder House C.I.C have a pre-agreed arrangement to pick children up from their school in South Tyneside and take them out on an activity of their choice. Activities could include going to an indoor play area, the park, bowling or even to take them for their tea…

Woodwork Nothing is more satisfying than the achievement of creating something yourself. Woodworking allows you to feel respected and trusted, using real tools. Aiding your physical development (controlling hammers, saws) and fine motor skills (holding a nail). Develop your imagination, creativity and learn new skills whilst completing complex tasks.

Triathlon Some of us love a good challenge. Nothing confirms you’re capable of absolutely anything better than the feeling of completing a Triathlon event. What is a Triathlon? It’s an athletics event with three continuous and sequential activities. You start with a swim, then a cycle race and end with a run. Training for a Triathlon: If you are interested…

Swimming Swimming is especially important for people with disabilities. It strengthens muscles and stamina. It’s particularly good for strengthening the heart muscle. We go swimming because it uses all the muscles for a full body work out without the danger of impact injuries. Not to mention, fun!

Playing a Game of Pool or Darts A great social life, developing social skills and having fun are top of the agenda here at Holder House. If you can develop fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination and enjoy good company at the same time, even better.

Gym We’re fully signed up to the ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ ideal. We have our own gym facilities and instructors. Many of our clients enjoy a great workout based on their own ability levels and ambitions. It helps to stretch and challenge them and sometimes, exceed their own beliefs of what they are able to achieve.

Gardening Back to our roots! This is how we started at Holder House. With our first community garden project. Learn how to grow and take care of plants and gardens. You also learn about self-sufficiency in growing your own food (and cooking it in our cookery classes). Help us run our gardening business. Learn to start your own. Selling garden…

Environmental Visits to Park, Museums etc. Research shows the mental, physical, cognitive health and development benefits of involvement in environmental projects and green spaces. For us it’s also about community involvement, doing our bit for sustainability. Generating ideas for our own projects, social opportunities, getting involved wherever we can, giving something back to the North East and South Tyneside.

Chair Exercises and Dancing Exercise is especially important for anyone with restricted movement. It improves physical fitness, balance, strength and flexibility. We ensure you have safe routines to help relieve stress, improve confidence and self-esteem. In particular exercise and dance are great for boosting good moods and expressing emotions.

Cooking Cookery classes offers the double whammy of doing something fun whilst learning useful life skills. Starting with the very basics right through to the Great British Bake Off (well ok, maybe in a couple of years). We may not reach MasterChef level, but we do help many clients move towards independent living.

Computers Computing is an essential skill in 21st century life. We use it for more freedom to communicate with each other. It help you record your ideas, make notes and makes writing easier for you Assistive technology means a different keyboard or sound system opens up the computing world to more people regardless of visual, hearing or physical impairment. Being…

Cinema Nothing beats the experience of watching a good film on the big screen with a bucket of popcorn in hand. Even better if you’re enjoying it all with a bunch of friends. The regular cinema visits are popular with our clients, volunteers and staff. It’s a great way to develop social skills, interact and work within groups.

Bowling Bowling is great for developing eye/hand coordination. It helps with social skills in external situations, team work and a learning to deal with a degree of competitiveness. Most of all its loads of fun and offers an enjoyable time amongst friends.

Arts & Crafts There is a wealth of research on the benefits of arts and crafts for people of all abilities. From self-expression, improved mental agility and social skills to improving tolerance and understanding. Arts and crafts also alleviates boredom and gives a sense of purpose For us, it’s the sense of emotional well-being and positive thinking that’s most important…

Animal Husbandry We can’t emphasise enough the therapeutic values of animal-human bonding. Animals don’t need explanations, or worry about our ‘abilities’ they take us all at face value. Looking after others, engaging in the care of animals lowers blood pressure and reduces anxieties. It offers pathways to employment and enterprise.