A typical day in the life of the Playscheme starts at 8am when the Co-ordinator, will drive up to Tesco's to stock up on doughnuts, drinks and crisps to feed the volunteers to enable them to keep up their sugar levels!

They will arrive at the Mencap Centre by 8.30 am to get all the First Aid Kits and lists ready. These are the lists that match each child with their own volunteer for that day and in all the years of Playscheme we have never managed to produce a list that didn't need to be altered that day but that is our ambition. There are trips arranged throughout the day, swimming, trips to the park or Legoland, McDonalds etc. We also arrange different entertainment on site. As each child arrives at the Mencap Centre their volunteer will greet them, take their bag and lunch, check for any medication to go to the office and ask the parents/carers if there is any more information they will need. Volunteers and children always have to go round in gangs of four or more and always have to sign in and out of the Centre.

During the day the volunteers check that the children have drinks and their lunch. Some volunteers have been known to work out which children have the biggest and best lunches and then lurk nearby for hand-outs! All our children are wanted by our volunteers. Interestingly this can be different for different volunteers, some like children who are very active and run round a lot whilst others more naturally match to quieter, less mobile children and get a great deal of satisfaction from coaxing a smile or a chuckle from their child.

At the end of the day all the children are collected by their grateful parents/carers and they are often tired out by the days activities. However, the volunteers are usually far more exhausted. They may be lying on the floor watching Thomas The Tank Engine videos for the 87th time that day, staring tiredly without even seeing it. They may be hungry if they were too busy or forgot lunch that day and may even be a bit battered and bruised. What is so wonderful is that the Playscheme gets the volunteers it needs as those who volunteer for Playscheme are the sort of people we love. We don't get volunteers who do it for the money or for selfish reasons. Our volunteers are caring, considerate and so dedicated that even when they look too exhausted to make it home they still return the next day, the next week and the next year.