Shetland Recreational Trust open state-of-the-art Sensory Rooms in Clickimin
Shetland Recreational Trust is excited to announce the opening of its brand new sensory rooms at Clickimin Leisure Complex, developed thanks to funding from the INSPIRED SCOTLAND Healthy Islands Fund.
Sensory rooms are specially designed areas which combine a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses. These can include lights, colours, sounds and music as well as interactive equipment and toys. Clickimin has two rooms, both of which can be booked by members of the public as well as schools, charities and groups. The funding also allowed the purchase of mobile sensory room equipment and state-of-the-art acoustic seating for Clickimin and West Mainland Leisure Centre.
Shetland Recreational Trust CEO Steven Laidlaw said: “We are delighted to be able to offer such brilliant new facilities for our customers. These new rooms provide a service which is not publically available anywhere else in Shetland and the project idea came directly out of public consultations and surveys undertaken by SRT.
“We’re listening to the people of Shetland and have already improved our membership offer to include family and concession offers as well as reducing the price and extending the range of activities included in our memberships. The Healthy Islands Fund has allowed us to go even further, developing publicly available spaces that can be accessed by all, reducing inequalities and providing more options for people with a range of additional support needs.”
There are two different rooms available each specially designed with a slightly different purpose. The ‘Relaxation Room’ is intended for relaxation and comfort in a calm, safe space while the ‘Energise Room’ offers the opportunity to stimulate the senses through interactive fun. Both rooms have sensory lighting, Bluetooth speakers for music and there is also equipment such as bubble tubes, projectors, fibre optics, interactive panels and walls, soft seating and chairs which swing or which vibrate to the beats of music. Hoist facilities are also available on request.
Over £70,000 of funding was awarded and has allowed SRT to also purchase sensory equipment that can be transported and used in our rural centres. This has enabled us to improve access and reduce inequalities for the whole of Shetland. The mobile sensory room equipment will also be available to hire for other community spaces in the future. We have also purchased acoustic seating for West Mainland and Clickimin – these special chairs are almost like cocoons, and provide safe spaces where customers can access a quieter space.
We are grateful for the support of the community as well as agencies such as Shetland Community Connections, Shetland Sports for All, Ability Shetland and Shetland Islands Council.
Each room costs £11.25 for a 45 minute session. On the first visit we ask customers to arrive fifteen minutes early to complete a short, free induction. A cleaning station is provided to allow customers to wipe down surfaces prior to the next session starting. Staff will prepare and check the room in between bookings.
Rooms can be booked from Monday 11th July using our online booking service at www.srt.org.uk, in person at reception or by calling us on 01595 741000.
For more details about our Sensory Rooms, click here