Malcolm Sargent House

CLIC Sargent have always supported me through my fight with cancer and still do. They are a leading cancer charity for children and young people and families. I have a CLIC Sargent social worker and she booked a holiday for me and my family to stay in a CLIC Sargent house in Scotland for the week. Malcolm Sargent House is located on Ayrshire's coast, it offers a relaxing holiday for families who have been affected by cancer. CLIC Sargent are an amazing charity and have done so much for me. I want to return that support and will be supporting them by raising money for the charity.

 

Unfortunately my brother couldn't make it as he had school exams so instead I took Kate with me. This was our first time in Scotland and we loved it. I have written a diary of my amazing week. 

Saturday 15th June

We left home at 4:30 in the morning....ready for a LONG 8 hr 30 mins drive...poor dad! We stopped twice, first at 7:00 and again at 10:00. The journey went really well, we took the wrong turn once but luckily the sat nav helped us! Dad decided to take the scenic route to Ayrshire and we saw the beautiful land of Scotland, the hills were huge. We finally arrived at Malcolm Sargent House at 12:24, my exact guess. (we all took a guess on the way up what time we would arrive to pass some time.) When we arrived at Malcolm Sargent House we met the staff who worked at the house, they were lovely and more like an extended family. We were escorted to our room, suite 10 we had two bedrooms and a bathroom. We unpacked our things and then had a tour of the amazing house. After we had dinner, the dining room was communal so here we met some of the lovely families we were staying with. (There was us and 7 other families.) 

Sunday 16th June

This morning we went for a lovely walk on the beach and collected some rocks (my mum collects heart shaped rocks from beaches). After our walk on the beach we went for a bike ride, we were going to ride separate bikes but they brought out a Pedi car. Dad rode it and me, kate and Ella sat on the seats. It was really relaxing and we rode along the sea coast. On our journey we stopped at a cafe and got an ice cream, it was not as nice as home Cornish ice cream but was still yummy! After our ride we had lunch which was Jacket Potatoes and filling. Later in the evening went out for a game of bowling at the local bowling centre with the other families, it was a nice way to get to know people who we were going to be living with and I had a enjoyable evening. It was nice to speak to young people who are in the same situation as myself as they understand how I feel and can relate to having cancer.

Monday 17th June

Today after breakfast a lady come to the house and showed us how to make shamballa beads. It was really fun and interesting but was stressful at first as it took a few tries before getting the hang of it. After lunch I was pretty tired so I went for an afternoon nap (I had to do this often in the week) When I woke up dad dropped me, mum and Kate to Prestwick town and we had a look in a few of the shops, there were mostly charity shops (my favourite), pubs (another favourite) and cute individual shops you always find on holiday. Everyone in Prestwick was really friendly and very social, in every shop we went in at least one person spoke to us. Very different from Plymouth. We had a look in a few of the shops and before we knew it they started to close so we walked back to the house and had dinner. The food was really yummy, we had curry for tea and orange cheesecake for dessert. (my fav!) I am definitely going to put on the pounds this week with all this food! (Oh well we're on holiday!) After tea I was zonked and fell asleep on my bed. In the evening when I woke up a lady come to the house to give us facials, I have never had one before so it was my first and it felt amazing! I am 100% going to have one on a regular basis as they make you feel so relaxed and my skin felt soft and clear after!

Tuesday 18th June

Today myself, mum and Kate got on the train to Glasgow while dad and Ella went to archery with the rest of the house. We shopped till we dropped, LITERALLY! Glasgow is a really nice city, it's the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK. FACT It has A LOT of malls and really nice architecture. We seen some lovely buildings and done a lot of shopping! Although we did have to stop for a drink and sit down a few times as my feet started to swell up. After our long day of shopping we had something to eat and a bottle of wine at a wetherspoons and then got the 10 o'clock train back to the house.

Wednesday 19th June

Today we had a 'pretend' day at the races. The ladies wore hats and the men wore shirts, we ate strawberries and shortbread and drank fizzy. It was really fun, we watched a few races (on the tv) and bet on horses to win. Ella won out of everyone. We then chilled for a bit before having a BBQ in the evening. It was a lovely day! Also today I tried Haggis for the first time and I didn't really like it but I wanted to try it. They then had a disco in the evening for the younger children, Ella sang on karaoke and danced lots. Later on in the evening all of the parents were going to the local pub, so I let mum and dad go for a break while me and Kate looked after Ella, we just chilled in the lounge with the other young adults and children and watched films and talked.

Thursday 20th June

Today we went to Scotlands theme park, M and D's. It was OK but nothing special and I wouldn't go again. We went on a few rides which were pretty good then me, dad and Kate went on a rollercoaster and it was AWFUL. Not scary but uncomfortable as my head & legs banged all over the place and it bruised me, I was in pain the whole way round and after getting off I cried like a baby :( After the awful rollercoaster ride we all went on the log flume and got soaking wet! This lifted my spirits and was sooo funny! We went back to the house quite early as the rollercoaster ride traumatised me! When we got back to the house, it was nearly dinner time. Fish and chips were on the menu but as i'm fussy and don't eat fish I had chicken nuggets instead. After dinner me and Kate decided to ride bikes to the town and along the beach. The weather was beautiful and was a lovely evening. Later in the evening a man came to the house with some owls, some really small ones and huge ones. We held the owls and it was a fun evening. Mum has now decided she wants a pet owl. CRAZY DAISY

Friday 21st June

Today is our last day and I really don't want to go home! This morning we caught a train to Ayr which was about 10 mins away from the house. We spent MORE time shopping. Meanwhile we got back to the house we chilled in the lounge with everyone and then had a 3 course dinner in the evening. It was a lovely dinner to end an amazing week. I have had a great week and have met some AMAZING people who will remain my friends for life. It was nice to meet others who are in the same situation who have battled and are still battling cancer, especially people my age as I was on a ward with a lot of older people. I think it was great for all of us, as Ella met other siblings and Mum and Dad met other parents. The staff were certainly welcoming and caring and the other families were really nice and friendly. 

I am so privileged to have met an amazing, inspirational brave boy Harry who unfortunately lost his very long battle with cancer a month after this trip. I will never forget him and his amazing family and the great week we spent together R.I.P Harry xxxx 

Here is a VLOG i made of our holiday!

     

Always smiling x

 ♥