When Gill Thomson discovered the support that The Yard can offer young people with complex needs she was keen to bring the service to families in Courier Country.
Gill, 52, is the service development manager at The Yard in Dundee and Fife. She has been involved with the organisation since 2015.
The mum of two lives in Dundee with Michael, her husband of 21 years, sons Liam, 17, and Mikenzie, 13, and their dog Olaf.
Gill and Michael’s eldest boy has complex needs, which led Gill to set up the Hush Club along with her friend Val Reid in 2012. “I wanted a place for my son to be accepted and to just have a space he could make friends and have fun,” she explains. “We would run after-school club activities twice a week for families across Dundee.”
She was aware of the work the The Yard were doing in Edinburgh and was keen to help offer their services in Dundee. “The Yard were looking to expand into Fife at this point and I approached them and asked if they had considered Dundee,” she explains.
“We got into talks with The Yard in 2015 which resulted in us dissolving Hush Club and I began working at The Yard.”
Gill saw the need for inclusive play service
Gill says that her work with the Hush Club really opened her eyes to the need for an inclusive play service for families in the area. “We thought our lives were difficult with the children and their needs until we met families who were attending Hush Club,” she points out.
The Yard offers a much needed lifeline to many local families. An accessible and supportive space, parents and carers can bring their children along to play sessions in the knowledge that the play equipment will be accessible to all the family and that the team are there to encourage and support no matter how a young person is feeling that day.
Child-led, adventurous play is encouraged in a safe space. They can bring their siblings or even grandparents along.
Gill underplays the difference she makes at The Yard
Gill is modest about the impact that her role at The Yard has for local families and her input is perhaps best summed up by one of the parents who regularly attends with her son in Dundee.
“I am glad to see Gill being recognised as a local hero,” says Nicola Donnelly, who started attending The Yard in Dundee with her son Leo, 6, in 2020.
“Gill is a steadfast support to children with disabilities and their families in Dundee and Angus.
“As she is a parent carer herself, she has brilliant empathy and can put practical solutions in place,” Nicola enthuses.
“The Yard was one of the earliest resources to re-open after the Covid lockdowns and I think this is no small part because of Gill’s understanding of just how isolated families like ours were feeling.
“With a community and base now well established, I am looking forward to seeing how she grows the holistic support The Yard offers which I know she has wanted to do for a long time.”
Developing The Yard in Dundee and Fife
Gill has big ambitions for The Yard: “I want to be able to offer a wider range of services for our families,” she explains. “Specialised clubs, respite, summer provisions, after-school clubs.”
“Having a space to deliver a wider range of services will be invaluable for our families and so satisfying for our team who deliver an amazing service and are very passionate about their work,” she says.
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