Families from a children’s hospice got their dancing shoes on when they went to central London at the weekend for a session with experts from the Rambert dance group.

Six families from Richard House Children’s Hospice in Beckton went for the day at Rambert, the national company for contemporary dance based in South Bank. They received expert advice and enjoyed dance activities before they took part in a special arty session

The day is just one of twenty specially created events which together make up the hospice’s summer scheme of activities. The scheme, which runs from the end of July to the end of August, involves activities both in and outside its Beckton premises, and even includes trips such as a day out at the seaside in Brighton.

Some of the other days for children, young adults and families include specially tailored sensory sessions, a circus day and the hospice’s annual summer festival ‘Summerfest’.

Lily Dettmer, Learning & Participation Manager at Rambert said: “It was a pleasure to meet some of the families from Richard House on Saturday. All of the families seemed to really enjoy the dance and art workshops and created some lovely work. This workshop was part of a pilot phase for a fuller project supported by the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts and we hope that it will lead to further events next year.”

Bernard Wighton, IT media family support worker at Richard House, said: “Days like these are ones that families really cherish. To have the opportunity to go to the South Bank and have specialist guidance and attention from a group like Rambert is brilliant. A big thank you to the group and we are looking forward to our upcoming summer activities.”