Both Adam and Bradley share a love of racing games. They're often on their games consoles, racing one another and wanted to bring this to life in a Go Karting race! Fred, a fellow team member in Whitby, suggested going to Team Sport in Stockton as this was a two-floored race track with go karts.
Fred and I were geared up and excited at the prospect of supporting Adam and Bradley on such an amazing day out that was so tailored to them and we knew they would absolutely love. Fred started working out the costings including; fuel, the activity and food, whilst I started on the Risk Assessments for both Adam and Bradley. Once everything was worked out we set a date and the booking was made!
All four of us were so excited. When the big day came around, we were all like a kid in a candy store - there was no containing our excitement. We went on a little roadtrip to Team Sport in Stockton with a drive full of laughs and fighting talk about who was going to win. When we arrived, we were given overalls, a balaclava and gloves - we really looked the part! We went to the changing rooms to put these on and after, went upstairs to the bar and waited for the safety briefing.
The safety briefing was a video about the track which included a colour coded light system; red for stop, amber for walking pace and green for go. This also included a flag system; black for pull into the cockpit and the checkered flag for the end of the race. Fred and I quizzed Adam and Bradley on this after the video to confirm they understood (and to make sure we were all actually listening through all of our excitement). We all (Fred and I included) passed our safety quiz with flying colours and were ready to get on track.
After being fitted for our helmets, we were taken track side (excitement level: 12/10). We were all given numbers on a screen and this corresponded with the number of our go kart. Once we were all in our karts, we had to do another little test whereby the team checked we could accelerate, stop and steer! We of course all got the hang of it very quickly - especially Adam and Bradley as they had loads of experience from their games - and once the team were happy, they gave us the go ahead!
Today was a ‘I really can’t believe this is my job’ day! - Kiera, Senior Support Worker
There were tight bends and turns, and ramps taking you down to the lower floor and back up to the top floor! It was exhilarating. We had so much fun and the occasional crash too but that only added to the joy and fun we all were having! When there was a crash, the green light would turn amber and we would have to drive at walking pace to ensure everyone’s safety. We all adhered to this to a tee - clearly all taking on board the safety video!
During the quick break, we discussed tactics for the next race and chatted about how much fun we were all having! After our team huddle, we headed back and put the pedal to the metal on the track. Lap after lap, we were getting faster each time and our enjoyment levels were only going up and up too.
The checkered flag was waved and as much as we didn't want to, we returned to the cockpit. As soon as we took our helmets off, both Adam and Bradley asked when we could do this again! It was so much fun! We had our photo taken on the winners podiums high on adrenaline.
After changing out of our overalls, we continued the fun and went to McDonald’s to refuel and played some arcade games at Level X in Middlesbrough. A day well spent if you ask me!
The whole day was incredible for all of us but particularly for both Adam and Bradley. It allowed them to step out of the comfort of their daily routine and enjoy an activity with a bit of an adrenaline rush. In this instance, positive risk taking has led to a (could be) dangerous activity being enjoyed by all in a safe, enjoyable way! On the drive home we all chatted about how great of a day we’d had and started planning the next one!
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