Carers take to the (virtual) skies
On 10 December, nine members of the Torbay Young Adult Carers (TYAC) group, along with two development workers, paid a visit to the state-of-the-art Virtual Jet Centre based in Chudleigh. The occasion marked the first of several fun and inspiring events for the TYAC at the Centre aimed at giving this dedicated group of young adults some essential respite from the responsibility of caring for their loved one(s).
Based in Brixham, the Torbay Young Adult Carers (TYAC) Service supports young adult carers aged 16 to 25 in Torbay, offering essential advice on money/benefits, transport, employment, education, health and fitness, housing, one-to-one support, social events and possibly most importantly – giving them some deserved ‘me’ time. The group is based in Paignton Carer’s Centre and supported by Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust.
Captain Andy Wilkins, who built the Virtual Jet Centre from scratch complete with Boeing 737-800 flight simulator and converted airline cabin, welcomed the visit, saying, “We were very pleased to be able to give our time and experience to such an amazing group of young adults, who have dedicated their lives to others, thus giving them the chance to have the time for themselves.”
Dave Baker, Young Adult Carer Development Worker for TYAC said: “As soon as we walked into the building, the atmosphere was so welcoming. The staff and the building were fantastic. It’s a perfect place to drop your worries for a few hours and relax. I had a fantastic time and thank the staff for such a lovely day.”
Meanwhile, the young adult carers gave the whole experience a resounding thumbs up for the Virtual Jet Centre and its staff. Lisa Ross said: “It’s a really friendly place. It was a great experience for all of us from TYAC and we were all very impressed by the fantastic system set up.”
Scott Stewart commented: “Thank you for an incredible day. I've never done anything like this before and it's been amazingly awesome.”
Jacob Algar said, “It was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it to a mate, the flight simulator was very realistic and the people were lovely and a great host.”
Lisa warner said: “I had an Amazing time. I have never been in a plane before so I found this good fun.”
With over 200 members, the TYAC will be back for several visits to provide more young adult carers the opportunity for a well-deserved break in their routine.
As well as opening up its doors to this worthwhile cause, the Virtual Jet Centre also provides professional pilot training, fear of flying courses, gift experiences and corporate / team building packages.
