F What can I do to make sure we don’t miss announcements? Expand You can keep in touch with us through our social media platforms - follow The Yard @theyardscotland on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list for potential new members, please email your name and location to [email protected]. You can also email us with any other queries or give our friendly team a call on 0131 476 4506 during office hours.
D We can't visit The Yard right now – how can you help us? Expand We are delighted to be back but things are still not exactly as they were. Whether you can visit us in person or not, we are still here for you. We have created a place to share all our online video content, including early years music and movement sessions, play ideas you can try at home, signed stories and songs, and relaxation sessions with our wellbeing consultant, Jen Wood. You can also contact us on 0131 476 4506 during office hours. Click here for details of some other organisations offering support.
B Is this a good time to join The Yard? Expand Yes, absolutely. The Yard is a charity and we rely on our membership fees to help provide consistent and high quality services. Any family with a disabled child can become a member of The Yard. Get more information on membership here. Our sites are currently open to existing and new members. Please bear in mind the way we run is a little different at the moment. All our sessions are pre-booked only at the moment. Please get in touch if you would like to join The Yard family. Once you have joined, we will add you to our mailing list and be in touch when we have sessions available.
Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive Expand Celine has been our Chief Executive since 2006, and leads The Yard with dynamism and passion. Celine has a long association with The Yard, having first used our service as the parent of a child with autism. She was then on our Board of Directors before taking the reins as Chief Executive. Celine represents The Yard and disability interests on a number of committees and networks. She began her career at the BBC World Service before returning to education to complete an MSc in Public Relations. Most recently before The Yard, Celine worked in communications for Highlands and Islands Enterprise YouthLink Scotland.
Jenny MacDonald, Director of Development Expand Jenny leads a team at The Yard with a fundraising target of over £1 million for 2016. As part of our senior management team, she is responsible for leading the strategic direction and growth of both fundraising and communications. Prior to her role at The Yard, Jenny was Head of Fundraising at Fairbridge in Scotland, so she has a clear passion and understanding of the needs of the youth sector. Jenny has also been a Trustee of Venture Scotland.
Rachel Mathers, Director of Operations Expand Rachel has worked at The Yard since 2014 and has been the Director of Operations since 2019. She heads up our play and operations teams, ensuring our current services are of the highest possible quality, and taking a strategic view on new sites and services. Rachel has worked and volunteered in the play sector for over 15 years, and has for the last nine concentrated on children’s rights and play for disabled children. She has an MSc in Childhood Studies, and a Postgraduate Qualification in Playwork Leadership and Management. She has worked in play and youth work all over the UK and Ireland, with her career covering areas such as adventure play, respite services and advocacy. Rachel is passionate about children’s rights, and ensuring all children have access to high quality, child-centred play services.
O) What about Sunday Funday? Expand All our members are very welcome to visit Sunday Funday at The Yard Edinburgh on Sundays from 10am to 4pm. These sessions run a little differently - it may be useful to know: The cost of Sunday Funday is not included in your membership. The admission cost per child is payable on the day for a two-hour play session or you can book in advance online. This cost is currently £7 per child. Sundays are likely to be somewhat busier and/or noisier than our family sessions. The set-up might be a little unfamiliar, so our usual toys and equipment could be moved around, and the go-karts will not be out for safety reasons. Most of our visitors on Sundays are families with children aged one to eight, most of whom do not have disabilities.
J) My family currently uses a club but I pay for a standard Young Adventurer membership. What do I need to do? Expand Your recurring card payment will continue to be taken from your account on the same date each month. Your first payment on or after the date we change over, as well as all subsequent payments, will be at the new rate automatically. You do not have to do anything.
I) I pay our membership by debit/credit card. What do I need to do? Expand Your recurring card payment will continue to be taken from your account on the same date each month. Your first payment on or after the date we change over, as well as all subsequent payments, will be at the new rate automatically. You do not have to do anything.
E) I pay membership annually before the rates change. Will I have to pay the new price? Expand We will contact everyone who pays annually to discuss how this works. Please make sure your contact details on our system are up-to-date by speaking to a member of the play team, or you can email us.
L) I still want our membership but may struggle with the price increase. What can I do? Expand We will ensure no one is excluded from The Yard membership due to cost. We have a policy in place to support any members who may find it difficult to pay at the new rates. We are also working to help you access our services using your SDS payments, where applicable. You can find details of our membership assistance policy here. If you would like toenquire about accessing financial support, please read over this information and email [email protected] or talk to someone in our team. We will then contact you to check if you are eligible and discuss next steps. If you are not eligible for support but will find it difficult to pay for club membership, please email us for advice on how you can access other funds. Information on how to access Self-directed Support (SDS) payments is available here. You can initiate this process by contacting the relevant Social Work department directly. Edinburgh Fife Dundee
K) I would like to pay more than the standard membership fee. How do I do this? Expand Thank you for choosing to support The Yard in this way; we greatly appreciate it. In order to allow us to process your payments appropriately, and to differentiate between membership payments and donations, please set up any extra donation as a regular gift instead. This means we can also claim Gift Aid on your donation, which means The Yard receives anextra 25p for every £1 donated, at no additional cost to you.
H) I already purchased a visiting membership at the old price. What does this mean? Expand All visiting memberships remain valid at their original price for one year from the date they are first used. The new rates only apply to visiting memberships purchased on or after the date we change over.