Following the latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions, all of The Yard's sites have now reopened. We are once again able to offer pre-booked play sessions for our members in Fife (Kirkcaldy), Dundee and Edinburgh. Sunday Funday is not currently running in Edinburgh.

We are absolutely delighted to see our families again along with some new faces. Lockdown was extremely difficult for families with a disabled child, so our members are thrilled and relieved to be back in person, see their children playing with others, and spend time with other parents and carers again.

Read on to get the details about our reopening or have a look at our current FAQs.

Information for current members

All members receive an email from us to request your availability for the upcoming block. Our current block to the end of June is now fully booked.

However, you could still be added to the cancellations list if you somehow missed out - just email [email protected]. Please also check that you are a current, paying member of The Yard. You can bring your membership up-to-date by calling us on 0131 476 4506 during office hours.

You will then receive an email when we are about to allocate our next block of sessions. This is likely to be in mid-June when we are booking up sessions for over the summer holidays.

We are running play sessions in after-school and weekend slots during term-time. The number of sessions available for members will increase during school holidays in Edinburgh only. This is because we have access to our own building there with no school sessions running. Our buildings in Fife and Dundee and shared community centres, so we do not have access to offer extra sessions there.

Information for new members

If you are not yet a member of The Yard, the good news is we are taking on new members. You do have to be a paying member to access our services.

Membership gives you access to all three of our locations. Please visit our membership page for more details and email [email protected] if you would like to become a member now.

The only criteria to become a member is that you have one disabled child in your family - membership is taken out in that child's name but gives access to the whole family. However, please note that our pre-booked sessions are not currently open to whole families, due to COVID-19 restrictions on numbers. This will change when government guidance allows.

What is there to do at The Yard?

There are some safety restrictions in place but we make sure families still have a great time when you visit. We encourage children to play outside where possible, with bikes, trikes, football, sand and mud kitchens. There is also plenty to do inside, with the return of messy play, art activities, Lego, trains and cars. What we offer at each site is slightly different. When you are allocated a pre-booked session, you will receive an email with more details about what is currently on offer at the relevant site. 

What safety measures are in place?

In line with Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance:

• Sessions are not currently open to whole family groups - we ask that the child who is a member is accompanied by one adult
  • Please note, of course we aim to accommodate families who cannot do this due to childcare or support needs
• We encourage visitors to The Yard to wear a face covering
• We ask parents and carers to maintain a two-metre distance from each other
• We provide separated tables for families to maintain your bubble
• Soft play is not currently in use at any of our sites
• Additional cleaning procedures before and between sessions

Read more about what we are doing to keep everyone safe.

What is visiting The Yard like now?

If you have never been to The Yard, or if you haven't visited for a long time, you or your child might feel a little anxious about coming to play. We created these short videos to help with that so you know what to expect. Our team is friendly and welcoming too!

Take a video tour of The Yard Fife

Take a video tour of The Yard Dundee

Take a video tour of The Yard Edinburgh

For more information on visiting The Yard, please email [email protected] or call 0131 476 4506 during office hours. We can't wait to see you!