"The Land of the Lost"
( 1994 - two weekends with Wonford & Derriford Hospitals).
Children & their families arrived from all over the South West & are greeted by a rather strange man who is discovered in a cupboard seemingly having “lost his way”. More than just that, it seems that this character has lost his entire memory! The weekend involved the children helping “Mr Losty” as he became known, try to recover his memory, which involved a trip to the “Land of the Lost”, where all lost things end up, & where the children & families could begin to think about & come to terms with some of their losses - be that a sibling, their hair due to chemotherapy, or their sense of “normality”. The final rituals of the weekend explored notions of memory & all things lost in an incredibly moving way.
The children help Mr Losty remember how to dance
Final ritual: Remembering Hopes & Happiness
” I appreciated the team’s sensitivity with the youngsters, encouraging to participate but not forcing them when they were really reluctant to join in, with the result that a lot of the youngsters surprised both them & their parents.”
Social Worker