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Dads go kart adventure

By Simon Djurdjevic

The fathers from twenty six Very Special Kids families took part in the Dad’s Go-Kart Day which was generously funded by Men of Malvern, a charity who support the health and welfare of men. Many of the fathers were new to VSK and most had not met each other previously. After registering and safety briefings they formed three groups that took turns roaring around on the track in the go-karts.

The smiles and laughs of participants as they left the track after racing respectfully were encouraging to see as each group became more familiar with each other. They had time to mingle, open conversations about the racing and inevitably discuss their involvement with Very Special Kids over a shared lunch.

As one father explained “these events have always appealed to myself and people I know as they allow dads to open up a bit to others in a similar situation, something most Dads don’t do very well. It also helps having some competition to get the conversations started too.”

After the racing was done and the top three were applauded off the podium, many of the men stayed around afterwards. Despite the barriers men often face in seeking support it was incredibly heartening to see them building connections and forming a support network with the each other.