WHEN John Burke went on holiday with HopScotch, his father was braced for a phone call asking him to fetch his lad home.
John, ten, could be quite shy and his dad William Dobbie was unsure how well he would cope with being away from the family overnight for the first time.
John had an amazing time on his HopScotch holiday.[/caption]
His dad was chuffed with how well is boy handled his first trip away by himself.[/caption]
But the phone never rang and the trip proved to be exactly what John needed to break out of his shell.
The family, who live in Bishopbriggs, have watched their boy blossom since returning in the summer and credit HopScotch — which sends hundreds of kids on much-needed breaks every year — for this.
William, 31, below with John, said: “I didn’t think he was going to stay, to be honest with you. I thought he would go and I’d get a call and have to go and pick him up.
“I’d said to my partner and my mum that I’d give him two days before he’d phone me.
“He’d been away on holiday with his mum before and would phone me every night.
“And he’s gone somewhere with my mum and my stepdad before, but I think he was only about two years old then.
“He proved me wrong, though. It was a really good feeling to know he was enjoying himself.
“The adults who were there had a WhatsApp group that they posted pictures to, so that put my mind at ease.”
John had found out about HopScotch after attending a kids’ club at the Whiterose Community Hall in Glasgow’s east end.
The project allows youngsters to be active and play games with their friends in a safe setting with adult supervision. There’s also a quiet area where kids can take part in more relaxed activities such as arts and crafts, board- games and baking.
When John was then asked if he would like to go one step further and make the holiday, to Ardvullin, he was super-keen after hearing about all the unique adventure activities on offer.
But it was also quite a daunting prospect to be mixing with other people he had never met before, when he was going to be so far away from home, without family, for the first time.
William said: “He goes to school in a different area from where he lives and so doesn’t have as many friends here.
“Since he got back from HopScotch, he’s been interacting more with other kids. It brought him out of his shell. He’s the same as all the kids, he’s always on the computer. But now he is starting to go out a bit more with pals, which is great.”
A HopScotch trip involves loads of fun activities, such as watersports and climbing.
And that was right up John’s street because his dad says he is a bit of a daredevil who enjoys taking part in anything that others might deem risky.
William said: “He loves water and he loves swimming so he had a fantastic time doing all that stuff while away.
“He’s a thrillseeker, for sure. He loves going to amusement and theme parks and when I’m with him he wants to go on all the big rides.
“I don’t know where he gets that from because it’s definitely not from me.
“He’s matured since going away with HopScotch, too. Even in the way he speaks to me, he’s got a bit more respect and it’s noticeable the difference it’s made.
“He learned how to do more things on his own, too, which has given him more confidence.”
William now wishes that every youngster who needs it has the opportunity to go on the sort of adventure that HopScotch offers.
Kids usually only get the opportunity to go once, so that as many people as possible get a chance to experience it for themselves.
But John enjoyed himself so much that he’s already dreaming about finding a way to go back again.
His dad joked: “He said somebody had mentioned to him about me doing an interview about HopScotch. His first question to me was, ‘am I going back?’.
“I would recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity to go.”
