Our three-week stay in the summer of 2018 was the first real holiday we have had following my daughter Belle’s accident almost five years ago. We’ve been on previous holidays where we’ve had to take air mattresses and all that kind of equipment, but here I don’t need to because I know she’s got what she needs.

There’s a lot of skills that Belle has gained that she most likely would have never had a chance to if she had been able to walk. She would never have probably gone sailing, never tried kayaking…and I think that freedom is what a lot of people find at Sargood on Collaroy.

But I think the biggest thing has been being able to talk to other people and families that are in similar situations. When you’re at home you’re kind of isolated so it’s nice to be able to talk to the other guests and learn little things to get you through the rest of your days when you’re not here at Sargood.

She has really opened up here. She is not afraid to chat, it’s not taking a long time for her to talk to people when it would normally take her a few days or times talking to a person for her to come out of her shell.

I think it’s just the fact that she realises that everyone here is either in a wheelchair or has some kind of spinal cord injury and so they’ve all got stories. Sargood on Collaroy is going to be a big part of her life. A very big part.

Cathy, Belle’s Mum