How We Do It

How do we make a difference?

The children and families we help are usually referred to us by our local Partners from our local community. So we know we are directly helping children and families most in need.

We currently have three respite homes located at the 4 star Marton Mere Holiday Park in Blackpool.   Some of our homes have wheelchair and ramp access and can accommodate up to 6 people.

Onsite there is a full programme of onsite activities and complimentary travel to the Blackpool beach for the guests to enjoy so that families don’t have to worry about further travel or expense.  Every year we are able to offer approximately 100 families a completely free, week long respite break.

We hope to improve the health and wellbeing of each child and family compared to how they felt before their break. Each situation before their break is different but the impact it has is always positive, particularly having a new opportunity to spend quality time with each other and take away the strain and stress of everyday life.

In the 8 years since The Trust was founded, we have given over 1,500 children and 700 families a break.

 

Families we’ve helped

We often receive letters of thanks from families we’ve helped and the partners we work with. It is these letters that make what we do worthwhile. This is just a selection of some of the comments we have received.

“The families that have been fortunate to access your holiday homes are from a cross section of the valley and have all said what a wonderful time they had.

In some cases it will be the only holiday the children have had or will have in their young lives. The impact of this can not be measured but the memories will stay with them for a long time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again on their behalf for your generosity and look forward to continuing our relationship in the future not only in providing holidays for our families but the partnership between yourself and Oakbank.”

“The children you have supported with holidays will have some great memories – and it has also given parents the confidence to think about providing more experiences like these for their children – this clearly demonstrates that it is not always finances which impact on a family’s ability to cope – there are other factors too. The work both Home-Start and the Principle Trust are undertaking is helping parents and children to enjoy family life.”

How the money is spent

Every single penny we raise goes towards giving a child a respite break.  Each holiday home costs approx. £11,000 per year to run, that’s £33,000 a year.  This includes the upkeep, ground rent, insurance, utilities and additional services, such as cleaning.  This is what we need to raise every year, just to keep the charity going…

Future plans

Our plan for the future is to expand our reach to children in need, but also for a wider range of needs. We will still continue to offer breaks to children where our current homes are, in Blackpool.

 

There are lots of times when a week’s break in the countryside, in a calmer, more rural surrounding would be more beneficial to certain children.  For example, a child with autism may prefer a quieter, more open space to play, or a child who has a life limiting condition, a terminal illness or is recovering from an acute illness, such as cancer, an accident or head injury may need respite care.

 

Since April 2017, we have been fundraising to achieve a target of approx. £115,000 to enable us to purchase an existing Log Cabin, situated at Ribblesdale Park in Lancashire. There will still be onsite activities for the whole family to enjoy. The Log Cabin will be fully kitted with disabled access and caring facilities such as a wet room, day care bed and special bedding. This will ease the daily care routine and help children and families get on with spending quality time together.

 

Please visit our ‘Get Involved’ Page for more ideas of how you can help us achieve our target.

 

 

The Principle Trust Log Cabin Appeal

Help us raise £100K over the next 2 years to buy a log cabin in the Yorkshire Dales.

More Details