1891
Established
29
Schools in 2024
368
Holidays in 2024
Welcome to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre
Important Update: Our Journey Toward a Brighter Future
Since 1891, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has been dedicated to providing life-changing seaside holidays for disadvantaged children across Derbyshire. These holidays are more than just a break—they bring joy, build confidence, and create lifelong memories for children who need them most.
As we look ahead to the future, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to pause our holiday service during the 2025 season. This pause will allow us to undertake a thorough strategy review to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of Derbyshire’s children for years to come.
A Message from Our Trustees
Outgoing Chair of Trustees, Alan Grimadell, shared:
“The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has been going since 1891, and the need to provide a seaside holiday for in-need Derbyshire children is as strong today as it was then.
As a long-running charity, we remain true to our core purpose. We know that providing a holiday in our centre means so much more to the children who attend than just a week’s break. It gives them confidence and helps forge friendships and bonds. Many children who attended our centre have never forgotten the feeling of love and support it gave them.
But times have changed since 1891, and our trustees have decided it is necessary to pause our holidays in 2025 while we fully review our entire operation, with the aim of coming back better, stronger, and more resilient to face future challenges.”
Incoming Chair of Trustees, Mike Copestake, added:
“We temporarily closed for two years in the late 1980s to transition from local authority funding to being fully self-supporting. Now, we face a similar challenge to meet rising costs and ensure we continue to provide much-needed holidays in 2026 and beyond.
Trustees are already hard at work redefining our vision to continue ‘to inspire Derbyshire’s children to flourish,’ while staying true to our values of being caring, aspirational, passionate, encouraging, and inclusive.
As we go forward, the public’s support and encouragement of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is always appreciated.”
How You Can Help
While our holidays are paused in 2025, your support remains vital to our mission. Here’s how you can help:
While our holidays are paused in 2025, your support remains vital to our mission. Here’s how you can help:
- – Stay Connected: Follow our journey as we plan for a brighter future.
- – Spread the Word: Share our mission and story to help us raise awareness.
- – Support Our Campaigns: Look out for our Comeback Appeal 2026 and other fundraising efforts as we prepare to return stronger than ever.
- – Donate using either our ‘Go Fund Me‘ or ‘Just Giving‘ appeal pages– Share your story: Have you or a close family member visited our Centre for a holiday? Share your story with us – we would love to hear from you! Email us [email protected]– Volunteer: We are always looking for help with fundraising. Chat with us about how you can get involved. Email: [email protected]– Cycle or Walk for us – SkegVegas 2025 Saturday 17th May – put the date in your diary and watch this space for further sign up information.
Thank you for standing with us as we take this important step toward building a stronger future for Derbyshire’s children. Together, we can continue to make a lasting difference in their lives.
Facebook Posts
Join Us in Making a Difference: The Comeback Appeal 2026
For over 130 years, we’ve been offering children the chance to create cherished memories, build confidence, and enjoy the magic of a seaside break. These holidays provide so much more than fun—they offer a vital boost to the well-being of children who need it most. But rising costs have been no secret and so we have taken the decision to pause holidays at our centre in 2025, with the aim of coming back bigger and stronger in 2026.
So the goal of our 'Comeback Appeal' is to raise £150,000 to bring back our life-changing holidays to disadvantaged children in Derbyshire and spread joy and hope to even more children in 2026.
This year, we need your help to make this possible. By contributing to The Comeback Appeal, you’ll be helping us bring sunshine back into the lives of children who might not otherwise experience a holiday.
Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to giving these children the gift of happiness, hope, and unforgettable memories.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support for this cause that means so much to all of us. Together, we can make 2026 a year to remember for Derbyshire’s children.
Let’s make the comeback stronger than ever.
Contact Us Today
Some of Our Valued Supporters
Thanks to incredible supporters like you, we’re already halfway to our target in the Big Give’s Small Charity Week campaign! 🎉
But we only have until 12pm Monday 30 June to raise the full £5,000 – which will be matched to £10,000 to buy new bunk beds for our Centre in Skegness.
👉 This will help us:
🛏 Welcome more disadvantaged children for seaside holidays
🏫 Offer residential stays to schools
🎽 Open our doors to Scouts, Guides and youth groups
💸 Remember:
£25 becomes £50
£100 becomes £200
– but only if you give before the deadline!
Want to help even more? Please share this post on your own timeline, in your community group, or with someone who believes every child deserves a break.
📣 The more people who see it, the more children we can help.
📲 Donate and share here:
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
Thank you 💛
@BigGive.org @globalsmakesomenoise @NCVO
#BigGive #GiveKidsABreak #DoubleYourImpact #SmallCharityWeek ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Amazing effort in 36hrs. Well done to all the donors; looking forward to seeing more of the same in the next few days; fingers crossed we’ll not only meet but beat the goal for the appeal.
🎉 IT’S LIVE!
Our Big Give Small Charity Week campaign is officially OPEN – and now’s the moment to act!
From 12pm today until 12pm Monday 30 June, every donation to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre via the Big Give will be matched – meaning your gift goes twice as far 💥
We’re raising £5,000, which will be doubled to £10,000, to buy new bunk beds for our Centre in Skegness. This will help us:
🧡 Welcome more disadvantaged children for seaside breaks
🏫 Offer residential stays for schools
🎽 Open our doors to uniformed youth groups on weekends
💸 £25 = £50 | £50 = £100 | £100 = £200
🕛 One week only to double your impact!
👉 DONATE NOW: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
Thank you for giving children the break – and the boost – they deserve.
With thanks to @BigGive.org, @globalsmakesomenoise and @NCVO
#BigGive #GiveKidsABreak #DoubleYourImpact ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
A great initiative to make a big difference to disadvantaged children’s lives.
🎉 Our campaign launches TOMORROW!
Starting 12pm on Monday 23 June, your donations to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre via the Big Give will be doubled – helping us raise £10,000 for bunk beds and expanded capacity 🌊
We’ll be able to welcome:
🧡 More children
🏫 More schools
🎽 More youth groups
📅 Please donate from midday tomorrow:
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
@BigGive.org @globalsmakesomenoise @NCVO
#SmallCharityWeek #MatchedFunding #GiveKidsABreak ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
⏰ The countdown is ON!
From Monday 23 June at 12pm, our Big Give match funding campaign launches.
Your donation will be doubled – helping us raise £10,000 for bunk beds, seaside holidays, and school and weekend access at our Skegness Centre.
📅 Please add a reminder and bookmark this link:
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
@BigGive.org @globalsmakesomenoise @NCVO
#doublethedifference #BigGive #GiveKidsABreak ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🏖 What can your donation unlock?
✅ Seaside holidays for more children
✅ Residentials for schools
✅ Weekend stays for youth groups
And from Monday 23 June, every donation to DCHC via the Big Give will be doubled!
Let’s raise £10,000 to build brighter futures.
🔗 Donate here from 12pm on 23 June: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
Thanks to @BigGive.org, @globalsmakesomenoise and @NCVO
#BigGive #GiveKidsABreak #SmallCharityBigImpact ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
⏳ Just ONE WEEK TO GO before we launch our Big Give match funding campaign!
From Monday 23 June at 12pm, your donation will be DOUBLED for one week only.
We're aiming to raise £10,000 for bunk beds so we can offer:
✅ More holidays for children
✅ Residentials for schools
✅ Weekend breaks for uniformed groups
🔗 Save the donation page now: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000004a8HhYAI
@BigGive.org @globalsmakesomenoise @NCVO
#matchedfunding #GiveKidsABreak #DCHC ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook