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
The Big One | Chaddesden Park | June 1st 2025
Yesterday Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre were delighted to have had our gazebo at the Big One, Chaddesden, joining many other charities and fun filled activities for the day.
We were, as ever overwhelmed by the level of engagement from the many, many people that visited us. Tempted by our Tombola, the guess the bear's birthday and our latest addition, Plinko, the visitors certainly enjoyed themselves.
Whilst events like this are vital for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre to raise funds, there is another key aspect that comes from being there. What's that you might ask? Well it's the opportunity to engage with so many people; many of them actually have direct links to the seaside home in Skegness. Typically if they haven't been themselves, they know people who have had a holiday with us.
Hearing them talk about their time there, and stories of others have been there is really humbling. Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has been around for 134 years, providing free holidays for children who otherwise wouldn't get them.
The event raised £347.35 for us, money that will go towards our Comeback Appeal 2026, where we are aiming 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.
Thanks to everyone that supported us on the day, for the fun, laughter and stories. And of course thanks to everyone who supports us, whether that's from donations of money, time or generous gifts, we very much appreciate it.
For more details on what we do, where and why we do it, please click the link below dchc.org.uk/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Photos from Amber Valley Borough Council's post ... See MoreSee Less
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What a day it was!
Our amazing supporters pedalled and hiked their way across Derbyshire and Lincolnshire yesterday in the CosyChild - Bike & Hike.
Every pound raised brings us one step closer to bringing back seaside holidays for Derbyshire’s children in 2026.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated, cheered, or took part. You’re helping to write the next chapter of DCHC.
A shout out to Peter and Amanda Ellse for being amazing champions for Derbyshire children and throwing their support behind us. For all the volunteers at Cosy who worked so hard to make sure the day went well and was successful. Thanks to all the companies that sponsored the event, and all the walkers and riders for being up for the challenge, fundraising and donating.
There is still time to donate! www.justgiving.com/campaign/cosychild-hike-bike-2025
Watch this space in the coming weeks to find out about our plans to reopen and offer our holidays again next year: www.dchc.org.uk
📸 Victoria Pictoria, John Hithersay and participants ... See MoreSee Less
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Photos from Derby Kids' Camp's post ... See MoreSee Less
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Awesome stuff everyone.
A big thank you to the wonderful ladies at Bottesford WI for their warm welcome, hot drinks, and delicious homemade cakes – just what we needed at the 40-mile mark! Only 60 miles to go now on the CosyChild - Bike & Hike!
We’re raising money to give more children from Derbyshire the chance to enjoy a much-needed holiday with Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre and our friends at Derby Kids' Camp.
Please donate if you can:
www.justgiving.com/campaign/cosychild-hike-bike-2025
Find out more about our work and how you can help:
www.dchc.org.uk
#DCHC #COSYBikeAndHike #BucketsOfKindness #ThankYouBottesfordWI ... See MoreSee Less
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Amazing! Thank you ladies ❤️❤️