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
Fundraising announcement!
Amazing total raised by our brilliant team of volunteers who rattled tins ahead of the Derby County v Blackburn Rovers game on Saturday.
Thanks to all volunteers who turned out to join us and to those football fans - both home and away - who gave so generously, we raised a grand total of £1030!
It was a brilliant result for our charity - thanks so much to everyone who came along and donated. Especially lovely was chatting to football fans coming along to the game who were guests of our centre decades ago.
Fundraising is really important to us this year so it was really great to see everyone turning out and boosting our total by such a good amount. ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
A fun way to prepare for the rams game. Some fantastic humour amongst the fans & such a variety of people. Derby County for the people, & generous at that.
Brilliant job guys
Wow 👏👏
... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Calling football fans!
Are you heading to the Derby County v Blackburn Rovers game tomorrow?
Look out for us with our fundraising tins - our fab volunteer supporters will be out in force in the run-up to the game.
It'd be great to say hi and if you can spare us any change, that would be wonderful.
Fundraising is really important for us this year as we work to come back stronger, so anything you can spare our fundraising tins will be very gratefully received!
Plus, our tins are a lovely vibrant yellow so you can't miss us! ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
MickleoverFC v FC United of Manchester. You guys are very welcome to collect
📣📣📣VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!
As we work towards starting holidays again in 2026 there is plenty of fundraising needed! Can you help us or do you know someone who might be willing to spare an hour or two?
We’re looking for friendly, positive people who can chat with the public, make refreshments, and bring a welcoming smile to our fundraising events. Most of these take place at weekends, and we currently need extra hands at:
📅 Saturday 8th March – Bucket Collection at Derby County FC Pride Park - collectors
📅 Saturday 26th April – Fundraising at GNC Special Shift Day - raffle ticket sales
📅 Sunday 1st June – The Big One @ Chaddesden Park - tombola sales
📅 Sunday 20th July – Alvaston Park Community Fun Day - tombola sales
📅 Sunday 3rd August – Open Gardens at Horsley Woodhouse - refreshment sales
There are other ways you can help us with fundraising.
*Could you approach a local shop and ask them to host one of our yellow collection tins?
*Could you hold a coffee morning or bake sale event?
*Could you find tombola or raffle prizes?
*Do you know a local business that could sponsor an event for us?
You don't even need to leave home to help. Could you encourage your friends, family and wider network to sign up to either of the following -
Derby Community Lottery and nominate us as a chosen charity - every £1 ticket raises 50p for us and could win you £25,000
www.derbycommunitylottery.co.uk/support/derbyshire-childrens-holiday-centre?utm_campaign=cause-pa...
Easy Fundraising - nominate us and your online shopping will earn us money at no cost to you!
www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/derbyshire-childrens-holiday-centre
If you are interested to know more about volunteering for us or know someone who might be interested, please ask them to contact [email protected]. Every extra pair of hands and even just a few pennies makes a huge difference! ... See MoreSee Less
You spend, brands donate to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
We have lots of news to share about what we’ve been busy working on so that we can reopen for holidays in 2026!
Please like and share! ... See MoreSee Less
February 2025 DCHC Newsletter
bos.etapestry.com
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Cannot wait to see ‘amazing ali’ & her squad soon
👊😊👌🧑🦽
Many thanks to The Vine hotel in Skegness. Big shout out to Danielle for organising and everyone who attended the Charity Bonkers Bingo Night £446.00 was raised… Thank you ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
Well done the people of Skegness are amazing supporters of our charity.
Well done to everyone involved 👏 x
Amazing and well done x
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