1891
Established
29
Schools in 2024
368
Holidays in 2024
Welcome to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre
Since 1891, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has given children facing challenging circumstances in their daily lives, the chance to experience something many of us take for granted – a holiday by the sea. We are a small but determined Derbyshire charity with a big impact, built on the belief that every child deserves joy, adventure, and memories to cherish.
Why we do what we do
Too many children in Derbyshire are growing up in poverty or difficult circumstances. Many will never enjoy a holiday, feel sand between their toes, or experience carefree time away from daily struggles. These missed opportunities don’t just take away fun – they limit confidence, wellbeing, and hope for the future.
What we do about it
We provide free, fully supported seaside holidays at our centre in Skegness. Here, children are cared for by our dedicated staff and volunteers, enjoy good food, laughter, trips to the beach, and activities that nurture their confidence, resilience, and friendships. These holidays give children a break from challenges at home and the chance to return happier, more confident, and ready to thrive.
Why we’re needed
For many children, this is their very first holiday. The difference is lasting – they come home with memories, smiles, and a sense that they matter. With rising child poverty, our work is more needed now than ever.
How you can help change a child’s life
Donate – just £384 funds a holiday for one child. You can do this by using either our ‘Go Fund Me‘ or ‘Just Giving‘ appeal pages,
Fundraise – take on a challenge, hold an event, or join one of our campaigns.
Volunteer – give your time at our centre or support us locally. Email: [email protected]
Partner with us – schools, businesses, and community groups can work with us to bring hope to children.
How you can help change a child’s life
- Connect & share with others – follow our journey on social media as we plan for a brighter future. Share our mission and story to help us raise awareness.
- 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]Come along and join in – look at our events page to see what’s going on, where and when, come along, have a chat about what we are up to and how you might be able to help.
Together, we can continue to make a lasting difference in their lives. Every contribution, big or small, creates brighter futures for Derbyshire’s children.
Our Story
135 Years of Changing Children’s Lives
For 135 years, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has been helping children discover the joy, freedom and wonder of a seaside holiday. Since 1891, thousands of Derbyshire children facing poverty, family difficulties, bereavement, caring responsibilities, disability, or other challenges have been given the opportunity to escape their everyday worries and enjoy a few precious days by the sea.
Today, that mission is just as important as it was 135 years ago.
Why We Need Your Help
Many of the children we support have never had a holiday. Some have never seen the sea. Others are carrying worries that no child should have to face.
A holiday may sound simple, but for a child it can be transformational. A week away means:-
* Making new friends
* Building confidence and independence
* Learning new skills
* Having fun and feeling cared for
* Creating happy memories that last a lifetime
Most importantly, it gives children the chance to simply be children.
“I didn’t want to come home. It was the best week of my life.”
The Difference You Can Make
In 2026, we restarted our holiday programme and children are once again paddling in the sea, building sandcastles, exploring new places and discovering new confidence in themselves.
Every donation to our 135th Anniversary Appeal will help provide free residential holidays for Derbyshire children aged 6–11.
* £5 helps provide treats and activities.
* £15 helps cover food and transport.
* £32 a month can fund an entire holiday place over a year.
* £380 can give one child a complete life-changing holiday.
Looking to the Future
As we celebrate 135 years of service, we are not simply looking back at our history we are building the next chapter.
With your support, we can ensure that many more children experience the magic of the seaside, the kindness of caring adults, and the opportunity to flourish.
Be Part of Our Story
Whether you donate £5 or £500, every gift helps create brighter futures for Derbyshire children.
Please support our 135th Anniversary Appeal today and help us continue changing lives for another 135 years.
Thank you for helping Derbyshire’s children flourish!
Facebook Posts
Contact Us Today
Some of Our Valued Supporters
National Open Garden Scheme | Horsley | August 2nd 2026
The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. These events help to support charities across the UK.
The Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre have over many years been fortunate enough to provide refreshments at an open garden event in Horsley, Derby. We have traditionally provided cream teas, cakes, coffee and a variety of refreshments.
Today with the sun blazing, the garden opened in Horsley at 13.30hrs and the sun shone. And what a beautiful day it was, all framed by an outstanding garden.
Our refreshments stall performed miracles, presenting a lot of hungry garden visitors with homemade delights. Like so many events, it takes a small army behind the scenes to make it happen, and in particular Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre would like to thank:-
Alison Napier - such a lovely garden and surrounds
Dave and Ann Harris - sublime carrot cakes
Lynne - for organising us into regimented precision for on time deliveries to the customers, mostly scones related
Bev Crighton - for slicing and dicing the cakes
Michelle Breffitt - for taking orders from the customers and giving orders to ensure we met their expectations
Alison Evans - for organising with tremendous precision all the elements that made the day run smoothly
In particular we would like to say a huge thanks to everyone that visited the garden, your patronage is very much appreciated.
Was it worth it?
Undoubtedly and categorically yes it was. The footfall was up from last year, 115 people, and of course we were able to meet so many different people from all over the county and beyond. Of course many had prior knowledge of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre and it was fantastic to provide updates on last weeks holiday experience where 20 children had a wonderful time at our centre in Skegness.
Amazing! And of course we were more than delighted to raise a staggering £350 on the day which will make a huge difference to us.
Please visit the website to learn more about what they do and how you can help; donations are always welcome, along with volunteers to help in fundraising.
www.dchc.org.uk
Here's to another 135 years of providing holidays to disadvantaged children from Derbyshire.
Janine Marie
Simon Evans
Lee Jepson ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Five days of noise, lost shoes and sand,
Of counting heads and lending hands.
But in between the fun and play,
We gave them memories to take away.
A chance to laugh, to feel they belong,
To know they matter, to feel strong.
Just one short week beside the sea,
And give them the freedom to simply be.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to make sure these holidays happen again in 2026.
If you want to help us keep proving holidays like these, please donate to our crowdfunding campaign where your donation is tripled by The Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation. Yes that’s right TRIPLED and ! A £10 donation becomes £40 and £100 becomes £400 with pledged funds from The Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation 💙
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/multiply-the-magic-the-4x-holiday-fund ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Loved my holidays there when a kid .it was for 2weeks then
Day 3 at DCHC – Seaside Smiles, New Adventures & Growing Confidence!
What another fantastic day we’ve had in Skegness!
This morning the children made the most of the beach, splashing through the waves, sitting in the surprisingly warm sea, building in the sand and enjoying the freedom that only a day by the coast can bring. There were plenty of laughs, happy faces and even some kite flying as the sea breeze helped send them soaring across the sky.
Later, we visited the aquarium where everyone was fascinated by the incredible sea life. One of the highlights was watching the diver inside the huge tank waving and interacting with the children through the glass – a magical moment that had everyone smiling.
As part of our 5 Days to Thrive programme, kindly developed especially for us by Bridge the Gap CIC, today’s session focused on self-esteem. Together we explored what makes each of us unique and practised using positive affirmations, learning that the way we speak to ourselves matters just as much as the way we speak to others. The children created beautiful affirmation mirrors to take home as a reminder of just how amazing they are.
From jumping waves to growing confidence, today has been filled with fun, friendship and memories that will last long after the holiday ends.
Every smile you see is made possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters and volunteers. Thank you for helping us give Derbyshire children the opportunity to thrive. 💙
#DCHC #ChildrensHolidayCentre #Skegness #5DaysToThrive #BridgeTheGapCIC #BuildingConfidence #MakingMemories #EveryChildDeservesAHoliday #SeasideSmiles #DerbyshireChildren ... See MoreSee Less
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Magic to see something that meant so much to me almost 30 years ago
Happiness in those faces is worth its weight in gold. X
Looks like everyone is having a great time. Brilliant photos. 👍
Holiday Update – Fun, Friendship and Learning by the Sea! 💙
What a fantastic start to another Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre adventure!
Yesterday, after arriving, unpacking and settling into the Centre, we headed straight down to Skegness Pier. The children were completely fascinated by the tiny gaps between the wooden boards where they could catch glimpses of the sea beneath their feet!
Of course, no visit to the pier would be complete without a stop at the famous 2p falls. There was plenty of excitement as everyone tried their luck. 😊
Today has been another brilliant day, with a trip to the beach followed by lots of fun at the open-air swimming pool. There have been smiles, laughter, splashing and plenty of happy memories being made.
But our holidays are about much more than just having fun.
Each day we take part in 5 Days to Thrive – a bespoke emotional wellbeing programme created especially for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre by Bridge The Gap CIC.
Yesterday’s session explored friendship and what makes a good friend. The children shared ideas about kindness, trust, listening and supporting one another.
Today we focused on anger and other big emotions. Together we explored how anger can feel in our bodies, how to recognise the situations that trigger those feelings, and practical ways to calm ourselves when emotions arrive like a storm. One of today’s activities was making beautiful glitter shakers to help children pause, focus and regulate their emotions. Each child will be taking their glitter shaker home at the end of the week as a reminder of the coping strategies they’ve learned. ✨💙
Watching children grow in confidence, make new friendships, learn valuable life skills and simply enjoy being children is exactly why these holidays are so special.
Thank you to everyone who supports Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre and helps make these unforgettable experiences possible. ❤️
#DCHC #DerbyshireChildrensHolidayCentre #Skegness #5DaystoThrive #BridgeTheGapCIC #ChildrensCharity #EmotionalWellbeing #MakingMemories #Friendship #Resilience #HolidayMagic ... See MoreSee Less
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
I enjoyed all my holidays there when I was a kid .Mr and Mrs Smith and there dog Mr woo xx
Love that. The experiences you give the kids is just priceless. Corey cant wait to holiday with you again xx
What a brilliant way to teach children about life and to deal with problems when they arrive. Also a memorable time at the seaside which will stay with the children for the rest of their lives. Well done to you all who are over at Skegness. David and Ann.
WHAT A BRILLIANT WAY TO ENHANCE YOUR DONATIONS.
MULTIPLY THE MAGIC x4
Starting today and running for the next 12 weeks you can make 4 times the difference through a wonderful Crowdfunder.
Interested? Then let’s explain about how it works.
Thanks to the Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation (MABF), every individual donation made on our Crowdfunder page will be tripled, which means your £10 donation would give £40 to Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre or a magic £25 donation generates £100 for our charity. The MABF will continue to do so until it reaches £5000 in donations.
Funding from the “Multiply the Magic: 4x Holiday Fund” will directly support the delivery of free, lifechanging seaside holidays for children across Derbyshire who are facing poverty, trauma, or challenging circumstances.
Specifically, the funding will be used to:
Provide fully funded 5-day residential holidays that will be covering
Accommodation
Food
Activities
Transport to our centre in Skegness from various locations in Derbyshire.
Ensure safe and high-quality care
Supporting trained staff and volunteers to deliver a safe, nurturing environment for every child.
We will deliver our ‘5 Days to Thrive’ programme, which is a structured social and emotional learning programme that builds confidence, resilience, and emotional wellbeing.
We will able to provide enriching experiences and activities, including beach trips, creative activities, group challenges, and opportunities many children would not otherwise access.
Cover essential operational costs such as:-
Utilities, insurance, cleaning, laundry, and maintenance required to run each holiday safely and effectively.
Remove financial barriers for families
Ensuring that every place is free at the point of access, so no child misses out due to cost.
By clicking the link below you’ll be taken to the site and also be able to see our newly created video that puts a thousand words into pictures, we hope you like the video.
Thank you for your support; however you can support us we’ll be grateful. ... See MoreSee Less
Multiply the Magic: The 4x Holiday Fund
www.crowdfunder.co.uk
Funds from the “Multiply the Magic: 4x Holiday Fund” will directly support the delivery of free, lifechanging seaside holidays for children.1 CommentComment on Facebook
We are delighted to be able to support such an amazing project. Good luck to everyone involved.
☀️ We're all going on a summer holiday! ☀️
Here at the DCHC we're busy this week training up volunteers ready to give busloads of children a brilliant holiday this summer.
Next week our holidays begin again - hurrah!
Lots of children around Derbyshire are looking forward to having a break by the sea they otherwise wouldn't have had.
We're so grateful to everyone who has signed up to be a volunteer with us this year.
For anyone considering volunteering to help children in need of a break - here are some photos of our CEO Janine Marie Holmes and brilliant volunteers getting stuck in - looks fun doesn't it?
We can promise that volunteering with us in whatever capacity will provide you with a splashing time - and will be incredibly rewarding too.
Get in touch today if you can spare us any time - whether that's fundraising, supporting us, or signing up as a volunteer to help run our holidays.
You can reach out by emailing [email protected]
Thanks so much to the very talented Mark Averill from 'AV IT Media for these lovely photos - he's really brought our Skegness holidays to life. ... See MoreSee Less
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