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.
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 £75,000 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.
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Contact Us Today
Some of Our Valued Supporters
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Could you volunteer to help children have a splashing holiday?
This week's it's National Volunteers Week.
We re-opened our centre in Skegness for holidays last week and we're so grateful to the volunteers who stepped forward to help out.
We'd love to hear from any more people who could spare us a week in the summer to help us give many more children from Derbyshire who might not otherwise get a break a fantastic week by the sea.
In particular we'd love to hear from:
☀️Seasoned cooks - children are hungry when they come back from a great morning like this one!
☀️People able to drive a minibus
☀️Experienced leaders who want to give back to a great cause
Can you help? We'd love to hear from you if you can.
Please contact us on [email protected] if you'd like to get involved.
Meanwhile, to all our volunteers who help us in so many ways: fundraising, driving the bus, helping children find their feet in the sea (maybe for the first time) ... THANK YOU. We couldn't do what we do without you. ... See MoreSee Less
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We’re delighted to be able to announce that starting on Tuesday 7th July and completing on 12th July we have The ‘Who Knew?’ walking tour with Stuart Boon and Xavier Andrews.
Following their successful walk last year from Derby to Blackpool, they have developed a new plan whilst working with Simon Evans (DCHC Trustee) to raise further funds for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre (DCHC).
Both Xavier and Stuart are passionate about the charity which has meant so much to Stuart since he was a child.
Their aim with the ‘Who Knew Walk’ is to raise awareness of the numerous Derbyshire towns where the charity engages with disadvantaged children and who are able to enjoy a holiday at our home in Skegness.
The walk will take them from Glossop to Buxton; Buxton to Chesterfield; Chesterfield to Belper; Belper to Derby via Heanor and Kilburn before their final leg from Derby to Swadlincote.
A total of 108 miles; the same distance that the DCHC in Skegness is from Derby.
We hope you’ll be able to support them in their mission to raise £2000. Their JustGiving page is provided below:-
www.justgiving.com/page/stuart-boon ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
A brilliant plan Stuart Boon and Xavier Andrews. Thank you for all you’re doing in support of the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre.
For 135 years, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has helped generations of Derbyshire children create happy memories by the sea.
This June, we’re celebrating that incredible milestone with a very special Afternoon Tea at Repton School — and we’d love you to be part of it.
Whether you’ve supported us for years, attended the centre yourself, volunteered, fundraised or simply believe every child deserves the chance of a happy holiday, this event is for you.
📅 Sunday 28th June
🕑 2pm
🎟️ Tickets £35
Book your place here:
derbyshirechildrensholidaycentre.beaconforms.com/form/e8e531e3
Please do share this post and help us spread the word as we continue our comeback year. 🌊☀️
#DCHC135 #Derbyshire #Community #Fundraising ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🌟 Volunteers' Week 2026 🌟
As Volunteers' Week begins, I want to say a huge thank you to the incredible team who gave up their time last week to make Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre's first holiday since 2024 possible.
Thank you to:
💙 Melanie King
💙 Martin Everard
💙 Emily Hill
💙 Sihan Fu
💙 Katherine Stillwell
💙 Katie Dundas
Because of your kindness, energy, patience and commitment, 17 children were able to enjoy a memorable week by the seaside in Skegness. From supporting activities and encouraging children to try new things, to helping them feel safe, cared for and valued, you made a real difference.
Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Without people willing to give their time, skills and compassion, these life-changing holidays simply could not happen.
If you've ever thought about volunteering with children and helping to create happy memories that last a lifetime, we'd love to hear from you.
We are particularly interested in recruiting volunteers who would enjoy planning, cooking and preparing meals for children during our residential holidays.
To find out more, please email me at [email protected]
Thank you to all volunteers everywhere this Volunteers' Week. You make our communities stronger, kinder and brighter. ☀️🏖️ Janine
#VolunteersWeek #ThankYouVolunteers #DCHC #derbyshirechildrensholidaycentre #skegness #makingmemories #VolunteerWithUs ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre - some wonderful volunteers that helped to make such a massive impact on children’s lives. Thanks to all of them and to all the other volunteers around, that make a difference every day. Here’s to even more joining us to make a difference, you can take a look here:- dchc.org.uk/volunteering/
Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers, fundraisers and supporters of DCHC 👏🏼
📣 Read all about it - we're in the news again! 📣
Thanks so much to a wide range of media outlets who've covered the story of our first charity holiday since 2024 this week.
It's great to see news of our return - in beautiful weather too - hit the headlines.
Thanks to the teams at BBC East Midlands Today and ITV Central for coming out and helping wave off our children for their break in Skegness.
And thanks to Derbyshire Times for covering the story too.
One cameraman even boarded the bus to get some great shots of the children being waved goodbye by their families - that's dedication!
See link to the story in the comments below 🔽
Look out for our posts of the ITV and BBC reports next week - they make gorgeous viewing! ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/your-world/derbyshire-childrens-holiday-centre-charity-re-opens-8643938
Such a wholesome story to read and im so glad you got media coverage too! ☀️
Looks like you have had a fantastic weekend loved spending
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Day 3 and the smiles say it all! ☀️🦖🐠
Today our holiday children became dinosaur explorers, underwater adventurers and beach engineers all in one day! From giant dinosaurs and interactive sea life displays to digging canals, building sandcastles and splashing in the sunshine on Skegness beach — every moment has been packed with laughter, teamwork and fun.
Opportunities like this simply wouldn’t happen without the kindness and support of our community. Seeing confidence grow, friendships form and children free to just be children is exactly why Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre exists. ❤️
After pausing holidays in 2024, it is incredibly special to see our centre full of life, adventure and happy memories once again.
Thank you to everyone helping make this possible.
#DCHC #DerbyshireChildrensHolidayCentre #Skegness #SeasideMemories #MakingMemories #ChildhoodMatters #HolidayHappiness #5DaystoThrive #Charity #ChangingLives ... See MoreSee Less
8 CommentsComment on Facebook
Fabulous photos they all look like they are having so much fun 🥰
Happy to support this great charity 👍
Brings back many happy memories for me .
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