Holiday makers past and present given seaside breaks by the much-loved Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre charity helped mark a remarkable milestone anniversary at Derby Cathedral.
Seagulls and deck chairs formed part of the joyful cathedral service marking 135 years of the charity which provides seaside breaks at its Skegness centre for children from around the county who might not otherwise get a holiday.
Founded in 1891 and affectionately known as “Skeggy home”, the charity gives holidays to children who are nominated to go by their school if it is felt they would benefit from a break. They may come from families facing financial challenges or be experiencing other tough times in their lives including bereavement or caring for relatives.
The cathedral was packed with civic dignitaries from across the county along with previous guests of the centre – some in their 80s – who rubbed shoulders with children who attended just weeks ago.
After being welcomed by Mike Copestake, chair of the charity’s trustees, the congregation enjoyed a whistlestop tour covering 135 years of memories of seaside fun with performances from a range of local groups and schools including Firs Primary, Derby Theatre’s CANVAS group and St Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy Dance Group, along with a staged question and answer chat with former guests Michelle Breffitt and Nicole Pirie.
They even got to ‘meet’ the charity’s original founder, Harry Bates Sykes, who first took children from Derby’s West End to Skegness and was brought to life by the talents of performer Dylan Bull.
Guests included the new mayor of Derby, Cllr Jonathan Smale, the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Liz Fothergill, Derby MPs Baggy Shanker and Catherine Atkinson, the newly appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Syed Iftikhar, former high sheriffs Sir Richard Fitzherbert and Ian Morgan, The Mayor of the High Peak, Cllr Barbara Hastings-Astourian, Derbyshire Dales Civic Chair Cllr Joanne Linthwaite, charity patrons Sir Henry Every and Willie Tucker, along with Rachel Morris DL and Peter Ellse DL.
Cllr Jonathan-Smale, newly appointed Mayor of the City of Derby, said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to be invited here today to Derby Cathedral to what has been a fantastic service to celebrate 135 years of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre in Skegness.
“The work that has been done for the last 135 years has been nothing short of impeccable. I’m really looking forward to the next 135!
“I must give a special shout out to all the children, all the schools, all the charities that have been involved in today’s ceremony. It has been fantastic and it’s a great way of bringing people together to remember the 135 years at the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.”
Derby schoolgirl Grace, ten, who attended the centre this year for a week’s break and came along to the service, said the best bits of her Skegness stay were “going swimming” and “going on the beach”.
She said: “It was really fun going, to make new friends and to have more experiences of going on the beaches and on the rides, and to do it with people I don’t normally see.”
Rob Willis, 84, from Derby, was another guest at the birthday service.
The brother of Terry Willis, who also attended the centre as a child and has raised huge amounts of money over the years for the charity, Rob remembered going on two holidays at the centre as a child, along with another of his brothers.
He said: “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It was brilliant. I had two glorious visits to the home and I loved it. I just have good memories.”
Janine Holmes, CEO of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, said: “We are delighted that so many people were able to join us as we celebrated an incredible 135 years of our charity.
“I’m so grateful to our principal event partners Vaillant, Cosy Foundation and L.E.A.D. IT Services along with Derby Theatre, CANVAS and Derby Cathedral – without whose support we wouldn’t have been able to provide this wonderful event.
“I’d like to thank everyone who made the service possible and who helped us properly mark the occasion by coming along. We are so proud that we are still providing holidays after all this time and we will continue to put smiles on the faces of Derbyshire children for many more years to come.”
This story was written and shared on behalf of The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre by Lucy Stephens. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
