Mums and staff at a primary school in Stockbrook have paid tribute to the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, saying it gives their youngsters the chance to get a break they otherwise would not.
Firs Primary School in Stockbrook has sent many children to the “Skeggy home” over the years, saying youngsters’ faces light up when they’re told they have a place on the bus.
The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is a 132-year-old charity that funds five-day stays in Skegness for children whose family life means they would not get a break any other way. The first busload of youngsters are due to set off for their week by the sea in March.
Children are chosen to go if it is felt they would benefit from a break and their families may otherwise not be able to fund a holiday. Many children come from homes where there is plenty of love but tough financial times have bitten hard.
Mums at Firs Primary School, where 60 per cent of children are on free school meals, said particularly with the rise in cost of living, a holiday was out of their reach and they were grateful to the charity for providing their young ones with a week’s break by the sea.
Mum of six Nikki White said three of her children had enjoyed a holiday at the centre: Tyler, now 13, CJ, eight, and Jessica, six.
She said: “I’m gutted because I couldn’t take them myself, but I’m happy that they get to go and have that experience, and also that separation from me, which gets them used to being away from me.
“Tyler absolutely loved it, just being able to make new friends and get a bit of his own independence. He went once at Christmas and came back with a sackful of presents, and he’s still got the coat he got. The coat he wears for school is the coat he got from Skeggy home.
“When they come back they’re not being naughty – all they want to talk about is what they’ve done.”
One Firs mum, Shannon McCrudden, went to the centre herself as a child and remembers going on the funfair. Her two children, Lexi and Layton, have both been.
“It gives the kids a break,” she said. “It gives them that chance to be away from me – they’d never been away from me before.”
Firs School learning mentor Linda Talbot, who has been in charge of sending children to the holiday centre for the past ten years, said: “Mums here have admitted they can’t afford a holiday, especially if they’ve got a big family. It’s lovely to see the children’s faces light up when they find out they’re going.”
Firs Primary School head teacher Paula Martin said that in their school where many families live on very low incomes, the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre was the only charity they supported in terms of fundraising – as thanks to the charity for giving so many of its pupils a week’s holiday.
She said: “There’s a lot of poverty here. Lots of children haven’t seen the sea before. These mums never put themselves first – their children always come first.”
One mum at the school, Mckenzie, who has had six children at the holiday centre over the years, said: “I would rather my children had a nice Christmas than a week’s holiday. You start your Christmas shopping in January and you can’t afford a holiday as well.”
Over the years the school has raised money for the holiday centre through jumble sales and other low-cost activities, with a matching scheme from Railcare meaning they were able to hand over £2,200 last November.
So what do the children make of their stay at Skeggy home? Many of them said their top memory was the daily hot chocolate before bed! We asked them what their favourite bits of their week were:
Lexie, 10: “I like how we went to different places. We went to Fantasy Island and Butlins.”
Jessica, six (pictured with mum Nikki and brother CJ): “The slides at the park!”
Lexi, nine: “I like how you could sleep because the beds were comfortable. And we went to the swimming pool.”
Layton, eight: “The games room! And the TV room.”
Lillie, six: “The hot chocolate!”
Thomas, seven: “The games room.”
The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre would always appreciate donations to help keep its vital work alive. With a million people living in Derbyshire, the charity’s plea is for people to be ‘One in a Million’, donating £4 a month by texting DCHCMILLION to 70085.
