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]
- – Stay tuned: 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.
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 £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.
Contact Us Today
Some of Our Valued Supporters
National Open Garden Scheme | Horsley | August 3rd 2025
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.
Yesterday despite what looked like inclement weather at the start of the day, the garden opened in Horsley at 13.30hrs and the sun came out. 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 especially like to thank:-
Alison Napier - such a lovely garden and surrounds
Dave and Ann Harris - sublime scones and cakes
Lynne - for organising us into regimented precision for on time deliveries to the customers
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 The Duffield Dairy for their generosity in providing us with the cream we needed to make our scones during the day; it made a big difference for us and the customers loved it.
www.theduffielddairy.co.uk/
Was it worth it?
Undoubtedly and categorically yes it was. Although inevitably the footfall was down 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 where, what, how we are progressing.
Amazing!
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 130 years!
Janine Holmes Simon Evans Michelle Breffitt Lee Jepson ... See MoreSee Less
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🌊✨ Grand Day Out to Skegness – Spaces Available! ✨🌊
We still have a few spaces left for our free family day trip to Skegness on Wednesday 6th August – first come, first served!
🚌 What’s included?
✔️ Return coach travel (departing 8am from Shirland, 8:20am from Holmewood, Chesterfield)
✔️ A £5 lunch voucher for each person
✔️ A local map with ideas for seaside fun 🏖️
✔️ A packed tea for the journey home
✔️ Arrival back around 7pm
This is a wonderful chance to enjoy a memorable family day at the seaside – with all the essentials taken care of. If you would like to be considered - please apply!
👉 Apply now to secure your family’s place: forms.office.com/e/p1XBbPagkk
📸 A big thank you to our supporters who make these Grand Days Out possible. Don’t miss out – spaces will go quickly!
#GrandDayOut #DerbyshireFamilies #DCHC #SeasideMagic ... See MoreSee Less
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Hi just wondering if you do pick ups from derby?
We will also be on site to speak to anyone who wants to know more about the work of our charity and how to support us so please come and say hello !People booking tickets have the chance to donate to the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre based at Skegness ... See MoreSee Less
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What a fantastic way to see live music and help to support the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre I’ll be there with a stupendous raffle and lots of great prizes to win. Janine Holmes Michelle Breffitt Lee Jepson
🌊 Three generations of holiday guests from the same family – all with memories of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre! 🌟
Shaun, Jade and young Faith joined us on our Grand Day Out to Skegness today – and each one remembered the Centre in their own special way.
Shaun recalls the days before the house was extended to allow girls to stay too.
Jade remembers when the games room was still a gymnasium!
And Faith? She was with us just last year!
What an incredible legacy — and a powerful reminder of the impact we’ve had over the decades. 💙
Let’s make sure we can keep creating these lifelong memories for generations to come. Support our Comeback Appeal gofund.me/3c634701 or volunteer to help us make holidays happen in 2026.
📧 Email [email protected] to register your interest in volunteering or to find out how to help.
#DCHC #GrandDayOut #Skegness #MakingMemories #ComebackAppeal #FamilyLegacy #VolunteerWithUs #SupportDCHC #derbyshirefamilies ... See MoreSee Less
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thankyou for a great day yesterday. Kids absolutely loved the opportunity to visit the seaside ☺️
There's no doubt whatsoever how important the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre to so many people; yesterday; today and tomorrow. Shaun, Jade and Faith thankyou for allowing us to share your story and for joining us on the bus today in Skegness. The home continues, even after 134 years to crate lasting memories, long may that legacy of fun continue, to 2026 and beyond.
I remember my times at sceggy home I loved it .went summer and winter .never wonted to go home
“She still remembers the amazing friends she made there…” 💛
We received this message from a parent who joined us for our Grand Day Out on Tuesday – and it truly moved us:
“My older daughter first came to the Derbyshire Children’s Centre when she was in Year 6. Now, she’s going into Year 11 this September. When she visited again yesterday, it brought back so many beautiful memories of her time there.
She loved the massive dollhouse and the walks to the beach with the staff and other children. She said she had such a great time and that everyone was incredibly kind. She misses the centre so much and still remembers the amazing friends she made there.
I truly appreciate everything you do for our children. Without your support, it would have been financially impossible for us to access this kind of experience. Thank you again.”
This is why we do what we do. And with your help, we can bring even more children back to the seaside for a break that means the world.
🌊 Find out more or support our Comeback Appeal at www.dchc.org.uk or donate via GoFundMe: gofund.me/7919ac92
#DCHC #GrandDayOut #ComebackAppeal ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Had a fantastic day thanks ⛱️
Thank you so much, Catherine, for your continued support and for helping shine a spotlight on the vital work we do at Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre. 💛
We’re working hard to bring back holidays for children who need them most – and every bit of awareness helps.
To find out more or to support our Comeback Appeal, please visit www.dchc.org.uk or donate via our GoFundMe page: gofund.me/1c22f648
Together, we can make sure no child misses out on the joy of the seaside. 🏖️ #DCHC #ComebackAppeal ... See MoreSee Less
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