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 are 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
A wonderful evening celebrating generosity and community spirit!
A huge thank you to Erewash Rotary for their generous £1,000 donation to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, helping us give more local children the chance to enjoy a seaside holiday and make happy memories.
It was inspiring to hear about the fantastic charities and dedicated volunteers making a difference in our communities. An incredible £18,000 was donated in total last night — a wonderful example of the great work Rotary does!
A special thank you to Paul Burrows for putting DCHC forward. We’re so grateful for your support.
Thank you to everyone at Erewash Rotary for a lovely evening and for helping so many good causes. 👏
#DCHC #ErewashRotary #ThankYou #CommunitySupport ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🙏 Wow - what a night! 🙏
We're delighted to reveal the grand total for the recent charity black tie dinner held by the The High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Dr Syed Iftikhar at Occasions in Derby.
We can now tell you the evening actually raised a grand total of £14,920!
That's an incredible 39 children's holidays funded for 2027.
It's time for a whole raft of thank yous from us.
Our heartfelt thanks to those who donated auction or raffle prizes:
Chatsworth House, David Nieper Limited, Vaillant UK, Fischer's at Baslow Hall, Morley Hayes.
To the team at Occasions lead by Saleem and Sadiya - thank you.
To Pak Foods for sponsoring the welcome drinks.
Colin Beresford of Covert Bids for the silent auction.
And all those who hosted tables and invited guests.
Lastly - a very special thanks to the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Dr Syed Iftikhar and his wife, Huma, for their support.
You will all be making a lot of children very happy.
THANK YOU. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🍽️ A great night out that helps children get away!
Join us at COSMO Derby for The Evening Feast – A Celebration of Community, hosted by the Mayor of Derby in support of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.
Bring your friends, family or colleagues and enjoy an evening together while helping children facing challenging circumstances experience the joy of a seaside holiday.
📅 Thursday 19 November 2026
📍 COSMO Derby, DE1 2PA
🕡 Arrival 6:30pm | Starts 6:45pm | Finishes 9pm
🎟️ £25 per person, including an unlimited buffet and bottomless soft drinks
🎁 Raffle prizes to be won!
Every ticket helps support our work, giving children opportunities to build confidence, make friends and create happy memories.
A huge thank you to the Mayor of Derby, Jonathan, and the team at COSMO for their generous support.
Book your places today and make an evening of it!
👉 www.tickettailor.com/events/derbyshirechildrensholidaycentre/2386955
#DCHC #Derby #Community #CharityEvent ... See MoreSee Less
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🍁 Who wants cheering up on this wet Autumn day? 🍁
On days like these, it's important for us all to remember the good times we had over the summer.
And for hundreds of children across Derbyshire, that's exactly what we give them each year.
Just a great week at our centre in Skegness.
We'll leave you with this lovely comment from a staff member in one of the Derbyshire schools we support.
"It was lovely to hear about his trip to the beach and how much he had enjoyed it - he said that it was a trip of a lifetime!" ... See MoreSee Less
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🌟 A Huge Thank You! 🌟
We’re so grateful to everyone involved in the Charity Night held on Thursday October 15th at Chaddesden Park Social Club where several charities were recognised.
Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre were delighted to have received an incredible £1,000 donation for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre in Skegness!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed, donated, performed, and supported the evening — and who worked so hard to make it a success.
From all of us at DCHC — thank you for making a difference, we are incredibly fortunate to have you as a supporter! ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Very well done
Well done to all x
🌟 What a night — £11,020 raised, enough to fund holidays for 29 children! 🌟
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Occasions on Friday evening for the High Sheriff’s Charity Black Tie Dinner in support of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.
Our heartfelt thanks to the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Syed Iftikar, and Huma for their wonderful support, to Pak Foods for sponsoring the welcome drinks, and to Occasions for a delicious Indian banquet.
Thank you to all our generous auction and raffle prize donors, and a special shout-out to Colin Bereaford of Covert Bids for supporting the silent auction.
The highlight? Some VERY competitive bidding for a six-course meal, home-cooked by Huma and hosted by her and Ifti in their conservatory! Congratulations to Peter Ellse, the eventual winner — enjoy every course!
It was lovely to celebrate the successful return of holidays at our Skegness centre this year and share what’s coming next:
🏖️ Holidays for more than 250 children in 2027.
🚌 More Grand Days Out for children and families.
🏫 A new £10,000 matched funding pot to help schools in areas of high deprivation provide trips and residentials.
There were far too many wonderful supporters in the room to name everyone!
To everyone who came along, bought tickets, bid or donated prizes — you helped make this happen.
That £11,020 means 29 children can enjoy four nights of seaside adventures, friendship and fun. Children who may be caring for someone at home, coping with family difficulties or missing out because money is tight. A chance to feel supported, discover what they can do and simply enjoy being children.
Come along to our next events and help give that opportunity to even more children:
🎶 A Celebration of the Seekers — Friday 13th November
Get your tickets derbyshirechildrensholidaycentre.beaconforms.com/form/e1dd0a08
🍽️ Thursday 19 November — Mayor of Derby’s fundraising meal at Cosmo Derby
Get your tickets www.tickettailor.com/events/derbyshirechildrensholidaycentre/2386955
We’d love to see you there! ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Looks like it was a fabulous night. Well done to everyone involved.
Wonderful ! Well done x