Family Caravan Holiday Project
A story by Glasgow Children's Holiday Scheme
Glasgow Children’s Holiday Scheme provides holidays to disadvantaged children and families across greater Glasgow. We do this primarily through a week long holiday at 1 of our 6 holiday caravans but also by enabling youth activity breaks and through host family holidays.
What Family Caravan Holiday Project did
The children generally live in areas of deprivation across Greater Glasgow and all are affected by poverty or disadvantage and disabilities with families in receipt of benefits and/or on low incomes. Families are referred to us by a range of statutory and voluntary organisations who know and work with the families. The Holiday Scheme has built effective working relationships with referrers over the years and we aim to target our provision to those who would benefit the most.
The scheme focuses on giving children and their families or carers the holiday they need and would not get without our assistance children in poverty, with disabilities and families suffering from domestic abuse and family breakdowns. A holiday is something many of us take for granted but for many other children it is something they miss out on. Our holidays give children the opportunity to get away from their day to day environment, experience new things and help provide happy memories.
In 2015 we enabled 489 children and young people, 214 families and 356 adults to get a break. This included, 97 children with a disability 42 with multiple care needs, 24 children affected by domestic violence, 30 children on the autism spectrum, 16 children affected by bereavement, 78 single parents, 40 young carers, 40 kinship carers and 88 adults with mental health issues.
Of the 489 children and young people 12 went on holiday with 8 of our hosts families, 48 went to our caravan for an activity based break with their youth group and 429 went with their families to our caravans for a week’s holiday.
The majority of our holidays take place at our 6 caravans, 5 at Wemyss Bay and 1 at River Tilt and are usually for one week. We also enable activity based breaks for youth groups. This provides children and families with the opportunity to get away from every day stresses enabling them to better cope when back home. It offers the chance to do new and different things enabling children to play and be entertained in a safe environment. It helps to provide happy memories and positive family experiences.
"It has been so relaxing and peaceful for us all. Danielle my 4 year old, had so much fun and we found it difficult to get her out of the swimming pool and play park she was loving it. I have never seen us all smile as much as we have it’s been a well needed holiday for us all."
The Holiday Scheme provides an affordable and accessible break as well as providing the opportunity for disabled children and their families to get a break, try new things and build happy memories. We work with referrers to ensure that the main carer has support while on holiday enabling them to get a break.
I will admit I was very nervous at first (we have never been on a holiday before) but after a few hours we had settled right in. Everyone was so friendly and the venue was fantastic. The change in my mental health has really improved dramatically and my son is so relaxed and happy. Thank you thank you thank you.’
What Glasgow Children's Holiday Scheme has learned
Each year the experiences and feedback we receive reinforces the need for what we do and the need for affordable and accessible breaks for all.Better Beaks funding is important recognising the role we can play within the broader short breaks agenda as well as confirming our commitment to being open and accessible to all who may benefit from what we can offer. We continue to encourage and promote applications from a range of statutory and voluntary organisations and work with them to enable our provision to those children and families who would most benefit.