The caravan of love keeps on giving

Published on: 20th August 2018

It’s our greatest ongoing charitable project – and we’re delighted to announce that we’ll have given 100 of Teesside’s most disadvantaged families a well-deserved break by the end of 2018.
Our two caravans at Reighton Sands, near Filey, allow us to provide short breaks to some of Teesside’s least privileged families.
One struggling family with children aged 11, 7, 4 and 3 recently wrote to us after what was their first-ever holiday together to say: “Thank you to everyone who made our holiday possible – it was our first family holiday.
“We made loads of memories that will last a lifetime. With trips to the beach and outdoor swimming, we really didn’t want to come home, so a massive thank you for making it so special.”
For reasons of sensitivity, it’s difficult to report on specifics but we can tell you that:

  • 39 of Teesside’s most disadvantaged families enjoyed short breaks at our first caravan during 2017.
  • Since our fantastic friends at the Finlay Cooper Fund joined forces with other local companies and individuals to enable us to purchase and run a second caravan, we’ve now got 100 families who have either visited or have been booked in for a visit during 2018.

Families are selected via the Foundation working closely with local schools, councils, social services, day nurseries and charities such as Barnardos, Grandparents Plus, Recovery Connections, Hartlepool Carers and Sandringham Autism Unit.
Our thanks, once again, for those who directly donated towards our second caravan along with Finlay Cooper Fund at our 2017 Ball.
Let’s all put our hands together once again for our generous supporters Mandale Group, Devereux Transport, Erimus Insurance Brokers, AV Dawson, PX Group, Active Chartered Financial Planners, CJ Leonard & Sons, IWS Gaffney, Durata UK, Boro Walkers Association, Ian and Adrienne Stark, Graham and Kerry Sizer, Andy and Lizzie Preston.
There are naturally ongoing costs around running two caravans so the ongoing support we receive towards this valuable project really is much-needed and making a real difference.