Members of Derby’s business community have come together to back a charity’s campaign giving seaside holidays to children who might not otherwise get a break.
Dean Jackson MBE, founder of sporting apparel company Huub, Kan Koo, owner of COSMO restaurant, Mark Perks, co-owner of finance firm Pay with Click, and Simon Evans, co-founder of tree planting enterprise Co-Treetment, have all got behind the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre’s “Just 1 Child” campaign.
The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre charity has been going since 1891. Every year it gives hundreds of children a five-day stay at its specialist centre in Skegness, where they benefit from a range of activities such as trips to Butlins, a day on the beach, meals out, visits to the swimming pool, and enjoyment of the centre itself with its fully equipped games room, creative area, themed bedrooms, home-cooked meals and chill-out TV room.
Children from across Derbyshire are nominated to go to the centre if they may not otherwise get a break, whether that is due to financial hardship or other reasons, such as caring for relatives.
The charity’s Just 1 Child campaign invites supporters to pay for one child to attend the centre for a week, at a cost of £450.
The first business to back the campaign was Des Gosling Mobility of Melbourne, which makes innovative disability aids for vehicles. Now Huub, COSMO, Pay with Click and Co-Treetment have come on board too.
Kan Koo, director of COSMO Derby, said: “We have supported Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre for many years and have raised thousands of pounds to help them take youngsters on holiday.
“As a family restaurant, we believe every child deserves happy memories and the chance to explore beyond their everyday environment. This partnership allows us to give back to our community and bring a bit of brightness to families who need it most.”
Dean Jackson, owner of Huub, said: “It’s a real pleasure to back the Just 1 Child campaign. Going to Skegness with my family in the 1970s and 80s will forever live with me as the most exciting times. I’m so happy that our support will help deliver some of that East coast magic to these wonderful young people of Derby and Derbyshire.
“The bus which travels weekly to the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre leaves from a central Derby location very close to our offices at Huub – seeing them boarding the minibus from my office window just melts me.
“It’s so important for children to get a great start in life and I’m delighted to play my part by taking part in this campaign.”
Co-Treetment is based in a Leicestershire field and offers businesses and individuals the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions through planting trees. Co-Treetment also runs a special Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre tree planting scheme.
Co-Treetment has been so successful that businesses and other supporters have paid for 4,500 trees so far, of which 750 directly benefit the charity.
This has generated thousands of pounds for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre – which includes support for two children under the Just 1 Child campaign.
Co-founder Simon Evans said: “The project has had a really good take-up. It’s exceeded our expectations. We have some very generous supporters who have been to the centre as young children and they know how hard it is to have a break or a holiday.
“Supporting young people is extremely important to me and I’m delighted that through something so simple but so profound as tree-planting, children are benefiting as well as our environment.”
Mark Perks, co-owner of open banking payment provider Pay with Click, said he was very pleased to support the campaign, with the charity’s offices in Pride Park being just a few doors down from his.
Mark, who has previously donated a giant Easter egg to be sold off for the charity, said: “Giving children a great start in life is so important and I really appreciate the work that the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre does.
“Adults can make their own decisions but children really benefit from being supported at a young age, helping them develop great self-esteem as they move through life. I’m proud to be supporting the Just 1 Child campaign.”
Charity chair Alan Grimadell said: “We’re delighted that generous businesses have supported our Just 1 Child campaign to pay for a child to attend our centre. Running a charity like ours isn’t cheap but the service we provide is extremely valuable.
“Holidays at our centre aren’t just about giving children a break; they help young people develop in other ways such as self-confidence and forming friendships too. Thank you so much to Huub, Co-Treetment, COSMO, Pay with Click and Des Gosling Mobility for all your support. The smiles on the children’s faces as they attend our centre will say it all.”
To support the campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/just1child
