There are lots of families going through tough times who cannot get away together. We want to make the biggest difference we can to as many families as we can. We focus our holiday offers on families who:

• Are on a low income (a household income of less than £24,000)
• Haven’t had a holiday together in the last 4 years 
• Have at least one child under 18 who will go on the holiday

*Income excludes non-means tested benefits

You cannot apply directly to us yourself, you will need someone who works with your family to refer you and to submit the application on your behalf. They must be be supporting you or your family professionally (as their job), and you must have regular contact with them. We call this person a ‘referrer.’ They will be on hand to support you throughout the process and help you to make the most of your holiday.

Your referrer must work for either a registered charity or a statutory provided service. They will usually be someone who works in these types of organisations:

• Registered charities that provide services related to families. 
• Government provided children's and family support departments such as social services and community health teams. 
• Family support NHS services. 
• Ofsted registered schools, nurseries, and children’s centres.
• Registered refuge and domestic abuse support agencies. 

People who work in these organisations who could support you may have these kinds of roles:

• Family support worker 
• Social worker 
• Health visitor 
• Teacher 
• Refuge support worker

Your referrer will need to be the person that registers with us on our 'Be a Referrer' page first. Once registered, they will then receive information on how to make a holiday application for your family.

Once your referrer has successfully registered with us, they will get back in touch with you. They will need to collect consent from you to share your family’s personal information with us and then they will be able to make the holiday application.


Hearing from us
Once we have received your application from your referrer it will be held until we are able to action the application. The application will then be assessed and if successful a holiday offer will be sent to the referrer via email. Applications submitted to us are eligible for a maximum of 12 months. As a charity dependent on voluntary donations, the funding we have available is different each year and is not guaranteed. Our mission is to support as many families as possible with the funding that we have, however if we are unable to offer your family a holiday within this time we will email your referrer to let them know.


Booking the holiday
When it is time to book the holiday your referrer will receive an email from us that will contain instructions on how to book, any restrictions that apply, what can be booked and what is included. You will need to spend time discussing with your referrer where and when you want to go and what type of holiday will be best for you and your family.


Types of holidays available
The travel provider that we work with has a friendly team of travel experts who will be on hand to help you book the holiday and to help make the process as easy and straight forward as possible. The travel provider has access to a wide range of fantastic holidays that include self-catered caravans, lodges, and cottages across the UK.


Getting ready to go
Your referrer will be on hand to help you plan and prepare for the holiday with things like, travel arrangements, what to pack, how to budget and what to do if you need help at any point. Their role will be to support you in making your holiday a positive and exciting experience.


The difference that the holiday has made
The lead name on the application form will be emailed a pre and post-holiday survey which will need to be completed as part of the holiday offer. We will also send your referrer their own post-travel survey that they will need to fill in once they have had a chance to catch up with you after your holiday. 

Understanding the difference that the holiday has made to you as a family is a vital part of our work. We always anonymise the data that is gathered before using it in any way.

We use the data gathered to report to funders on the difference that the holiday has made to families, to help make improvements to our services and to help us secure funding again in the future so that we can help even more families have time away together.

We hope that you do not encounter any problems whilst you are on your holiday, but if you do have any issues, please use the below guidance for who to contact.


In an emergency
If the situation you are facing is of a serious nature or life threatening, please call the emergency services on 999.

If a member of your family needs medical assistance but the condition is not life-threatening, please dial 111 for professional medical advice.


Train travel
If you booked your train travel through Inspire and are having difficulties due to train strikes or train cancellations at any point prior to the holiday or on the day then please contact Inspire directly on 01614 406 610.

After Sales opening hours:
Monday to Friday - 09:00 - 17:00


Checking into your accommodation
If you're having trouble accessing your accommodation and it is during reception opening hours, make your way to the on-site reception for assistance. Outside of these hours, on-site security can often be found at the main gate of the holiday park (if applicable) to help you. Remember to bring a copy of your booking confirmation when seeking assistance.

If you are arriving out of reception opening hours, then please ensure that you have contacted the accommodation provider in advance to let them know and to confirm what the checking in procedure is. For individual cottages and lodges please check the booking confirmation documentation in advance.


Maintenance issues
If you experience any problems with your accommodation, then it is important that it is reported straight away to the site reception so that the maintenance or cleaning team can resolve the issue. If the reception is closed and the matter is urgent then please visit site security at the main gate. The accommodation provider will often provide a welcome pack at check in or within the accommodation that contains useful contact numbers for if you need to report an issue.


Safeguarding
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult whilst on holiday, please contact reception or the site security immediately. If your concern is of a serious nature or life-threatening please call 999.

If your concerns are whilst you are on the journey to and from your holiday destination, such as at a service station or whilst using public transport, then please contact a member of staff at the relevant location to report your concerns. If your concern is of a serious nature or life-threatening please call 999.

Further information about our Safeguarding policy can be found here