Ever since Host Unusual was founded in 2016, we’ve proudly supported the Family Holiday Charity (FHC) with an annual donation.
Holidays are a vital part of life for so many reasons. They help us de-stress, make memories, and reconnect with people we love… as well as potentially trying something new and fun! That’s why the FHC helps families get away all together, to a place they choose for themselves, often for the very first time.
As a new year emerges on the horizon – bringing with it new opportunities to book fabulous holidays – we sat down with Mags Rivett, the FHC’s Director of Income and Engagement, to explain more about the charity and the many families it helps.
Host Unusual: Can you tell us how the FHC got started?
Mags: Of course! We’ve got a really lovely origin story that tells a tale of kindness and generosity of spirit to each other, that we still really need today.
Our founders, Patrick and Joan, were having a very tough time and were advised that a holiday would do them the world of good – of course it would, but they had no means to afford one. At the time, they were living in Joan’s mum’s back room as a family of four, which included a very sick child.
A friend-of-a-friend heard of their situation, and offered them a week in a seaside flat. That wonderful week at the seaside was how the FHC came into being. Joan was determined to help other families get the holiday they so needed, too, and 50 years on we’re still doing just that.
Our charity helps people take a much-needed break from the difficulties in their lives, which also offers a confidence boost and a feeling of hope for the future.
How do you pick the families you support?
That’s a good question, because with around one in 12 children not having access to a holiday or day out (research from Action for Children), there are lots of families who don’t get to go away.
The families we work with all face difficult situations that they need help with. They are referred to us by professionals who already support them, such as a health or social care professional, school support worker, or even another charity that offers specialist help and services.
Often, these families face more than one challenging situation, so for them, taking a holiday just doesn’t feel possible. For example, young people who care for a parent or family member are potentially missing school, while others aren’t able to generate a family income. Some are escaping domestic abuse, with the need to re-build their lives in a completely different area.
We do consider some other criteria, such as a low income of under £24,000 per year, which is below the full-time National Minimum Wage.
Because of these situations, around 70% of families we work with have never had a holiday, while for the rest it’s been for years or more. When we say “holiday”, we mean days out as well as extended time away from home together.
I wish we could support all the families who need us, but as a charity, we’re dependent on donations and funding to be able to support the families we do help.
Why have so many families never had a day trip or holiday?
That’s a really interesting question, and one I’m glad you asked! On the face of it, we’d probably all say “money”, right? This is true for most families, as many of us find that we sometimes have to forgo a holiday in order to fix the house or save for something big.
But for some families, it’s about more than just money. When you’re coping with challenges like illness, bereavement, caring responsibilities, and additional needs, not taking a holiday can also be about confidence. Things like not knowing how to book, where to go, what to do, or even how to get there, because things like taking a train are not part of your usual life experience or feel too difficult to consider.
If you have a child with additional needs, a huge factor may be fear of judgement from others, such as: what if someone judges me because my child behaves differently or has a meltdown?
Tell us about some of the family experiences – what kinds of holidays do you offer?
Oh, this is so joyful, because our families get to choose where they go and what they do! We do offer plenty of support, though, because as I’ve mentioned it can stressful if you’ve never been away before. Finding somewhere suitable can be a challenge before you even begin.
But most families pick a seaside caravan because it’s a good first option – sometimes in a caravan park with entertainment, sometimes not. However, there is always a beach, a pier, and all those fantastic experiences that mean they get their toes in the water and sand in their sandwiches. Skegness has been really popular for years and years, it’s a great example of a classic seaside town!
Some families prefer a countryside option for some peace and quiet. One chose a city break in York, because their little boy was obsessed with Romans and Vikings when he did his school projects, so they stayed in a hotel in the middle of town.
What’s key for us is individual choice. Then we offer some support with travel costs (a huge barrier for many, and we have a lot of families who need to rely on public transport) and a voucher contribution towards food, which gives the family some flexibility with their budget.
How can we all get involved with supporting the FHC?
Host Unusual as an organisation have supported us for several years, and we’d dearly love your guests and hosts to be involved too!
We welcome donations that will support families to get away – we usually have a waiting list of around 700 families that we can’t support through lack of funding – so we would genuinely appreciate any amount that can be spared, large or small.
This year, we at Host Unusual are donating to the FHC instead of sending Christmas cards. If you’d like to do the same, or you’d simply like to make a personal donation, here’s a link to do just that:
