20 July 2023 , 17:26
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As more and more families are feeling the pinch amid the cost-of-living crisis, the Mirror is once again aiming to put a summer smile on their faces.
We have teamed up with the Family Holiday Charity to raise money for a much-needed vacation for hundreds of children.
In previous years, our cash-raising drive has provided a welcome break for scores of desperate parents and stir-crazy kids - and here we speak to two families who have previously benefited from the scheme...
'Dion was a Covid baby - this holiday was the first time we properly did something together'
Until last year, Sabina Gollo had never been able to take her son on holiday.
But last Spring, thanks to the Family Holiday Charity, they spent a week on the Sussex coast - and it was “life changing”.
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Having just come out of a difficult relationship, Sabina, 37, from Brixton, London, was just getting to grips with being a single mother when she realised Dion was struggling with learning to talk and adjusting to changes in routine like other children.
She said: “While I was fighting with these demons and trying to start having a new life of my own and facing the difficulties about motherhood and things, we started to find out about Dion having some problems.
“He had a pre-assessment when he was two and they found out there were a lot of signs that were leading us towards Autism.”
After an agonising year and a half on the waiting list, the diagnosis was finally confirmed. It was while coming to terms with this diagnosis that Sabina found out about the Family Holiday Charity on a parenting website and asked her case worker to apply on her behalf.
Dion look out of train window as he heads to his first holiday (DAILY MIRROR)Given the green light, out of the options she was provided, Sabina chose to take her son, who is now three, to Butlin’s in Bognor Regis.
She said: “It was really exciting as for the first time I was planning for something that was good. It was our first holiday together, the first time we properly did something together.
“Dion was a Covid baby, so as you can imagine the first year was just me and him in the house.”
Although nervous about taking her young son away from home on holiday for the first time, Sabina said it was all made easier as the charity organised everything for them, including the train tickets and providing money for food during their stay.
“It seems stupid but when you have a lot of things in your brain and those little pieces are already sorted out for you, everything is just so amazing and enjoyable.”
Sabrina was worried about how Dion would adjust to being in new surroundings with new people but she says the place was extremely accommodating and Dion was able to “improve”.
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She explained: “A difficulty for Dion was taking his shoes off and on or taking his jacket off. When we were there he would see all the other kids doing that and slowly, slowly he learned to because he was taking it in a good way like he was going to have fun.”
Dion had also suffered from a huge phobia of water which made everyday activities like bath and shower time hard for the family. But having the opportunity to play in the water and see other kids do the same was able to help Dion overcome this fear.
Coastal break helped Dion's progress (DAILY MIRROR)
Mirror is backing campaign“Splash, splash! It’s just water,” Dion interjected.
Sabina said: “He even learned to say that - he has a speech delay but he left being able to say that!
“My son was happy, he learnt things, and has improved - he started talking much more just through that experience and started saying a lot of things he was not saying before!”
The holiday also helped Dion to cope better with routines in everyday life such as coming home from school which he used to find stressful.
Sabina continued: “It was not only a holiday, not only to enjoy the water, the pool, but the holiday really improved and changed the quality of our lives.
“It has made a lot of things easier for me and gave Dion the chance to see things from a new point of view, in a fun way. So he has begun to enjoy things.”
Sabina hopes other families are able to benefit from the Family Holiday Charity too and stressed how thankful she was for the experience and the people who organised it for her.
“It really changes peoples lives, not everybody goes to work in the morning and what they do is going to properly change or have a really big impact on people’s lives”
“I finally even got the chance to enjoy myself too, finally feeling happy as a mum because until that day, though I was happy to be a mum, I didn’t even get the chance to enjoy motherhood because there were always problems to resolve or something else was coming up and in the meantime I am fighting with my own demons.”
'The kids loved it. They were smiling all the time'
Zoe Taylor, 38, had never been able to afford a holiday for her family before she was put in contact with the Family Holiday Charity.
The single mum-of-six, lives in Manchester with her children, Brooklyn, 18, Amy, 17, Logan, 16, Caden, 13, Tyler, 11 and Masie-May, six.
She suffers from a condition called fibromyalgia which causes pain all over the body and swelling, often making it hard for her to do every day activities.
She said: “My fibromyalgia really does impact me. I have good days and bad days but mainly the bad days. I am constantly in pain, I swell in my feet.”
Masie-May Taylor slurps a cold drink during family holiday (DAILY MIRROR)
Zoe with three of her children on the trip (DAILY MIRROR)Along with struggling with her own disability, two of Zoe’s children are also disabled. Logan has Autism and Tyler has ADHD. Her eldest child, Brooklyn, 18, is often responsible for helping his mum to look after the other children and complete everyday chores when she is in pain from her condition.
“I don’t get much sleep so Brooklyn has to help me out with a lot of things. I’m a single parent with all the children, it can be a rough time.”
Zoe learned through her council that the Family Holiday Charity would be able to provide the chance for her and all of the kids to take a break together in Cornwall - something that due to money and health, they had never been able to do before.
“I told the kids about it - they’d never been on holiday before. They were so excited. We did a six hour drive, there was a lot of stopping because of my feet, I was the driver, but it was amazing. Absolutely amazing from the day we got there until the end.”
Zoe said the break allowed for her to relax too as everything was taken care of for once, including accommodation with plenty of space for all the kids and food.
“It was just great. I had no worries over my shoulders because everything was there for me, supplied for me and the children.
“The kids loved the park, they just ran free. They loved it. Smiles all the time. In the day we did swimming, about twice a day at least and we went on the go karts and dirt bikes and things like that,” she said.
The caravan holiday in the south west also gave part-time carer, Brooklyn, the opportunity to take time out and just have fun with his siblings.
He said: “We went swimming, we did loads of different stuff and it was good for all of us with Logan and meltdowns and stuff.
“The thing I probably liked most about it was the beach… The sand was smooth, the water was nice, just a nice vibe. It was amazing, those happy memories that will always be with you, won’t it.”
Zoe stressed how thankful she was for the short break and the people who organised it, encouraging other families in need to sign up too.
“It is amazing what [Family Holiday Charity] do. They work so hard for families - not only getting them the holiday but it’s bringing the family closer together and it did bring us together. If other families have got the opportunity to do what we did, take it. They’re gonna enjoy it and enjoy every minute of it.”