Dreams come true for charity holiday families

FAMILIES treated to a trip-of-a-lifetime have thanked the charity which laid it on for them.

Caudwell Children, based in Stoke, took seven North Staffordshire children with life-threatening illnesses and their families to Florida earlier this month.

The three to 16-year-olds were granted a week-long trip as part of the charity's Destination Dreams programme.

They were put-up in a resort specially-designed for children with a high medical dependency and taken out to the Disneyworld, Universal and Seaworld theme parks.

Among the families was two-year-old William Simpson, his parents Chris and Tracey, and brothers Thomas, Robert and Stephen.

William has a rare heart condition called Mitral Valve Stenosis .

Tracey, aged 36, of Chatsworth Place, Meir, said: "William screamed at every one of the characters but he enjoyed the trip. It was absolutely lovely. The children were so happy and the looks on their faces said it all."

As well as the trips out and entertainment everyday at the resort, the families also had the reassurance of medical back-up on standby and the chance to meet others in similar situations.

Tracey, who has had to give up work to look after William, added: "We made friends with a lot of the families and they are like a part of our extended family now. They are friends for life and we can't thank the charity enough for that."

Sandyford youngster Daniel Reeves, enjoyed the trip to Seaworld the most.

The 11-year-old, who endured a serious spinal cord injury in a car accident, was joined by his mum Jill, dad Paul and sister Samantha.

Jill, a 44-year-old customer services administrator, from Sandy Road, said: "It was like a dream come true for Daniel. He hadn't flown since the accident and we didn't think he would be able to but the support we got from the charity was fantastic.

"All the hard work and stress was taken care of and it was lovely for us to go away together.

"The trip was something that we wouldn't have been able to do on our own, it was totally out of our reach.

"We stayed in a place called Give Kids The World and that is exactly what they did.

"Now Daniel wants to know when we can go again."

Other children who went on the trip included eight-year-old Cheddleton youngster Tilly Griffiths, who suffers from muscle-wasting disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and Anna-Marie Evans, from Kidsgrove, who has autism.

It was the second time Caudwell Children had run a Destination Dreams trip and a total of 40 families from around the country went.

Chief executive officer Trudi Beswick said: "Our aim was to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the whole family, taking away the everyday stresses these children and their families go through.

"The children's bravery, positive outlook and fantastic attitude touched the hearts of everyone involved and we hope that the trip was as magical for the families as it was for all the volunteers, medics and staff involved."

Plans are now being put in place for next year's trip.

Anyone who wants to find out more, should contact Caudwell Children on 0845 300 1348.