About us
The Trust was initially established to fulfill the vision of nine-year-old Sebastian Gates who, shortly before his death in December 2003, launched a campaign to create a place where sick children could spend time with their families, away from hospitals and worries about the future.
Having battled with cancer for two-and-a-half years, Sebastian understood how his illness had made family time rare and he wanted to give others the chance to escape with loved ones for respite in a purpose-built facility.
Every year, more than 1,500 children and adolescents in the UK are diagnosed with some form of cancer, let alone the many other conditions and syndromes that can affect life expectancy. The demands of that diagnosis have a huge impact on the entire family, not just the patient. It leads to a dramatic loss in family time together, emotional stress and fatigue affecting all members of the family and possible financial loss, as parents have to juggle work commitments with caring for a sick child.
Our aim is to try to alleviate such pressures on families at a time when they may be at their lowest ebb; exhausted physically, emotionally and financially.
Since 2004 we have worked tirelessly to raise sufficient funds to make Sebastian’s wish a reality. A site in the pretty Hampshire village of North Waltham was generously gifted to the Trust by local landowner Patrick Sweeney and planning permission was granted in September 2008, although not legally finalised until March 2009.
Building work began in July 2010 and was completed in May 2011, with the official opening and the first families arriving for holidays in July 2011.
We have created a purpose-built holiday home that will be available to families, free of charge, from the point of diagnosis onwards, offering a sense of space and privacy rarely experienced during long periods in hospital. The house will allow families to enjoy time together in self-catering accommodation with a range of communal leisure facilities on site including: an indoor pool and spa, games room, home cinema, music room, library and multi-sensory room.
A tremendous amount of professional expertise, support and goodwill has helped us to get this far. For details of the story behind building the dream home please click here.
