Family Holiday Association
Encyclopedia
The Family Holiday Association is a United Kingdom
charity that promotes access to breaks away from home for families who miss out on even the simplest of holidays due to poverty. The charity aims to work in three areas - access, understanding and awareness.
It helps provide direct access to a break to approximately 1,600 families each year from all over the UK,these families are referred by welfare agents having been identified as being in need of the benefits a holiday can provide. This direct work with families is monitored and evaluated to help establish the benefits that accrue to family members in terms of well-being and mental health. This is part of a programme of research that aims to build a robust case to promote the understanding and adoption of social tourism as a means of improving social welfare in the UK.
The charity has helped found the Social Tourism Consortium together with organisations such as the Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)
, The Family Fund
and UNISON
Welfare. The consortium is responsible for a series of seminars that have been held in both London
and Edinburgh
. The charity is also a member of BITS the Brussels-based International Bureau of Social Tourism.
The charity was founded by Patrick and Joan Laurance, who learned the value of holidays when they were bringing up their young family. They fell upon hard times, and were plagued by ill-health. A friend lent them a flat by the seaside which enabled them to take a short holiday which, otherwise, they would not have been able to afford. The effect that holiday had on the whole family was profound. The couple vowed that when they were back on their feet they would set up a charity that would give holidays to disadvantaged families. Patrick's contribution was recognised with an early day motion being signed by 43 MPs
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
following his sudden death in 2008.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charity that promotes access to breaks away from home for families who miss out on even the simplest of holidays due to poverty. The charity aims to work in three areas - access, understanding and awareness.
It helps provide direct access to a break to approximately 1,600 families each year from all over the UK,these families are referred by welfare agents having been identified as being in need of the benefits a holiday can provide. This direct work with families is monitored and evaluated to help establish the benefits that accrue to family members in terms of well-being and mental health. This is part of a programme of research that aims to build a robust case to promote the understanding and adoption of social tourism as a means of improving social welfare in the UK.
The charity has helped found the Social Tourism Consortium together with organisations such as the Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)
Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)
The Youth Hostels Association is a charitable organisation, registered with the Charity Commission, providing youth hostel accommodation in England and Wales...
, The Family Fund
Family Fund
Family Fund is a UK based registered charity for disabled children and their families. The Chief Executive of this charity is Derek Walpole.Formed in 1973 by the UK Government to give practical help to families with severely disabled and seriously ill children under the age of 16...
and UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
Welfare. The consortium is responsible for a series of seminars that have been held in both London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The charity is also a member of BITS the Brussels-based International Bureau of Social Tourism.
The charity was founded by Patrick and Joan Laurance, who learned the value of holidays when they were bringing up their young family. They fell upon hard times, and were plagued by ill-health. A friend lent them a flat by the seaside which enabled them to take a short holiday which, otherwise, they would not have been able to afford. The effect that holiday had on the whole family was profound. The couple vowed that when they were back on their feet they would set up a charity that would give holidays to disadvantaged families. Patrick's contribution was recognised with an early day motion being signed by 43 MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
following his sudden death in 2008.