[L]ake District self-catering agency Heart of the Lakes has announced it is working in partnership with the fundraising organisation ‘A Bit of a Break’ to provide an invaluable resource to people and their families who are suffering with terminal illnesses.
A Bit of a Break (ABOAB) is a not-for-profit organisation, run solely by volunteers, which was set up in 2016 and is administered by the charity Carers’ Resource. Its main aim is to grow its portfolio of gifted, unfilled time in self-catering properties, to offer families dealing with terminal illness a chance to spend time with their loved ones.
After a successful trial period of working with a handful of properties and working with Mr and Mrs Conlin from Ormskirk – the owners of a property on the edge of Lake Windermere – to take ABOAB to its next phase of development, it was time to approach an agency with the experience and variety of self-catering holidays.
Marie Holland Business Development Manager at Heart of the Lakes says; “We are extremely proud to be supporting such a vital organisation as A Bit of a Break and through the Heart of the Lakes agency, we can hopefully make a difference to people’s lives even in such tragic circumstances.”
Heart of the Lakes was an obvious choice for many reasons including not only operating in the idyllic Lake District National Park, but its hugely successful and long-established track record of community involvement and social responsibility. In just 3 months of official partnering with Heart of the Lakes, thirteen more property owners have come on board and gifted their holiday homes to many families who deserve an opportunity to spend quality time away from their daily routines.
Emily Sturgeon from A Bit of a Break says; “We are absolutely thrilled with the recent news of our successful partnership with the holiday property agency in the Lake District, ‘Heart of the Lakes’. Thanks to our friends Bob and Elaine Conlin, who have gifted their own property on the edge of Lake Windermere to several A Bit of a Break guests, this wonderful link has been created. Thirteen more Heart of the Lakes property owners have generously offered to gift some time in their holiday homes to families struggling with terminal illness.”
The first family who stayed at Rydal Suite have asked to remain anonymous, however, one family member says; “The property was absolutely beautiful, and it was very much appreciated. We went with our daughter and her partner and spent a lovely week together. I hadn’t had a day or even an hour to myself in 15 months so I really appreciated the break away from home. We can’t get over how much you have all done for us. The break away was absolutely lovely.”