A Bit of a Break is growing a portfolio of gifted, unfilled weeks in self-catering cottages, to offer families living with terminal illness a chance to spend time with their loved ones in beautiful places.
We then match the needs of our referred guests with a suitable property, at a time convenient for them.
Although we ask property owners to gift the week in their holiday property, we pay them for their overhead costs to cover cleaning, laundry and heating costs.
Guests
These are people who need a break, to get some space, without the worry and risk of committing to booking a holiday when life isn’t so straightforward.
Guests must be referred to us by a health or social care professional.
Referral Partners
We work directly with Health and Social Care Professionals to ensure that we understand the needs of our guests and can match them with a suitable property. Our current referral routes are:
HODU, Airedale Hospital
The Haematology and Oncology Daycare Unit (HODU) at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust offers day case chemotherapy to patients.
Bingley Medical Practice
In 2021 Bingley Medical Practice became our first primary care provider to become a referral partners with the aim of reaching patients sooner after diagnosis.
The Carers Resource, Skipton
Carers’ Resource is a Yorkshire Charity that supports unpaid carers. They provide information, advice and support to carers, to the people they care for and to professionals who work with them.
Marie Curie, Bradford Hospice
The hospice offers specialist care for people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses and support for families. The hospice has a 16 bed in-patient unit and also provides day services.
Sue Ryder – Manorlands Hospice, Bradford
Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, near Keighley, provides expert palliative care, advice and support for people across Airedale, Wharfedale, Craven and North and West Bradford, who are living with life-limiting conditions.
Woodlands Hospice, Liverpool
Woodlands Hospice is an independent registered charity set up as a direct response to the needs of local people living with cancer. The experiences of General Practitioners, Macmillan nurses and hospital staff identified the need for a facility for the care and support of those with life-threatening illnesses in North Liverpool.
Macmillan Cancer Support (North Mersey) with Liverpool University Hospitals
Following a two-year trial in the Knowsley area of Liverpool, this post has been expanded to the North Mersey region. It aims to offer better support for patients who have been newly diagnosed with a serious condition.
Willowbrook Hospice, Liverpool
Willowbrook Hospice is an independent UK charity formed in 1993 to establish and create a local, specialist palliative care unit for the community of Knowsley, Merseyside. To date, they have provided care, compassion, comfort, love, laughter and warmth to over 10,000 residents and now receive over a thousand referrals each year.
If you are a Health or Social Care Professional from one of the above organisations who would like to refer someone please download the form here:
If you are interested in becoming one of our referral partners, please contact kim@abitofabreak.com for more information.
Property Partners
So far we have over 25 properties available to us in The Lake District, Northumberland, the Yorkshire Coast and around the Yorkshire Dales. However we are always on the lookout for more!
Properties are usually offered for one week a year, often off-season but where there is an unfilled week at peak times, we might use them at very short notice – just 2 or 3 week’s off. If you have a holiday property and could spare us a week, please get in touch with paula@abitofabreak.com for more information about how it all works.
But we couldn’t do it all without the generosity of organisations who have completely bought in to the concept of A Bit of a Break and helped us in many different ways. If you think you could be a supporter, please contact paula@abitofabreak.com for more information.
Established in 1998, Coquet Cottages is a family-run holiday letting agency with over 140 unique privately owned luxury holiday properties in Northumberland, all located in the very best locations to maximise the experience of beautiful Northumberland.
Coast and countryside, their cottages are centrally placed for exploring the whole of Northumberland, including the Heritage Coast, the Cheviot Hills and Coquet Valley, the Borders and the National Park, as well as Newcastle and Gateshead, Durham and in fact, the whole of the North East of England, or ‘Northumbria’ as it is more correctly known.
Five properties have been offered to A Bit of a Break for the benefit of our referred guests. Thank you Coquet Cottages for helping to make this possible!
This Lake District based holiday lettings agency has a collection of 300 cottages to offer in the most sought-after parts of the National Park. The agency has championed A Bit of a Break since 2018 and six of its properties are now generously offered for our guests’ enjoyment.
Some properties are in village centres, others are more remote. Some are dog-friendly, others have ground floor bedrooms which is sometimes important for our guests. Check out our guests’ testimonials to see what these breaks really mean.
Thank you, Heart of the Lakes; you are fabulous!
Based in Skipton, North Yorkshire The Principle Trust Children’s Charity aims to help improve the quality of life of children from across Yorkshire who are underprivileged, disadvantaged, and disabled through the provision of free holidays at its caravans and lodges in the Lake District. A few weeks are made available to eligible families who have been referred to us here at A Bit of a Break! Thank you Principle Trust!
Testimonials
Research Evidence
Click on the image to read about the research evidence for the benefits of holidays for those living with a terminal illness
