“It is with sincere gratitude that I write this letter of thanks on behalf of a group of children from St Anne’s. The Trust’s generosity enabled them to experience a residential visit to Bockleton, a visit which had been ruled out by their families as being beyond their means. No-one will ever know the long term gains of this adventure on each individual but I truly believe the challenges they faced and the fun they had will have produced memories to last a life time.

All the children have spoken of the excitement they felt, the wonderful house which they called home for a few days, and the nourishing food served at regular intervals.”

The aim of the short break was that the visit would be exciting for the children who had never seen the Lake District or any of upland Britain, and give them a chance to explore new surroundings and experience new things. It was also to provide a much-needed break for the mother.

A friend who accompanied the family said: “Despite the wet weather they had a fantastic and highly memorable holiday…badger watching…fishing…insect-spotting…scrambling up mountains…having a bonfire and toasting marshmallows. The week gave the mother a fun break from the daily routine and for the children it involved discovering a new environment, meeting new people and having new experiences and challenges.”

“The majority of our children live in an area designated by the Government as being of ‘extreme deprivation’, with half the children in Y6 entitled to free school meals. The day out provided experience of high wire, archery, wall climbing and team building exercises.

We expect the children to acquire team building skills that will help them progress to High School, learning that other children do not have the same strengths as themselves and that by helping each other obstacles can be overcome.”