Staff forfeit trip to give terminally ill children a dream holiday

Workers at A-Stat Office Technology in Compton, Wolverhampton, have refused their annual all expenses paid trip to Blackpool but instead asked for the money to be given to the charity Caudwell Children.

Jason Blair, company sales director from Telford, said the £1,200 handed over would go towards the cost of sending 25 families with children with a terminal or life-threatening illness on a holiday of a lifetime to Disney World in Florida.

Mr Blair, whose Telford-based company Eco-Copiers merged with A-Stat in 2011, said: “This is a family business with many staff members who have children of their own.

“The staff had a vote and it was decided to forfeit the trip to Blackpool to give sick children the chance to enjoy a holiday with their family which sadly could be their last.

“Voluntary organisations are sadly being missed out in these difficult times, so we felt we could miss out on a transitory memory so that the parents can have an indelible one.

“We work very closely with schools across the region helping them save money and now it is nice to think children who are less fortunate than most are going to benefit from the money which was earmarked for the staff trip.”

Mr Blair said they had been left so overwhelmed by the work of the Caudwell Children charity they had now decided to give clients the chance to fundraise by opting to donate a percentage of the savings the company had made for them to the holiday fund.

The children who go on the trip are joined by their family, along with a team of paramedics and paediatric doctors who are on-call 24 hours a day during the trip to ensure it can take place.

Rose Neal, volunteer co-ordinator of the Destination Dreams programme said: “After a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, everyday life changes. Families experience physical, social, financial and emotional turmoil with overwhelming pressure and stress.

“Many of the children have already spent many hours in clinical environments with relentless hospital appointments and painful treatment sessions with little opportunity to spend quality time with their parents and siblings as a family.

“Caudwell Children provides these children with the chance to live their dreams, meet all their favourite characters and create memories which can be reflected upon when the child is no longer with them.”

She said the huge cost of the holiday not only included the medical provisions, flights, theme park admissions and special accommodation but also the cost of obtaining travel insurance for a child with a life-expectancy measured in “months not years”.

All funds raised go to the charity as charity founder John Caudwell pays all administration costs himself.

Anybody who would like to find out how they can donate through A-Stat call Mr Blair on (01902) 746077 or email jason@astat.co.uk.