Volunteers are appealing for help to save a summer holiday lifeline that’s helped hundreds of Middlesbrough children with special needs over more than 30 years.

Local families rely on The Newman Holiday Trust to give both parents and children a well-deserved break, but the charity is set to pull out of the area because of a funding crisis.

“When I think about the hundreds of children and their families we’ve helped over the years, it fills me with joy, and to think of it coming to an end breaks my heart,” said one of the group’s organisers, Rob Nestor.

“To enable next year’s holiday to go ahead, we need to raise at least £50,000. That’s an awful lot for a small charity with no paid staff and whose volunteers already give up a week of their own holiday to care for others.

“The children love the holidays. They feel safe and happy and are well cared for and we get so many letters and feedback forms filled with appreciation.

“No-one else apart from their parents will quite understand the challenges of bringing up a child with special needs, let alone how difficult it must be for that child.

“The confidence, the memories and the happiness they gain from the holidays cannot be conveyed in this article. Only they will ever know how much The Newman Trust has meant.”

Last year the holiday was held for the first time at Ampleforth College, in North Yorkshire, home to a community of Benedictine monks, as well as one of England’s leading Roman Catholic public schools.

Children who enjoyed this holiday all come from within 40 minutes of Middlesbrough.

Volunteers include teachers, nurses, doctors and physiotherapists and activities undertaken include treasure hunts, days out, archery, canoeing and games.

Established in 1981, The Newman Holiday Trust provides holidays for more than 120 children with disabilities and special needs aged from four-to-16 each year, in various locations around the United Kingdom.

Due to the high level of skilled care they require or financial circumstances, the children selected wouldn’t otherwise receive a holiday. The holidays provide a range of fun activities in a safe and supported environment and use a care ratio of one helper to one child at all times.

The Trust is an entirely voluntary organisation, ensuring that every penny raised goes directly towards a child’s holiday.

If you’d like to help or for more information, visit www.newmantrust.org/donate

For more information, or to arrange photographs of volunteers and children, please contact Michael McGeary on 07967 023083.