Barnwood Trust, Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance have awarded four organisations two years of funding through our partnership to enhance Short Breaks provision in Gloucester, Tewkesbury, and North Cotswold. 

This initiative follows a "test and learn" approach, aiming to improve access to high-quality, inclusive short breaks for families of disabled children and young people across Gloucestershire, while also informing how services will be commissioned going forward.

After a thorough review process by Barnwood Circle members and other Experts by Lived Experience, four organisations have been awarded funding. We asked each of them what this funding means to them and how they will use it:

Creative Sustainability was awarded £74,782 (North Cotswold)

“We are delighted to be able to bring short breaks to North Cotswold. We'll be working with World Jungle to create marvellous adventures outdoors in nature, from bushcraft to woodland bathing, art and photography to macro and micro exploratories, all from our fabulous mobile activities' bus and in special places around the district. A monthly newsletter will share what's on, including online activities, wild camps and residentials through the year, and World Jungle's Big Top Summer of Fun.” (Anna Bonallack, CEO, Creative Sustainability). 

Move More was awarded £72,610 (Tewkesbury) 

"We are delighted to receive Short Breaks funding from Barnwood Trust and Gloucestershire County Council. This support enables us to offer much-needed short break opportunities for children and young people in Tewkesbury. Guided by the voices of parents and children, our provision will take place on Saturdays and during school holidays, with physical activity at its core, complemented by arts, crafts, and sensory experiences. Our consultation so far has highlighted a strong demand for this provision, and we’re excited to get started!". (Dan Derrick, Chief Executive, Move More).

The Music Works was awarded £71,996 (Gloucester) 

"This is phenomenal news - Mix & Mash has been an extremely popular Short Breaks offer, and we are bursting at the seams from the demand. This funding will allow us to respond directly to the requests from families, providing more Mix & Mash sessions to meet existing needs, and exploring running sessions at weekends, activities for home schooled young people, and tailored support for those with more complex needs - this will make our Mix & Mash offer even more inclusive for those young people who've yet to meet us.I cannot wait to start work on these projects and look forward to hearing all the amazing music that these talented young people will make in the future!". (Lee Holder, Disability Lead, The Music Works).

The Spring Centre was awarded £72,207 (Gloucester)

"We are excited to be partners in Barnwood Trust and Gloucestershire County Council's Short Break Project and we will use the allocated funding to offer additional spaces in our very popular holiday clubs and to launch some brand-new services including a Saturday Club and Sunday Party/Disco nights for children aged 8-25 yr with SEN across Gloucestershire". (Liza Beszteri, Business Manager, The Spring Centre).

In addition to these four new funding awards, Barnwood Trust is pleased to announce an extension of funding until April 2027 for the six original organisations that participated in the Short Breaks Change Programme. These organisations have already demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering high-quality, inclusive services across Gloucestershire and we look forward to continuing to work with them as they build on their learnings and success. 

The organisations continuing to receive funding are:

• ADHD Hub – £75,000  
• Belmont School – £73,130  
• Can't Sit Still – £72,000  
• Creative Sustainability – £74,957  
• Parent Carer Alliance – £75,000  
• The Music Works – £65,366  

Creative Sustainability have been delivering services in Stroud and will continue its successful work there, while also widening its reach to North Cotswolds as part of this new funding. The Music Works will continue to deliver services in rural communities across Gloucestershire and in Gloucester itself, expanding their Mix & Mash offer to make it even more inclusive. 

In addition to these funding awards, Barnwood Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Collaborate CIC as the evaluation partner for the duration of this programme, following a competitive tendering process.

Collaborate CIC brings a wealth of experience in evaluation, commissioning, and public sector reform. Their insights will be key to achieving the partners’ collective vision to redesign the way Short Breaks activities are commissioned across Gloucestershire, ensuring services continue to evolve based on lived experiences and real impact.

Since its launch in 2023, the Short Breaks programme has focused on increasing access to high-quality services, informed by the experiences of disabled children and young people, their families, and local providers. In its first year, the fund supported over 600 disabled children and young people across the county, nearly three-quarters of whom attended Short Breaks activities for the first time.

With this extension of funding and allocation of new funding, these efforts will expand further—particularly in Tewkesbury and North Cotswolds—while offering more inclusive and supportive options for families across Gloucestershire.

Further information

If you would like to find out more about the Short Breaks work please get in touch with:

• Dan Jacques, Social Change Manager at Barnwood Trust: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Hannah Chesters Senior Commissioning Manager at Gloucestershire County Council: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Rob Fountain, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can also find out more on the Short Breaks Funding information page on the Barnwood Trust website.

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