We just wanted to say thank you to Brighton and Hove Mencap for the £1,000 you gave us in 2022.
We used the funding to help subsidise the trips we had planned over the summer holidays. 44 families were able to take part in at least one of these trips, the most popular being the boats trips from Brighton Marina where 25 families (88 people) came along!
Here is some of the lovely feedback we received:
“We are so grateful for the activities that we were able to take part in because of Pebbles this summer. We struggle to get out with our son, who has complex needs, and his siblings, partly due to his needs and partly because I have had to give up work to care for him over the last couple of years and as a family of 5 it makes outings too expensive. One thing that can’t be understated is how nice it is to do an activity with other special needs families. It makes the whole experience so much more fun when you are with other families who can understand your child’s behaviours and you don’t have to worry about looks or comments. I think it also helped my son to feel more relaxed and he had a wonderful time. And if he’s having a wonderful time, so do the rest of us! Thanks for all Pebbles are doing for families like mine. It makes a world of difference.” Gemma
“We so appreciate the days out we are able to do through Pebbles, they’re often the only family trips out we get as we don’t have much spare cash and can’t afford to ‘risk’ it not going well if we spend money on things. These subsidised trips mean we can access places we just wouldn’t be able to normally go to, and it also takes the stress and pressure off in case it doesn’t go quite as well as we’d hoped. The trips we’ve done with Pebbles have been our most memorable family times during holidays for the last few years, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who fundraises and donates as these trips mean such a lot to our family. The boat trip… the most fun our kids had the whole holidays I think! Honestly, for Daisy, I’ve not seen her that happy and excited in such a long time, it was very special to see, and the boys had a great time too!” Jen

Thank you so much for the wonderful grant that you gave to the children for some days out. We are very grateful. Best wishes Marie-Clare, J, B and R xxxxx

Julie and I wanted to write to you and say a HUGE THANK YOU for your generosity and care. The £200 you sent to us means we are able to travel up to Manchester in September to take Julie to our other sister’s house, where she will be cared for whilst I have a longed for break at my daughter’s home with my daughter and my grandchildren. Not only will it be a holidary for her – she also loves to spend time with our other sister.

It would have been a real struggle to arrange this without you help and we truly appreciate it. I have also given out the forms you sent to me to a group of carers at my local community centre and if you need any other help or raising of awareness from me, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you again for your wonderful kindness. Hope you have a lovely summer.

A very grateful phone call from Patricia.A, whose children Katie & Nicholas received grants. She has said the grant has made all the difference and wanted to say thank you to Brighton & Hove Mencap.

Brighton & Hove Mencap,

Thank you so much for our cheque it really helped and made a big difference. We used the money to help pay off our short break holiday to Butlins as we were finding it hard to get the rest of the money together and doing this has also helped us start getting ready to enjoy the build up to our holiday. I know if my son Wyatt understood a little more how much this money has helped he would be very grateful.

Thank you again for all your help.