Strongbones Children's Charitable Trust

24/02/2026

✨It’s time for another competition!✨
🐣 As Easter is fast approaching, we would love for you to make or do some sort of creation inspired by Easter! 🍫
Let’s give you a bit of inspiration…
🫟 Crafty ideas –
- Easter bonnet 👒
- Easter greetings card
- Bunting
- Drawing / painting 🖍️
- Decorate egg cups 🥚
- Make an Easter wreath to hang on your door
🥣 Baking ideas / decorating –
- Easter biscuits 🍪
- Easter bunny cupcakes 🧁
- Easter egg brownies 🍫
- Little chocolate nests with mini eggs 🪺
🕺 Performing –
- Make up a little tune / song 🎶
- Do an Easter Bunny dance 🐇
- Create a little Easter poem
Anything creative we love! So, get your thinking bonnets on, any make something amazing!
🥇 Cadbury Family Easter Chocolate Basket, Large Silicone Easter Egg mould and Extra Large Cadbury Chocolate bar to make your own eggs.
🥈 Easter tree with lights and decorations, Easter colouring tablecloth, Easter crackers, Easter scratch art egg decorations, 6 Easter egg light up spinning tops with music and Easter card making kit.
📸 To enter, simply make your creation, take a photograph or video with / doing it, and post it under this post in the comments. ⬇️
This competition is open to our VIPs (young people with bone conditions aged 3-21) and their super siblings; you could even enter as a family!
Competition entries close on Sunday 15th March, any received after this date will not be considered.
Good luck! 🤞🏻

12/02/2026

❤️💕Our amazing valentines competition 1st prize winner 🥇 Megan, with her red Toniebox 2 and her chosen Tonie figure, Ms Rachel 💕❤️

03/02/2026

✨ Applications are still being accepted for a family respite break in our fully accessible adapted holiday home! ✨
We will be having a panel meeting on Monday to begin the sorting process of the applications.

We are taking applications to stay in one of our beautiful accessible holiday homes at Shorefield Country Park, Lymington, SO41 0LH. Each respite break will run from Monday to Sunday and will include digital passes to access the on-site facilities, including The Beachcomber Restaurant, arcades, evening entertainment and swimming pools, which have an indoor Changing Places, indoor and outdoor pool hoists and swimming aids.

The holiday home can only accommodate one wheelchair user due to space and fire evacuation procedures; it sleeps a maximum of 5 people including your VIP. This consists of the master bedroom with a double bed and a specialised profiling bed and a second bedroom with two single beds.

If you would like to apply to have a family respite break in one of our fabulous holiday homes, simply complete the PDF application form, found on our website, the link at the bottom of this post will take you directly to the ‘Apply for a Grant’ page and return it to strongbonese7@gmail.com
You must also attach a copy of a recent diagnosis letter stating your young person’s bone condition along with the form, any missing information will result in your application being void.

Please note - no smoking or pets.

For the successful families, we will contact you with the next steps.
If you have any issues with the application form, please contact us via email, these will be answered Monday - Thursday, 09:30am - 3:00pm. All correspondence will only be through email.

http://www.strongbones.org.uk/grant/

DUE TO THE HOLIDAY HOME CONSTRUCTION AND WEIGHT CONSTRAINTS, WE CANNOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN / YOUNG PEOPLE THAT USE ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIRS.

22/01/2026

❤️ Don’t forget to get your valentines competition entries into us by this Sunday! ❤️

❤️ Here it is friends… our fabulous Valentine’s competition! ❤️
We want to share as much love as possible this year so would really like our young people and their siblings to make something inspired by Valentine’s Day! 💕
This could be something simple like a drawing, card or a finger painting using the colours red and pink, or it could be something different like baking heart shaped biscuits 🍪, making a craft or even a little song 🎵. Anything goes!
Team Strongbones will be selecting three winners, with the following prizes up for grabs –
🥇1st prize – A red Tonie2 with play button and a game or Tonie figure of your choice
🥈2nd prize – Nanoleaf Matter Neon Rope Lights
🥉3rd prize – a selection of valentines inspired craft kits.
To enter, simply post a photograph of your young person with their creation below. 📸
Competition closes on Sunday 25th January 2026.
Winners will be announced on our page.

21/01/2026

🧗🛶🏹⛵️🔥We are very excited to open our applications for Bendrigg Trust Inclusive Family Residential Visit for 2026! 🔥⛵️🏹🛶🧗

Strongbones will be sending a small group of young people and their families to experience a fully accessible, completely inclusive activity residential break. The residential will be from Saturday 8th August until Wednesday 12th August 2026 at Bendrigg Trust, Bendrigg Lodge, Old Hutton, Kendal. Cumbria, LA8 0NR.

During the visit you will have the opportunity to participate in amazing indoor and outdoor activities, during our past visits we have done –
• Indoor rock climbing
• Caving
• Quarry abseiling
• Canoeing
• Zip wiring
• Bike riding
• Sailing
• Orienteering
• King swing
• Bush crafts
• Archery
• Played on the inclusive park
• Explored the sensory room
• Played games
• Had a campfire and toasted marshmallows
• Danced at the evening disco

If this something your family would love to participate in, please send an application email to mylessketchley@strongbones.org.uk
You must include all the following information, any missing information will result in your application being void.
1. Your young person’s full name
2. Their date of birth
3. How many people would be going and their ages
4. Your address
5. A recent diagnosis letter stating your young person’s bone condition.

Applications for Bendrigg will close on Sunday 1st February 2026.
We will only be contacting the successful families after this date, if you do not hear from us, you have been unsuccessful.

Happy applying!

15/01/2026

🌟Applications for our accessible respite breaks for 2026 are now OPEN🌟

Our accessible holiday homes –
We are taking applications to stay in one of our beautiful accessible holiday homes, at Shorefield Country Park, Milford on Sea, Downton, Lymington, SO41 0LH. Each respite break will run from Monday to Sunday and will include digital passes to access the on-site facilities, including the Robot Restaurant (Beachcomber), arcades, evening entertainment and swimming pools, which have an indoor Changing Places, an indoor and outdoor pool hoists and swimming aids.

The caravan can only accommodate one wheelchair user due to space and fire evacuation procedures; it sleeps a maximum of 5 people including your VIP. This consists of the master bedroom with a double bed and a specialised profiling bed and a second bedroom with two single beds.

If you would like to apply to have a respite break in one of our fabulous caravans, simply complete the PDF application form, found on our website, the link at the bottom of the post will take you directly to the ‘Apply for a Grant’ page, and return it to strongbonese7@gmail.com, you must also attach a copy of a recent diagnosis letter stating your young person’s bone condition along with the form, any missing information will result in your application being void.

Please note – no pets or smoking.

For the successful families, we will email you with more information including available dates, site map, Park Rules and Terms and Conditions.

If you have any issues with the application form, please contact us via email, and these will be answered Monday – Thursday 9.30am – 3pm. All correspondence will only be through email, any questions via messenger will not be answered.

There are quite a few accessible attractions around the caravan -
- Beaulieu Car Museum
- Paultons Theme Park (Home of Peppa Pig) - this has a Changing Places
- Monkey World, Ape Rescue Centre
- Longdown Activity Farm - This has a Changing Places
- Adventure Wonderland, Bournemouth
- Swanage Railway
- Travel across the Studland Ferry
- Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre has an accessible land train
- Oceanarium Bournemouth, Aquarium
- Mudeford Quay
- The Tank Museum, Bovington

https://www.strongbones.org.uk/grant/

Bendrigg –
We are very excited to open our applications for Bendrigg Trust Inclusive Family Residential Visit for 2026!

Strongbones will be sending a small group of young people and their families to experience a fully accessible, completely inclusive activity residential break. The residential will be from Saturday 8th August until Wednesday 12th August 2026 at Bendrigg Trust, Bendrigg Lodge, Old Hutton, Kendal. Cumbria, LA8 0NR.

During the visit you will have the opportunity to participate in amazing indoor and outdoor activities, during our past visits we have done –
• Indoor rock climbing
• Caving
• Quarry abseiling
• Canoeing
• Zip wiring
• Bike riding
• Sailing
• Orienteering
• King swing
• Bush crafts
• Archery
• Played on the inclusive park
• Explored the sensory room
• Played games
• Had a campfire and toasted marshmallows
• Danced at the evening disco

If this something your family would love to participate in, please send an application email to mylessketchley@strongbones.org.uk
You must include all the following information, any missing information will result in your application being void.
1. Your young person's full name
2. Their date of birth
3. How many people would be going and their ages
4. Your address
5. A recent diagnosis letter stating your young person's bone condition.

Applications for Bendrigg will close on Sunday 8th February 2026.
We will only be contacting the successful families after this date, if you do not hear from us, you have been unsuccessful.

Happy applying!

12/01/2026

❤️ Here it is friends… our fabulous Valentine’s competition! ❤️
We want to share as much love as possible this year so would really like our young people and their siblings to make something inspired by Valentine’s Day! 💕
This could be something simple like a drawing, card or a finger painting using the colours red and pink, or it could be something different like baking heart shaped biscuits 🍪, making a craft or even a little song 🎵. Anything goes!
Team Strongbones will be selecting three winners, with the following prizes up for grabs –
🥇1st prize – A red Tonie2 with play button and a game or Tonie figure of your choice
🥈2nd prize – Nanoleaf Matter Neon Rope Lights
🥉3rd prize – a selection of valentines inspired craft kits.
To enter, simply post a photograph of your young person with their creation below. 📸
Competition closes on Sunday 25th January 2026.
Winners will be announced on our page.

06/01/2026

🎊 Happy New Year!!! 🎉
👀 Keep your eyes peeled for a Valentines competition coming very soon!!! 💗
We have some fabulous prizes up for grabs!

18/12/2025

🎅🏼🎄⛄️ We have loved seeing all your fabulous photographs with your Christmas balloons and baking kits, we can’t wait to see even more of your amazing baked creations over Christmas.
We are very proud, being such a small team, to have brought so much joy to lots of families this year, and may it continue next year.
But for now, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
See you in 2026! 🎊

16/12/2025

📣 Christmas Jingle Competition Announcement 📣
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition with your amazing jingles, it was so difficult to pick the winners, but here they are…
🥇 Elisia and family - Claire Biney winning a holiday (date of their choice) in our amazing adapted caravan
🥈 Ava - Liz Chaplin winning a Tonie2 bundle
🥉 Harry - Sarah Jane Mogan Paula Shrimpton winning a games bundle

If the competition winners could please email us on mylessketchley@strongbones.org.uk we will get your fantastic prizes sorted out!

🎅🏼🎄 We wish you all a very merry Christmas! ⛄️⭐️

09/12/2025

🎵🎅🏼🎄 Don’t forget to enter your festive Christmas music, songs and jingles by Sunday to be in with the chance of winning some fabulous prizes!!!! 🎶⛄️🎁

03/12/2025

⭐️ It’s competition time!!! ⭐️
🎅🏼 Strongbones would like you to create a piece of Christmas music or a little jingle to spread the Christmas spirit 🎄
Our Project Development Officer, Myles, has been busy creating his own music on the ODD ball and come up with a little rhyming jingle to demonstrate for you.
🎼 Post your video in the comments to enter!
We have some fabulous prizes for the winners…
🥇1st prize - 1 week stay in our amazing adapted caravan at Shorefield Country Park, this will be any date of your choice (including the school summer holidays) for up to 5 people.
🥈2nd prize - A Tonie 2 with a ToniePlay game and controller
🥉3rd prize - Your choice of games on Amazon, up to the value of £50

Competition is open to all our young people with bone conditions and their siblings! You could even enter as a family!
Closing date is Sunday 14th December 2025, any entries made after this date will not be considered.
Winners will need to provide a recent diagnosis letter, stating the bone condition of their young person, aged 3 to 21.

🎵 Good luck! 🎶