Derian House 25th anniversary: New holiday lodge and plans for a cinema

Luis Grant, 22, his mum Jayne and grandma Jeannette, were the first family to stay at the new Derian on Holiday lodge.

The luxury lodge, set in a peaceful location on the Wrea Green holiday park, includes an electric medical bed, hoist, fully-adapted bathroom and a large wheelchair-friendly decking area outside.The park has an accessible swimming pool with hoists, a selection of eateries, night-time entertainment, and a host of other family-friendly fun activities including cycling, boating and mini-golf.

Over the summer, Derian House, based in Chorley, sent a postcard to all of its families, inviting them for a free week’s stay. Within days the lodge was fully-booked for the year.For the Grant family, it was much more than just a week away - it was a rare chance to spend precious time together as a family making happy memories.

Jayne says: “Luis was just so excited. He absolutely loved it. The staff were fantastic with him and you don’t often get a pool that is accessible, so it was just great. Really great. It’s a lot of work to look after Luis because he has complex needs, and it’s quite hard to come across holiday accommodation that’s fully accessible. “We’ve had a really horrible time lately and when I heard we were the first family to stay in the lodge I had tears in my eyes. It has meant so much to us because it’s given us time to be together as a family.” The holiday lodge has been so successful that Derian House is now looking into the feasibility of buying a second plot at Ribby Hall.

David Robinson, chief executive of Derian House, said: “It’s been great to be able to give our families the news that we are sending them on holiday. Seeing their excitement has been wonderful. “Ribby Hall was a perfect choice as it’s not too far to travel. We really hope our families will have a fantastic time creating happy memories at the lodge and that it will give them a well-earned chance to relax away from the stresses and strains of day-to-day life.”

As part of Derian’s Fit for the Future refurbishment project, a new state-of-the-art accessible cinema will be built at the hospice. The cinema room, which will be based in The Lodge, Chancery Road, Chorley, has been donated by Together for Cinema. Founded by Ian Morrish in 2009, the charity aims to donate and install 25 cinema rooms in children’s hospices across the UK by 2020. Derian is number 22 on the list.Starting in January, the scheme will see walls knocked down to create bigger, brighter open plan spaces and better bedrooms. The house will be split into zones for eating, sleeping and relaxing. Corridors will be themed and The Lodge will be given a fresh new look. There will be more places for people to sit, relax and reflect and we’ll have a new modern colour scheme.