Weekend FAQs

There are 2 venues for our Family Support weekends:

North (Hollowford Centre)

Hollowford Centre is set on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Castleton, Derbyshire, in the heart of the Peak District National Park. The centre is owned by the Lindley Educational Trust.

Venue address: Hollowford Centre, Castleton, Hope Valley, S33 8WB (do not use post code on Sat Nav see note below)

Venue telephone:  01433 620377

Venue website:  https://www.lindleyeducationaltrust.org for more information about the location and local amenities

PLEASE NOTE: Google Maps shows the correct route if you type in Hollowford Centre, however if you type in the postcode, it will not take you to the correct address !

Once in Castleton, Hollowford is signposted from the 90 degree bend adjacent to the post office in the town. The corner to turn down is Millbridge, where the roads, How Lane and Back Street meet.

Look out for the large yellow CCAA sign and/or the yellow CCAA flag at the entrance to the centre.

South (Hooke Court)

Hooke Court is located just 11 miles from the Jurassic Coast in the small village of Hooke in rural West Dorset

Venue address: Hooke Court, Hooke, Nr Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3NX

Venue telephone: 01308 862260

Venue website: www.hookecourt.co.uk for more information about the location and local amenities,

Look out for the large yellow CCAA sign and/or the yellow CCAA flag at the entrance to the centre.

In addition to the bedrooms, both venues have a number of communal areas including a games area with table tennis, a pool table and a football table. There is a lounge area which will be used as our meeting point throughout the weekend and in the evening for entertainment and a bar/tuck shop.

Outside space is plentiful with beautiful scenery to enjoy.

Yes, both venues have ample parking.

Hollowford Centre: There is plenty of parking available onsite. If, when you arrive, you struggle to park in the main car park there will be additional parking just before the entrance to the Hollowford Centre.

Hooke Court has 2 charging points for vehicles.

Yes both venues have wifi throughout the main building.

Yes. CCAA staff are on-site at ALL times over the weekend.

Overnight, a First Aid qualified Duty Person (venue staff) will be available.

Hollowford Centre: There is a train station 5 minutes’ drive from the venue in the local town of Hope. Taxis are also available at the station or alternatively, we can arrange for a member of the team to pick you up. Please get in touch before the weekend to arrange this.

We ask that families try to arrive at the venue between 5-6pm. Please do not arrive before 5pm, as due to Health & Safety reasons, we are unable to give you access to the building or your rooms, and we will be setting up for the weekend before this time.

We appreciate that people may have jobs and school pick-ups to consider on the Friday, so if you are going to be later than 6pm please let us know. There will be food available until 7pm. If you let us know your estimated time of arrival, it enables us to make sure that you have all the information you need when you arrive.

Upon your arrival, please make sure that you register and collect your name badges. There will be a CCAA table clearly visible at the entrance to the centre, with a CCAA team member there to welcome you.

For each weekend the schedule will vary depending on how many groups we have, the age of the children and the Health Professionals attending the weekend.

We have provided an example schedule below to give you an idea of what to expect at the weekend.

FRIDAY

• Arrive for 6pm (if possible)
• Dinner 6-7pm (a hot meal will be available within this hour) from 7pm onwards a bar and tuck shop will be open
• Welcome talk from Venue staff and CCAA Chair
• It’s time to mingle – we don’t hold formal ice breakers, instead we’ve found that families prefer to mingle at their own pace, as the weekend is about meeting people and learning more from the experience of others. This is the one place you will all know what each other are going through.

SATURDAY

• Breakfast
• After a hearty breakfast the kids collect in their groups and go off to activities, parents grab a cup of tea/coffee and start the sessions with the Health Professionals.
• There are breaks throughout the day and parents will meet up with their children for lunch together (where you will no doubt be bombarded with all the exciting stories from their morning activities!)
• In the afternoon, the activities and sessions continue.
• After dinner, an opportunity to chat with other parents and relax over a drink or two.

SUNDAY

• After another hearty breakfast (you will need it!), the activities and sessions continue.
• Group photo
• After lunch it’s time to say our goodbyes and pack up to go home. Time to swap numbers, and addresses for those all important pen pal letters!

For the activities and parents session, yes parents and children will be separated. We do this for good reason, as we find that the children make friends quicker and their confidence builds doing the activities without parents being present.

Whilst the children are doing the activities, parents will be in sessions with Health Professionals that will present information to you about JIA Management, including subjects such as Psychology, Management of JIA, Education, Podiatry, Physio & OT etc.  The programme of sessions depends on which Health Professionals we have attending.

We understand that parents and children may be nervous about being separated, however having run these weekends for over 30 years we have found that this format is the most successful. It is of course only natural to be worried, but by Saturday lunch time we can guarantee that your children will have already started making some great friendships and will be buzzing from the activities they will have done in the morning!

If you have any concerns at all please do get in touch.

The children are placed into groups of 8 – 12 (depending on venue), which is organised by their age. This is so that they make friends with children their own age and can (if they want to) talk about their own experiences and feel less alone in the JIA journey than they might do in everyday life.

You will be told which group your child is in before your arrival, and your child will have an opportunity to meet the other children and CCAA group leaders on Friday evening.

Each children’s group will be allocated a venue qualified instructor plus a CCAA group leader, for the duration of the weekend. To give consistency and comfort to the children and help them build friendships the children in each group will also remain the same for the weekend.

We kindly request that children/ young people do not bring their mobile phones or electronic equipment to the activities. This is an opportunity for them to have a break from social media and screens, to enjoy the activities and have fun with their group.

Health Professionals form an essential part of our weekend. Without them we just wouldn’t be able to run the weekend for families like yourself.

They give their time voluntarily to the charity and to provide you with essential information to help you find out more about JIA.

It is important to remember that the Health Professionals who attend the weekend are there to educate and give general advice.

Although they will be around to talk to, we are sure you can appreciate they are unable to give specific treatment advice about your child’s JIA.

Details of the health professionals and the titles of their sessions will be circulated via your email address provided at time of booking, before you attend the weekend.

This is very much specific to the weekend that we organise. We always try to have a Consultant and Clinical Nurse Specialist present at the weekend to help give advice on the management of JIA.

Each weekend differs. In the past we have had Occupational Therapists, Physio’s, Psychologists, Podiatrist, Dietitians, Teachers, Play Therapists and Optometrists attend the weekend.

Due to a strict timetable and so much to cover it is unlikely that we will have all these Health Professionals attend the weekend at one time.

Please ensure your mobile is switched off or on silent during the parent sessions.

Photography and/or filming for personal use
Please be mindful when taking photos at our events

• If you post photos or videos taken at our event to your private social media account, only viewable by friends or family, this is likely to fall within the definition of personal use. This means data protection law does not apply. However it may be appropriate to gain permission from children, parents/carers before sharing photographs and videos that include them.
• However, if you post photos or videos to a public account, viewable by an indefinite number of people, this is likely to go beyond personal use. In this instance, you will need to be aware of your obligations under data protection law.
• You are not necessarily prevented from posting images on a public account. However, you will need to consider whether individuals in the photos or videos would reasonably expect the images to be used in this way. Data protection law states that you must take extra care when using children’s personal data, to ensure their interests are protected.
• We recommending that people check the privacy settings of their social media account to understand who else will be able to view any images they share
• If images of you or your child have been posted online, you can request that they are removed. We recommend that you first contact the account owner to ask them to remove the images.
• the account owner should agree to a request to take down images of another individual uploaded to their personal account.

Yes, each family will be allocated their own room, the rooms are a combination of single and bunk beds.

All accommodation is similar to that of a hostel set up.

Hollowford Centre– Each room has its own en-suite facilities.

Hooke Court– There are bathrooms and toilet facilities to share. There will be a significant ratio of rooms to showers at this venue.

Hooke Court: Bed sheet/pillow and duvet is provided for all adults. Children will need to bring their own duvet or sleeping bag as only the pillow and bed sheet is provided.

Hollowford: All bed linen is provided.

Only one pillow is provided, so you may wish to bring additional ones if you require more than one pillow.

Yes, please bring towels for the whole family and your own toiletries. There is no shower gel/soap provided in the bathrooms.

Both venues make every effort to ensure that their facilities are fully accessible for disabled users.

North (Hollowford) Primarily being a single storey site means the majority of the accommodation is accessible by everyone. They have specialist bathrooms in 3 accommodation blocks.

If anyone in your family requires wheelchair access please let us know as we can ensure you are allocated an accessible room with a wet room for bathroom facilities.

The instructional staff are able to offer a wide range of activities to suit users of all abilities. They have specialist equipment for use with people with disabilities, that includes; specialist buoyancy aids for water activities, harnesses for climbing and abseiling and a specialist go-anywhere chair made with race car technology!

No one misses out at the CCAA weekend – it really is for the whole family!

Please bring clothes for the whole family, that are suitable for outside activities.

These clothes are very likely to get dirty and possibly wet (so it is advisable not to bring your best clothes for the activities).

Long sleeve tops MUST be worn for the High Ropes and Archery. It helps if children bring spare clothes and a towel with them to the activity so that they can change straight after if needs be.

Don’t forget your waterproofs (ideally tops and bottoms). The venues do have spare waterproofs in case anyone forgets.

There is a drying room available for use, but we would strongly recommend you bring plenty of spare clothes!

Please bring shoes for the whole family, that are suitable for outside activities.

Shoes will almost certainly get wet and dirty during activities, so it is advisable to bring a spare or old pair of trainers/wellies/walking shoes.

Please ensure that ALL footwear worn for the activities are closed toe. E.g. no flip flops, sandals etc.

Yes, all your meals are catered for from Friday evening to Sunday Lunch time. Each meal will include a main meal and dessert and water/juice.

The menu is varied and will include suitable options for any dietary requirement that was provided upon booking onto the weekend.

On Friday evening if you are arriving after 6.30 , we would suggest that you grab something to eat on the way !

No unfortunately we are unable to provide baby food, so please cater for your young one by bringing enough food and snacks for the duration of the weekend.

There is a fridge available for use to store baby food in.

If you have any additional dietary requirements please state this on the booking form when booking your place.

If you would like to confirm that we have your dietary needs listed after your booking please contact us.

Hollowford Centre – Children need to be 6 and over to participate in the activities run by Hollowford Centre.

Hooke Court – Children need to be 5 and over to take part in the activities run by Hooke Court

Yes! We have children from the ages of a few months to 17 years old that come to the weekend.

The Penguin Club is for children who are too young to take part in centre-run activities.

The Penguin Club is located onsite at all times.

At Hooke Court we utilise Wren Nursery to care for the children while parents are in their sessions.

At Hollowford CCAA volunteers run the Penguin Club.

We ensure that the child/adult ratio is adhered to ensure your child has excellent care and attention.

The Penguin Club team will take the children on woodland walks, read stories, play with the club toys, paint, draw, model with play doh, sing, dance and play games with them.

They will have so much fun!

It’s no problem!

Before the weekend you will be sent a form which asks for all the details regarding, nap times, feeding times, allergies, routines, habits, what they like to play with etc.

If your child still naps in the day, please be sure to provide the Penguin Club with a buggy so they can take them for a walk.

During the weekend you are responsible for your child’s medication. Please DO NOT FORGET to bring them, as we will not have any medication on-site.

Yes, there is a communal fridge for everyone to use. Please make sure you clearly label any medication, food or drink carefully with your name.

There will be full First Aid cover and the Hollowford Centre/Hooke Court will publicise their Emergency contact number.

Each of our CCAA group leaders will be equipped with a small essential first aid kit whilst they are doing activities.

The CCAA Family Support Weekend is free to attend.

Your accommodation and meals are paid for, for the duration of the weekend.

However you may want to bring some cash with you for the tuck shop and bar which will be open Friday and Saturday evening.

Your accommodation, food, soft drinks and activities will be provided for the duration of the weekend.

For the under 4’s the penguin club care is provided also.

Snacks and drinks for the children’s break time will also be provided as is tea and coffee for the parents breaks.

Any dietary requirements are taken into consideration for the children’s snacks.

Yes, we will have CCAA promotional merchandise for sale at the weekend.

We will have the following items for sale to purchase over the weekend:

– Kids and adults yellow and black t-shirts
– Kids and adult size wristbands
– Cotton shopping bags
– Pin Badges
– Stickers
– Pens
– Water Bottles

100% of the proceeds from anything we sell goes straight back to funding the weekend and helping to support families with JIA.

We know that sometimes things don’t go to plan or something happens which may prevent you from attending the weekend. If this is the case, we ask you to please let us know, as soon as you become aware.

Every year our weekend is oversubscribed and we hold a reserve list of families who are prepared to attend at short notice; if for any reason you are not able to attend the weekend, please could you let the charity know ASAP.

The earlier we know the sooner we can invite another family to attend and benefit from the experience.

About a month before the date of the weekend, we need to let the venue know the final numbers. After this point, we are committed to a specific cost, whether those families turn up or not, which is why we ask families to let us know as soon as they become aware that they cannot attend, as it gives us an opportunity to invite another family.

We do understand that on the day something can happen to prevent families from attending, we would still appreciate being informed, so that we are aware and can amend the children’s groups as well as inform the centre for Health and Safety reasons.

Each weekend cost the charity between £14k and £17k depending on final numbers and the venue, we therefore wish for as many families as possible to benefit and enjoy the experience.