Leeds Children’s Charity Providing Holidays In Silverdale For Over 100 Years

Local News

The Leeds Children’s Charity was founded in 1904 and was founded by Mrs Helen Currer Briggs, Miss M E Richardson, and others. Helen Currer Briggs and her husband Ald Arthur Currer Briggs JP were Lady Mayoress and Lord Mayor of Leeds during the year 1903/1904. Arthur died in 1906 followed by Helen in 1936.

Mrs Briggs worked tirelessly to promote the charity, and stated that few people understood about ‘poor people’ as they had not seen ‘the cramped houses, lack of food, and black despair of mothers unable to give their children a chance in life’.

The charity, originally named ‘The Leeds Poor Children’s Holiday Camp Association’ accepted applications from families with incomes of less than £1 per week. Miss Richardson was employed as ‘Enquiry Officer’ to visit the children’s homes and check whether they qualified for a free holiday. A complaint was received from a family whose daughter had been turned down for a holiday because their income was between £1 15s 0d and £1 18s 0d per week.

The Silverdale/Arnside area of the west coast was chosen because it was thought at that time that this was one of the healthiest parts of the country. The camp has had several locations in this area over the years.

At the outbreak of war in 1914, the buildings were offered for use as a hospital, a training centre, or a hostel for Belgian refugees. However, none of these offers were taken up and children continued to enjoy their holidays at the holiday camp. The war did affect the level of donations though, and the charity held campaigns to raise more funds.

In 1919 the camp buildings were destroyed by a fire and this was one of the only two years of the charity’s history when holidays could not take place. Following the fire another site was leased where new, larger buildings were erected comprising dormitories, playroom, dining room, kitchen, and rooms for the staff.

In 1932, the charity acquired the freehold of the current site at Silverdale and the purpose-built property was completed in 1952 to accommodate 60 children. The money for this was donated by many generous companies and individuals of Leeds. The Leeds Amateur Operatic Society donated the proceeds of their show ‘Careless Rapture’ that paid for the creation of an outdoor swimming pool on the site.

When the charity was founded, the children who benefited were aged 7 to 13 years. Before they went to Silverdale, they had to have a bath, a medical examination and were given a uniform of dark blue dresses and red tam-o-shanters for girls, and corduroy trousers, blue jerseys and red caps for boys.

All the children were given a hot dinner and weighed before they went to Silverdale. In 1906, one record shows that Newman Barnet aged 9 years weighed 2st 1½lbs before Silverdale and 3st 1¼lbs on his return two weeks later. It was reported in the charity’s 1908 annual report that “1,515 solid pounds of flesh had been added to the 674 children who went to the camp for a total outlay of £692 11s 3d, ie two pounds weight had been added for every £1 spent”.

Many changes have been made over the years since the charity was founded but its purpose is still the same. The provision of uniforms ceased in the 1970s, as did the medical examinations and weighing.

Today, Silverdale hosts a group of 16 boys and girls each week. The children arrive each Monday and return home the following Friday. Due to increased demand over the years, the centre is now open for 28 weeks a year. The children travel by train from Leeds and Northern Rail has generously sponsored some of the rail tickets for children and their escorts which is a great help to the charity.

The Holiday Centre at Silverdale looks very similar on the outside as it did in 1952, but the institutional feel inside that it possessed in the early days has gone. All the rooms are now bright, cheerful, and welcoming.

A new outdoor playground was recently installed including a 20m Zip Wire at the edge of the woods, and a cycle path winds through the woods. The swimming pool has been covered and is now heated. The holiday centre has lots of resources to entertain the children and dedicated staff to care for them. Bikes, go-carts, scooters, and sports equipment are on offer for outdoor activities, and there are games, toys, books, dressing up clothes, and more for indoor play when it is not too good outside. Baking is always very popular with the children enjoying the results later for tea.

The charity also works closely with Leeds University Union and student activity groups to offer special activity weekends for groups of children to enjoy before they move on to high school.

A young carer who enjoyed his stay at Silverdale was heard to say that “it was the most awesome thing that he had ever done”.

The charity is now 110 years old and still providing the unique service that commenced in 1904. Demand for its service is as strong now as it ever was and it is always oversubscribed.

Funding is always an issue and the trustees and supporters of the charity are continually working to ensure that sufficient funds are available to provide holidays for children of Leeds.

Lots of local businesses support the charity in many ways such as collections of clothes, toiletries, Easter Eggs, Christmas gifts, as well as organising fundraising activities. The charity would like to get as many people as possible involved to help continue its service to children of Leeds for many more years to come. If you feel you could help, please visit the website below and get in touch.

www.leedschildrenscharity.org.uk

Yorkshire Reporter would like to thank Verlie McCann the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Leeds Children’s Charity for providing the editorial for this feature.

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