holidaycottages.co.uk

Supported by:

holidaycottages.co.uk are delighted to be able to support a fantastic charity, ‘Something To Look Forward To’, which was set up by a couple from Cambridge, in 2015, following a terminal breast cancer diagnosis.

The charity supports people affected by cancer and cancer poverty by providing gifts and experiences donated by individuals and companies.

We are looking for people who would be willing to donate a break in their holiday cottage during out of season periods, when your cottage would often be un-booked.

We were able to have precious family time, our children have missed out on ‘normal family life’ as I have been fighting cancer for a long time. Being so far away from home forced us to just stop and enjoy, all we were obliged to do was be together. It meant the world to watch my family laugh and relax together and act like children, rather than having ‘to be brave.

How will it all work?

Gift donations of holiday cottages are one of our ‘Main’ gifts and they are allocated to the most needy of our service users and we are extremely grateful for these donations.

These are balloted gifts and are not allocated on a first come first served basis to ensure we reach a couple or family who will benefit the most from the experience.

To donate a stay in your cottage, please fill out the form below. We can then discuss your donation in detail and answer any questions you may have if they are not covered in our FAQ’s.

Once the stay has been agreed and accepted, you’ll simply need to block the dates out in your booking calendars as an owner booking.

Once this has been done, we will promote your cottage on our website and through our social media channels.

We would also be delighted to acknowledge your generosity publicly, unless you would prefer to remain anonymous.

You can donate as many or as few nights as you wish. If you only have availability for one night that’s great. If you are able to offer your cottage for a weekend or a week, then even better!

We don’t expect you to donate during your peak periods and are more than happy to accept low season, mid-week or other quieter availability. Every donated break makes a real difference.

The simplest way to donate is to decide which dates you’d like to offer and block them out in your booking calendar as an owner booking before submitting your donation. This ensures the dates remain available for a beneficiary and can’t be booked by another guest.

Once you’ve submitted your donation, we’ll promote those specific dates to the people we support and manage the application and booking process on your behalf.

The beneficiary is responsible for paying any cleaning fee and refundable deposit that you choose to request. These charges are clearly communicated to applicants before they submit their application and if they are allocated the break, are paid directly to you by bank transfer.

Some owners choose to waive these charges entirely, while others request a cleaning fee and/or refundable deposit to help cover their costs. The amount requested is entirely at your discretion.

Please note that ‘Something To Look Forward To’ and Travel Chapter are not involved in collecting or processing these payments. All payments are made directly between the beneficiary and the owner.

Gift donations of holiday cottages are one of our ‘Main’ gifts and they are allocated to the most needy of our service users.

As part of the decision process in allocating your holiday cottage we consider the following factors:

  • Prioritising people with a secondary or terminal diagnosis.
  • The recipient is a new service user or has not previously received a ‘Main’ gift form the charity.
  • Is the family suitable to fill the property?
  • How much the couple or family have been financially impacted by their cancer diagnosis.

Get in touch

If you are interested in donating a stay in your holiday home to a family affected by cancer then please fill out the simple form and we will contact you to discuss in more detail.


  • CRITERIA REGARDING 'COMMERCIALLY LET' PROPERTY GIFTS

    Currently our charity only accepts gifts of properties which are already 'commercially let'.

    Please see below some important points required to meet the charity's conditions for donating a gift of a stay in your 'commercially let' accommodation.
    • The property is fully insured to comply with legal hire requirements: - Buildings - Contents - Public Liability
    • If your property is in Scotland, you must have a Short Term Holiday Let License
    • You agree to donate time in your property without charge (however you may choose to charge a cleaning/laundry fee and/or deposit which is payable by the beneficiary)
    • You agree to contact the applicant with property address via e-mail and liaise accordingly through the booking process (the charity will assist with correspondence)
    • The beneficiary will be responsible for any damage to the property as per the deposit details
    • You agree that there is no restriction to you making the donation of the property
    • The property is fit for purpose of being a holiday let
    • You agree to respect the privacy of the applicant whilst on holiday

  • By submitting this form, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with our privacy policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.