Children with Cancer UK to open new rural retreat for families affected by childhood cancer

Children with Cancer UK, the leading childhood cancer charity, is set to open a new holiday retreat in North Yorkshire for families affected by the cruel disease.

24 February 2025

Raines Retreat will be the UK’s first holiday let designed solely for children affected by cancer and their families. It will open on the site of the former Rains Farm in Allerston, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, and will offer the chance for families to escape the day-to-day stresses of childhood cancer, make new memories and connect with others who have experienced the pain of a cancer diagnosis.

Delivered by James Carson Construction Group, the redeveloped retreat has been designed to be sensitive to the character of the local area and will preserve the current farm’s architecture and original features.

Set to complete in spring 2025, it will include four standalone holiday cottages, one being fully wheelchair friendly and the redevelopment of an existing farmhouse building into two holiday lets, allowing capacity for up to 27 people at a time.

The retreat will also include a new reflection garden, which will offer families a safe space to relax and connect with nature.

Created by North Yorkshire garden designer Thomas Clarke, in collaboration with Ros Coutts-Harwood, the garden is set to be unveiled at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May before being returned to the retreat in time for its opening this summer. It follows Thomas’ success at the Flower Show last year where his ‘Raines Repurposed’ balcony garden, sponsored by Children with Cancer UK won a Silver Gilt medal and the People’s Choice Award for Best Balcony/Container Garden.

The retreat will be open to all families affected by childhood cancer. This will include families whose children are currently undergoing treatment, have survived childhood cancer and bereaved families.

Families can enjoy the holiday retreat for just a few days or a few weeks, with a future phase being explored which would allow families to take part in group wellbeing activities and workshops in a purpose-built space on the site.

Amar Naher, CEO of Children with Cancer UK, said:

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, life changes overnight, and the experience can be very isolating. Families desperately need spaces that allow them to recharge both physically and emotionally, and that gives them an opportunity to connect with others with similar experiences. Until now there hasn’t been a facility in the UK that is dedicated to families affected by childhood cancer, and the unique challenges that come with this diagnosis.

Raines Retreat will change that. It will offer families a chance to escape their day to day worries, meet others who are on the cancer journey and make precious new memories. We can’t wait to welcome our first families to the retreat this summer.

About Children with Cancer UK:

Children with Cancer UK is the leading children’s cancer charity in the UK. Our vision is a world where every child and young person survives their cancer diagnosis. Our mission is to improve survival rates and the quality of survival in young patients, and to find ways to prevent cancer in the future. We are dedicated to raising and investing funds into vital research that helps us understand childhood cancers and improves treatments. We support families as they navigate treatment and life beyond cancer. What began as a small memorial charity in 1988, has evolved into a leading childhood cancer charity raising more than £300 million and investing in over 300 pioneering research projects.