Short Breaks in Gloucestershire
We're working in partnership with the Barnwood Trust and Gloucestershire County Council to enhance inclusive short breaks for local families of disabled children and young people.
The initiative will run until April 2027, and will see the partners working together to co-fund short breaks in Gloucester, the North Cotswolds and Tewkesbury. It also provides a tremendous opportunity to explore innovative ways of offering short breaks, building on the insights gained from children, young people, their families, and local providers.
Background Information
Our partnership is part of Gloucestershire County Council’s plans to provide families across the county with more choice of inclusive and engaging short breaks for disabled children and young people. It will complement the council’s existing county-wide offer and boost support for families.
Barnwood Trust will also extend to April 2027, its funding for six projects which have been delivering inclusive short breaks across the county since 2023. This is through the Short Breaks Fund, as part of the Trust’s Short Breaks change programme. Barnwood Trust will invest a further £1.2 million in time-limited grant funding for the county-wide projects.
Gloucestershire County Council will use the outcomes of the learning from this partnership to inform the re-procurement in 2026 of short breaks services across the county.
Useful Links
Questions and answers about this partnership are available on the Barnwood Trust website. You can also access the Short Breaks Fund information page on the Barnwood Trust website. We will publish updates about this project on this webpage and on our news pages. Current updates include:
- Next step secured to enhance inclusive short breaks for families of disabled children and young people in Gloucestershire (February 2025)
- Short Breaks Project Funding Announced (April 2025)
If you would like to find out more about the Short Breaks work please get in touch with:
- Dan Jacques, Social Change Manager at Barnwood Trust:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Hannah Chesters Senior Commissioning Manager at Gloucestershire County Council:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Rob Fountain, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance:
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Our members work together to make lasting, positive change within local communities. Membership is free for VCSE and statutory organisations delivering services in Gloucestershire. By joining us, local organisations become part of a wider community and are able to access a range of enhanced benefits above and beyond our usual fully-funded support. You can find out more on our membership page.
Work with us
We're always looking for new ways to collaborate and work in partnership with colleagues from the VCSE and statutory sectors, as well as local business. If you're interested in working with us and would like to explore this in more detail, please