Team Charlie Opens Charlie's Retreat: A Haven of Hope for Families Facing Childhood Cancer

Cirencester

New holiday retreat at Hoburne Cotswold Water Park honours memory of brave 13-year-old and provides vital respite for families battling cancer

Team Charlie, a local children's cancer charity, has proudly announced the opening of Charlie's Retreat, a holiday home at Hoburne Cotswold Holiday Park. This milestone achievement represents the culmination of an extraordinary fundraising journey and provides a dedicated sanctuary where families with children diagnosed with cancer can escape, rest, and create precious memories together.

A Legacy of Love and Courage
Charlie's Retreat honours the memory of Charlie Ilsley, from Reading, who passed away in December 2020 at just 13 years old after a courageous battle with medulloblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain tumour found in children.

Charlie was first diagnosed in March 2015 at age eight, following weeks of unexplained vomiting and neck pain. He endured emergency surgery, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and stem cell transplants. After achieving remission in 2015, the cancer returned in March 2018 with five tumours on his spine. Through tireless research, his mother Toni discovered specialised CyberKnife treatment combined with Avastin therapy. The community rallied, raising £80,000 to fund treatment in Turkey. When the cancer returned a third time in November 2019, nearly £100,000 poured in from supporters across the UK and beyond to fund immunotherapy treatment in Germany and Mexico. Tragically, Charlie lost his fight.

Cheltenham-based Claire Brown, co-founder of Team Charlie, was spurred into action after watching Charlie’s Story on Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer in March 2019 and got in touch with the family to help fundraise more than £100,000 for Charlie’s treatment. She later helped establish the charity in his memory.

A Purpose-Built Sanctuary
Located at Hoburne Cotswold Water Park in Cirencester, the retreat offers everything families need to reconnect and recharge. The location was chosen as Charlie loved being in or near water, whether at a lake, beach, or swimming pool, during his most challenging moments.

Charlie's Retreat will be available year-round to families with children diagnosed with cancer. Its opening marks a significant milestone in Team Charlie's journey. Set up in 2022 to initially provide individual grants for gifts, treats, and family days out, the charity decided to have a more tangible tribute to Charlie through the retreat, to offer a consistent, dedicated space where families can escape the relentless ordeal of hospital appointments, treatments, and uncertainty.

Community Support
The charity's fundraising campaign captured hearts across the community. More than £50,000 was raised through its Facebook page. The final piece came through a £20,000 National Lottery grant, alongside generous support from other grant givers, fundraisers and donors, including Waitrose Cheltenham.

A particularly poignant fundraising event included a memorial walk that would have marked Charlie's 18th birthday last year, raising around £1,000 and awareness for the cause.

Voices of Hope
Toni Ilsley, Charlie's mother and co-founder of Team Charlie, knows firsthand how much holiday respite via charitable support meant during Charlie's illness. The family received vital assistance from similar charities, and that experience of receiving help during their darkest hours inspired the creation of Team Charlie, ensuring other families would have access to the same lifeline.

She said: "Holidays and luxuries become the most important things when you're trying to make memories with a sick child. When one parent has to give up work, money becomes extremely limited. You don't get to go on holidays or have that fun. This retreat will keep Charlie's name going and his memory alive, and hopefully a lot of people will benefit from it. I know Charlie would have loved the fact that he's helping others and making a positive difference to build his legacy."

Claire commented: “When we secured National Lottery funding, I couldn't quite believe it; it meant we could actually make our dream a reality. Charlie's Retreat isn’t just a holiday home – it's a lifeline for families experiencing the relentless trauma of childhood cancer. We hope to support hundreds of families from this home in the years to come, and what better surroundings than the beauty and tranquillity of the Cotswolds. This gives us a more tangible tribute to this remarkable young man who captured so many hearts not just locally, but all over the world."

Charlie's Retreat is now welcoming bookings from affected families across the UK.

For more information, visit: www.teamcharlie.org.uk

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