22/08/2026
As we enter the final stretch of the summer holidays, thousands of families of disabled children across the country have spent the last few weeks doing the impossible to juggle childcare and work, with no support and no access to holiday clubs.
According to groundbreaking new research by Sense, 61,415 disabled children live in areas with no holiday club options. One in ten (10%) local authorities commission no holiday clubs at all for disabled children.
More than half (57%) of parent carers said they struggle to find accessible holiday clubs, and more than a quarter (27%) said clubs or activities are unwilling to even include their disabled child. Nearly half (49%) of parent carers say their local authority won’t fund holiday club provision for their disabled child.
One in three parent carers said the lack of accessible holiday clubs has left them financially worse off. Of those affected financially, one in five has been forced to leave work altogether. More than a third (34%) said the struggle to find suitable holiday activities has negatively affected their mental health.
Where a child lives shouldn't decide whether they get a summer full of fun, friends and memories. At Variety, we see every day what it means for a disabled child to be included and given the chance to just be a child.
Read Sense's full research 👉 https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/research/holiday-club-research-2026/
