1 December 2021
The Adamson Trust – holidays for disabled children
The Adamson Trust, a charitable trust, was set up in 1947 by Agnes Adamson, a Crieff resident, with an endowment of £10,000 to buy and support a respite home or to give holiday grants for disabled children. However, the Trustees at the time decided instead to finance holidays and respite breaks for children with a wide range of illnesses and disabilities. The original £10,000 has grown with careful nurturing, and since 2002 the Trust has actively publicised its work. The amount paid out to deserving children and their families has increased from £6,380 in 2002 to about £89,500 in the year ending March 2020. Grants fell when the pandemic hit, but the Trust appears on course to resume the level of pre-pandemic distributions.
The conditions for receiving a grant are straightforward and should not discourage anyone from applying. The child must be between 3 and 17, and we require evidence of a disability from a medical or social services professional. We may ask for evidence that our grants have been used for the holidays proposed. Also, where an award covers a relatively small part of the holiday cost, the Trustees may seek assurances that the family has sufficient personal or supplementary funding to cover the balance. We also believe that disabled children should be able to go on holiday with or without their families. An added benefit is respite for the families.