Cherry Trees Children’s Charity Gets Set To Run a Second Respite Home

Published on: 23 Jan, 2026
Updated on: 23 Jan, 2026

Goldcrest Lodge home – to be managed by the Cherry Trees charity

Cherry Trees charity, which provides respite care for children and young people with complex disabilities, is to run a second short-break respite home.

The charity, based in East Clandon, has been granted approval by Ofsted to manage Goldcrest Lodge in Liphook, Hampshire – a six-bed home set in the surroundings of Passfield Common.

The home has been operated until recently by another provider. There will be a short closure period while work takes place to transform Goldcrest Lodge into a ‘home-from-home’ – then it will reopen in February.

The acquisition means that Cherry Trees will be able to deliver care to more children in the south-east. The charity’s East Clandon home, which has 11 bedrooms, has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted for three years in a row.

As well as looking after children with complex disabilities and providing their families with a meaningful break, the charity has the embedded ethos of “Child First, Disability Second” and strives to provide the children with fun, enriching experiences.

It also helps them work towards their personal goals, enabling them to gain vital independence skills for their progress into adult life.

The Liphook home will go under the name of Cherry Trees – Goldcrest Lodge. The move to take on a second site is part of the charity’s five-year growth plan, to be announced later this year, which will support even more families caring for children with complex disabilities.

It comes after a detailed review of needs within Surrey and the surrounding counties.

Children enjoying themselves at the charity’s East Clandon home.

Cherry Trees CEO Claire Bryant said: “We know there is a great need to support the families of children with complex disabilities and help them lead happy and fulfilling lives. Each year we are reminded just how vital our existing East Clandon home is, and the positive impact we have on so many families.

“We are delighted to be able to share this news which will see Cherry Trees take a big step forward as we embark on our ambitious growth plan which will transform the lives of so many more families.

“We are very proud of what we do and the difference we make to the lives of the children and families we support, so we are thrilled that we can bring our model of outstanding care into another county to help more families.

“What’s more, it’s very important to us that we embed ourselves in our new Hampshire community, and we look forward to growing awareness of our work through local schools, businesses and community organisations to highlight what we do and promote inclusion.

“We had a wonderful year at Cherry Trees in 2025 as we celebrated our 45^th anniversary, as well as our third Ofsted Outstanding rating – something only 13 per cent of short-break children’s homes in England achieve.

“We are now very much looking forward to the future and the next steps in our journey.”

Cherry Trees was founded in 1980 by a group of parents and doctors. It provides practical, emotional and financial support through short breaks, wellbeing events and financial grants.

Cherry Trees – Goldcrest Lodge will care for children between the ages of four and 18 with complex sensory, physical and learning disabilities.

In the financial year 2024/25 the Cherry Trees charity delivered 52,843 hours of care to children and young people from Surrey and the surrounding areas. It supported a total of 68 children and their families.

Providing this lifeline to families costs Cherry Trees around £2m a year. Just over 50 per cent of this is funded by the local authority, the rest comes from fundraising and through donations.